Weirdo Wednesday: Peter Gabriel Goes “On The Air” Live at Rockpalast 1978

Rounding out this week’s spotlight on the eternally avant-garde Peter Gabriel, Weirdo Wednesday takes us back to Rockpalast, 1978, when Gabriel was out supporting his often-overlooked second solo album, Scratch. Only a few years removed from his Genesis days, he’s still leaning hard into theatricality—though here it’s stripped down from the grand costumes to something charmingly odd: an orange, crossing-guard-style prop that feels perfectly on brand.

Backed by a razor-sharp band featuring Tony Levin on bass and Jerry Marotta on drums, Gabriel tears into “On the Air,” a performance that sits worlds away from the warm, nostalgic glow of “Solsbury Hill.” This is Gabriel in transition—bold, restless, and clearly more interested in pushing forward than looking back.