Peter Gabriel @ Utilita Arena 17th June, 2023
This tour supports the release of Peter Gabriel‘s upcoming album i/o which will be his first full length album of original material since 2002. In the meantime, he is releasing a track on each full moon and the anticipation of his arrival on stage is palpable in the nearly sold out arena with many guessing whether we will hear songs that are yet to be released. Having seen Gabriel play live before, you know that it won’t be a conventional rock show as he produces more of an artistic performance illustrating his desire to work collaboratively not just musically but visually too.
The stage is set with a large clock showing the countdown to show time, as is becoming more commonplace, there is no support this evening instead Peter Gabriel plays two sets entering as a lone figure precisely at 8pm. He stands in front of the clock and addresses the crowd, proposing “imagination can escape time” as the clock disintegrates and Gabriel continues to explore the importance of sounds and the start of the universe whilst making jokes about being an avatar that, unlike ABBA, is larger and more bald than the actual Peter Gabriel who is really lying on a beach in the Caribbean! The power of the meteorite is represented by a small bright light that descends from the ceiling and then lights a campfire where Gabriel and Tony Levin take a seat to embark on the night’s music with Washing of the Water as the circular screen above them emits an image of the full moon.
Peter Gabriel’s vocals still have the comforting warmth and sensitivity of the initial recording. As the song progresses, more musicians join them round the campfire adding to the gentle crescendo towards the end of the song. Growing Up takes on a more mellow essence with hints of aboriginal influences and beautiful harmonic vocals to enhance the tensions in the song. At the end, Peter introduces every member of the band emphasising their immense skill set, this arises throughout the performance where he explains the work of each artist who has contributed to the set illustrating the importance he places on exploring performance with others and the reverence he has for others’ abilities
Peter Gabriel then begins a trilogy of three songs that have already been released from i/o starting with Panopticom. This track allows for the musicians to unleash a weightier performance demonstrating the excellent resonance being produced within the arena as no instrument cannot be heard and no other instrument overpowers to ensure a perfectly balanced sound. Flowing into Four Kinds of Horses explores an interesting arrangement of the accentuating string instruments over repetitive samples with backing vocals that complement Peter Gabriel’s melody all leading to an impressive heraldic trumpet solo. The final song of the trilogy is the title of the album i/o, meaning input output but also the name of one of Jupiter’s moons and is the most memorable of the new songs with its anthemic chorus “I am just a part of everything” resounding around the stadium The song is classic Gabriel.
Olive Tree is an unreleased track that starts with mandolin and strings but kicks in with an uplifting chorus accompanied by a trumpet line that could be lifted from an 80s pop track. Everyone of the musicians are moving and clearly enjoying their time on stage which adds to the upbeat atmosphere. Unsurprisingly, in set one, it is the best selling singles that have the best reception. Digging in the Dirt sees strobes flying around the stage whilst Peter Gabriel strides around the stage making strong movements in time with the accented notes. Whereas Sledgehammer has the whole crowd on its feet dancing and singing at the top of their voices appreciating a genius pop song and bringing set one to a suitable close.
After a short interval, Gabriel returns to the stage in a black hat with the gut wrenching Darkness taken from 2002’s album Up, shrouded by moving screens displaying black and white imagery. Between every song, Peter Gabriel addresses the audience, sharing his inspiration for the next song or considerations about the future that will shape humanity all with intellectual curiosity and wit including his explanation about the necessity for bright and dark side mixes of each of the new tracks. The set list continues being a well-chosen selection of his older tracks placed around new and unreleased music which gel to create a cohesive body of work. Gabriel embraces the timeless duet Don’t Give Up that he originally performed with Kate Bush; a fragile dialogue between despair and hope. Bravely Ayanna Witter-Johnson takes the role of Bush and despite having a far more soul based voice she carries the song admirably and it sees the two of them face each other on a balcony at the back of the stage, conveying the emotion of the original.
This duet segues beautifully into The Court which in turn paves the way for Red Rain; one of the highlights of the evening. With its gentle cymbal opening leading into a piano crescendo that erupts into the vocal line followed by the slight key changes to produce an anthemic 80s piece. Even after all these years, this is genius song writing enhanced by Gabriel’s passionate cry with a voice that remains epic. As with Red Rain, Big Time is another large sounding hit that allows Gabriel to participate in a low level dance routine, one wholeheartedly suitable for a more senior musician. The audience are standing and dancing as they were for Sledgehammer.
Splitting Red Rain from Big Time is And Still, a song that may appear on the full I/o album with a delicious cello instrumental break that has a rich tone which flows through the auditorium. The second set ends with Peter Gabriel’s first solo single, Solsbury Hill which still sounds fresh decades on. I defy anyone not to smile to this song, its positivity and a skipping Gabriel are so uplifting. The accentuated boom, boom, boom has everyone with arms raised copying Peter’s actions increases with every verse to create a joyous atmosphere on which to end a phenomenal couple of hours.
Before embarking on the first encore, Peter Gabriel sincerely thanks all the crew who have worked tirelessly to produce such a slick performance. He has chosen the moving In Your Eyes with its beautiful vocal harmonies including some low baritone notes courtesy of Tony Levin. Gabriel encourages the audience to keep singing the main chorus melody as the musicians take different lines and layering, a true swell of harmonic delight.
The final encore is the anti-apartheid anthem, Biko, written about the activist and “father of black consciousness” Steve Biko who was beaten to death in 1977. Biko’s face is projected on the circular screen above Gabriel and becomes the focus as Peter stands below raising a defiant fist whilst singing a song that was banned in South Africa. As the song gathers pace you can feel the sense of frustration that there is still so much racial injustice and before he leaves the stage for the final time, Gabriel ends by reminding us that “what happens next is up to you”. Slowly, one by one the musicians exit the stage with only the drummer remaining – a truly poignant ending to a thought provoking evening by a musical artistic legend.
Review: Toni woodward
Photographs: Andy Shaw
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