Another night out in search of inspiring live thrills took me to the O2 Arena on Sunday to catch Peter Gabriel and his 'New Blood' orchestra. Following the recent 'Scratch My Back' covers album the tour features no guitar or drums, just PG, piano and the orchestra (although I would count timpani as drums Peter!). Despite only buying a ticket a few days before the show I had a great seat near the front - how the hell does that happen?
The first half of the show was the new album played in its entirety, and was extremely fine. Opener 'Heroes' set my pulse racing as the sound built up and the visuals began to unfold. PG has always been a very visual artist and the video screens and lighting were deployed to great effect throughout the show. The whole of this section was great but my highlights were 'The Book Of Love' (see below) and the way the orchestra attacked Arcade Fire's 'My Body Is A Cage'.
After a 15 minute break PG returned promptly for part 2, this time with reworked versions of old material. The visuals continued to impress and the arrangements were magnificent, particularly the way the orchestra reworked the tribal drumming of 'Rhythm of the Heat' into something completely new but equally thrilling. I also loved 'Don't Give Up' - always magnificent and hugely moving tonight - both eyes were left moistened! PG missed a trick by not finishing with Biko, but despite this it was a great show, and hugely recommended should you have a chance to catch the next leg in North America.
For such a big venue, the brilliant sound and performances made this feel like a very intimate night. So, three gigs this year now, still on track for my one a month target, and April is looming.......
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