Peter Gabriel is currently nearing the end of the North American leg of “i/o – The Tour,” in support of his most recent album, i/o. The veteran performer and activist is supported by a fantastic band including long-time collaborators Manu Katché, Tony Levin, and David Rhodes – each of them a proficient musician in their own rights. They were joined by newcomers cellist/vocalist Ayanna Witter-Johnson, violinist Marina Moore, keyboardist Don McLean, and horn player/keyboardist Josh Shpak.
True to form the show at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena on October 8th presented an engaging mix of songs old and new, commentary touching on the issues of today (including artificial intelligence, perhaps unsurprisingly from someone who has always pushed the technology needle), and a digital art backdrop created by a stunning variety of artists.
Despite a new studio album, Gabriel’s repertoire on this tour spans the ages. The show opened with “Washing of the Water”, a song released in 1992. It was played by the whole group seated around a fire which Gabriel “lit” with a “meteor” that dropped from the ceiling, and the song maintained its original poignancy. This moved into “Growing Up,” off 2002’s Up, which incorporated twists of exotic-feeling rhythms and instrumentation, before the band moved to stand, the nine musicians filling the stage.
First up from i/o was “Panopticon,” a beautiful track that feels immediately at home among Gabriel’s greats, with a riff that for this reviewer was an instant earworm. This was followed immediately by “Four Kinds of Horses” off the same album – another gorgeous song with a haunting, heart-wrenching musical undercurrent complemented by lyrics exploring the overlap of peace and religion, violence and terrorism (with standout lyrics “Ah, you say you’re something different, But you do it all again…”). This two-piece set almost could have stood alone, to be followed by a period of introspection and philosophical discussion… but of course, it was not; rather, it was followed by the more upbeat “i/o”, before taking brief interlude from the new album to jump back to the classic, “Digging in the Dirt.”
Returning to the new album, the band ran through the melodic “Playing for Time,” followed by “Olive Tree” (with beautiful, and particularly resonant, background art created by Barthélémy Toguo), and culminating in the poignant, reflective “This is Home.” The latter, in particular, feels like a fitting reflection on his many years of touring as a musician, as well as the personal challenges Gabriel has faced and feels at some level as an acknowledgment of finding peace.
At the risk of being too reflective, however, Gabriel & co finished the first half with “Sledgehammer,” leaving the audience on a peppy, familiar note as they took a brief intermission.
As Gabriel said, he’d divided the show into two halves – “just like this country” – and the second show came back with a vengeance, opening with “Darkness,” a reflection on fear off of 2002’s Up. That intense piece, however, was followed by a couple of new songs, of which the first was “Love Can Heal.” A melodic beauty, like a number of the earlier i/o songs “Love Can Heal” manages to carry an eerie, haunting orchestration and general tone – beautiful, and with the feeling of being an immediate classic. It was followed immediately by the bouncier “Road to Joy” – which the band clearly enjoyed playing, rocking out with obvious joy.
“Don’t Give Up” played next, with Levin’s distinctive bass opening immediately bringing the crowd to its feet with enthusiastic whoops. The gorgeous song did not disappoint, with Ayanna Witter-Johnson’s vocals ably, gorgeously entreating the listener not to give up. Similarly, two songs later, “Red Rain” again gave the crowd the uplift of a well-loved song well-played.
The band cruised through a few other new songs – “The Court,” And Still,” and “Live and Let Live” – the latter of which has a ridiculously catchy core riff. All three are a testament to the strength of the new album, which feels set to be among Gabriel’s best – a significant achievement, given the accomplished nature of the septuagenarian dancing around Climate Pledge Arena! They also played a few other crowd favorite oldies – “Big Time,” “Solsbury Hill,” and as encores, “In Your Eyes” and “Biko.”
For staging, as mentioned above Gabriel made use of art as a digital backdrop/set. While relatively basic, the stage setup included a backdrop of screens, and a circle overhead (as well as numerous small mirror screens on each side). For each song, the art/screen uses changed, showcasing visual art from an impressive array of artists. The notoriety of the artists included served as a subtle acknowledgment of Gabriel’s role as a global Elder; from all over the world, the list included Ai Weiwei, Nick Cave, Henry Hudson, Annette Messager, and Olafur Eliasson, to name just some. Each piece of work served as a visually engaging, often powerful accompaniment to the music it served.
2 Responses
This was my 1st show at Climate Pledge. The sound system is very impressive and volume was very appropriate. Honestly, after 50+ years of concert-going, I avoid the large venues for that reason. Not only did Gabriel present as the consumate pro, but the listening experience was much better than expected. This was one of the best arena concerts I’ve attended, going all the way back to Supertramp at the Offenbach Stadthalle outside Frankfurt, Germany, 1980.
Climate Pledge arena is funny. Groups fly around the world with their entourage while promoting climate. Cruise ships come out of Seattle that burn 100,000 gallons of fuel for a weeks cruise on average but the ones on promote climate change but need a vacation and etc. the list goes on. Very funny.