Peter Gabriel knows the alchemy of great music. With a career spanning over five decades, Peter Gabriel has consistently defied musical norms, pushed artistic boundaries, and sculpted a musical landscape that is both innovative and emotionally resonant.
The unusual leader of Genesis has experimented with a variety of musical genres over the course of his 46-year solo career. But it’s reasonable to argue that, save from 2002’s “Long Walk Home: Music from the Rabbit-Proof Fence,” even his most ardent followers would not have found his most recent songs to be as rewarding. With a few notable exceptions, his career hasn’t been characterized by hit singles.
With the release of “I/O,” there seems to be a good chance that this pattern will change. The 73-year-old artist’s 10th studio album was gradually teased by releasing a new tune on each full moon starting on January 6, 2023.
There will be a total of 10 songs on the album performed by his core band, which consists of drummer Manu Katché, guitarist David Rhodes, and bassist Tony Levin. The record will include feature appearances by illustrious guests, including Brian Eno.
Vancouver’s Rogers Arena concert
He performed all but one of the brand-new songs from his most recent album at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena. The crowd, hungry for a more well-known classic song, became a little restless as a result. It’s important to note that the first half of the show’s new content wasn’t all that happy or joyful.
He performed all but one of the brand-new songs from his most recent album at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena. The crowd, hungry for a more well-known classic song, became a little restless as a result. Noteworthy is the fact that the new material Gabriel and his exceptionally talented core group performed in a concert that was split into two parts.
Other artists included Richard Evans, a versatile studio musician, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Marina Moore, Don “Don-E” McLean, and Josh Shpak, a keyboardist and brass player. Throughout the performance, each of these musicians had numerous opportunities to demonstrate their skills, and they all made the most of them. The first half of the show wasn’t all that lively or happy.
Gabriel, in his fantastic voice
Gabriel remained in the spotlight the entire time, putting on a fantastic singing performance. His singing voice has retained nearly all of its amazing vocal range and all of its melancholy passion, unlike that of many of his contemporaries.
Beginning the show was a streamlined “in the round” performance of “Washing of the Water” from the 1992 album “Us.” It was immediately clear that this performance would not just be a musical extravaganza but also a showcase for stage design and lighting.
Visual artists, including Vancouver Island-based contemporary artist David Spriggs and Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei, have added artistic touches to each track from “I/O” as well.
The intriguing images repeatedly made an impact as they were shown on the enormous circular screen that moved above the band and across several continuously changing backgrounds and side screens.
These visuals significantly contributed to the audience’s engagement with the new songs, which ranged from the impressive “Olive Tree,” in which Katché’s drumming showed how to maintain a rhythm while adding distinctive touches with each beat, to the tender and heartfelt memorial song “This Is Home.”
The energetic performance of his mega-hit “Sledgehammer,” which brought everyone to their feet as images of ecstatic insects were shown on the screens, brought the first half of the night to a close. In particular, the representation of slug coupling was really sensual.
A light-sensitive screen was placed in front of the stage to start the second part of the performance. This screen might display a variety of effects, such as delayed photos, motion captures akin to X-rays, and even some impromptu light graffiti made by Gabriel using a wand or paintbrush-like device.
Particularly during the opening song, “Darkness,” this visually stimulating element brought a distinct and fascinating element to the performance.
