Peter Gabriel In Concert - 6/29/03 DTE Music Theater
Aug 01 '03
The Bottom Line The best performer I have seen ever.
June 29th, 2003 is a date I will remember for a long time. Not because it is my first wife’s birthday, even though she is responsible for giving me Kim my great, though bull headed daughter. No the reason that this day is special is that I have been waiting almost 30 years for it. This is the day that I would finally get to see Peter Gabriel in concert.
The concert was at the DTE Music Amphitheater near Pontiac Mi. Now, I had not been there for many, many years. I tried to think of the last concert I saw there and I think it might have been Cheap Trick in their heyday. At that time, the place was called Pine Knob and was known as the place to party while there happens to be a concert going on. I hoped that this was not the case still, as those days, for me, have long since past. I was there to see a show.
Clarkston (the name of the berg where DTE actually sits.) is a little more than 100 miles away from where I live in Mt Pleasant. With that in mind, Renee and I decided to make a day of it. She had not been in that part of the state much, so we thought we might do some sightseeing before the show. Intentionally, I made sure that neither of us had anything to eat before we left as the first stop would be the World Famous Tony’s in Birch Run Mi.
Tony’s is a place that everyone in the area has to experience at least once. It is a truck stop type restaurant that is known for their huge portions. I do mean huge too! We both did breakfast and each plate had enough food to keep a third world country going for a day or two. There breakfast comprises of 3 eggs, 1lb of bacon and enough hash browns to support the economy of Idaho for an extended period of time.
I tried to talk Renee into the BLT which is also made with at least 1lb. of bacon, but she would have no part of that. Doing it this way, she said that she would have enough bacon for half a dozen BLTs after eating what she could for breakfast.
Well with our guts full….and then some, we were ready to continue the trek. The plan was to head for Great Lakes Crossings, the largest mall in Michigan, so we could walk off breakfast before the concert. What I didn’t count on was the construction along I75 and just how long it would take to get through it!
By the time that we neared Clarkston, we had a little more than an hour before we had to be at the concert. With that in mind, we did a little tour of the town and decided to head to DTE early and take a look around. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
When we got there and parked, we found out that we could not get into the theater itself for that last hour. We had to wait outside but that is not so bad at this venue. DTE is situated out in the boonies and is surrounded by it’s golf course, ski hills and a small park. We got to take a look around and still made it back before the gates where open. So, we sat in the park until it was time.
Here we met a guy that got us ready for the concert. He was a little older than me and had led a fun life, you could tell. We just started talking about the concerts that we had both seen there, going back to the days of Pine Knob. Before long, another guy who came riding up on his bike joined us and before long, we were comparing concert stories that went back to my first Uriah Heep concert so many years ago.
As we talked about the great music we had heard, I started thinking about what we were going to see tonight. I was sure that this night would become another special memory! Renee had never been to a concert in her life. I like to break the concert cherry for people and I hoped that this would be a treat for her too.
Well the gates finally opened and we got our first look at the new theater. What a great place for a concert. The lay out was pretty much the same as I remembered, but of course there was many new features. Souvenir booths and refreshment stands were all over the place. The big problem, just like it was so many years ago, is the lack of bathrooms. Oh well, we would make do. This would be of concern later when we found out that the drinks were once price with refills all night for free. Luckily we discovered bathrooms below the stage. Not to far from out seats.
I never knew it before but DTE is ranked as the best outdoor amphitheater in the USA. At least that is what they promote at the site. I would have to say that it is a great place to see a concert. This magnificent amphitheater surrounded by a hill where you can spread out your blanket and enjoy the show. I am sorry but the hill days are over for me. Thank you for my seat under the pavilion. We had great seats with clear view of the whole stage. The only thing to make it complete was Peter.
Then while many people still milled around, Peter walked to center stage and introduced his warm up band.
With that, Sevara Nazarkhan took the stage. She and her band from Uzbekistan have been the opening act for Gabriel during this leg of his USA tour. Although she has a very fine voice, her blend of Eastern and Western music was just not my cup of tea. Her set lasted about 30-35 minutes and the best I can say, it was interesting. While waiting for them to set up for Peter, I have to say that I saw a lot of people carrying her CD that they sold throughout the venue. For those that are into world music, you might want to give her a try.
After about 15 minutes, I noticed that the crowd was bathed in red light and with no introduction, Peter strolled to his keyboard and the band burst into the song ”Red Rain.” A powerful beginning for what was to come. This song has always been a favorite of mine and a great way to get everyone ready for a Gabriel spectacular.
Peter thank says his welcome and introduces the next song ”More Than This” from his new album UP. This is one of the more striking tunes from the new album and they play it to perfection. This is a great piece of music and Gabriel shows his prowess on keyboards here. It also has a terrific twangy guitar part that helps set this song above most on the new album. The highlight was a cool effect that he uses during this song. Each band member had this mirror behind him and during certain times of this song they would hit these mirrors with strobes that really made the stage and the band look surreal and almost puppet like. A strange and mesmerizing effect from the master of stage presence.
Peter than says we all have our secret place to go to…..in other words, our ”Secret World.” I have the video from the last tour and after seeing him, I would have to say that this sparse but faster version is my favorite. Still behind his keyboard, this song becomes a dynamic rocker including an extra heavy guitar before the finale. It is about this point when I began to think that this is not going to be the world music show like previous tours. This is going to be about rock and roll and having a good time!
As if to prove my point, Peter emerges from the side of the stage riding a Segway scooter while his daughter rolls from the other side of the stage on her own scooter. Then as they seem to joust each other as Peter starts to belt out a knock out version of ”Games Without Frontiers.” The song is done a little more mechanical then before to match the scooter dance between Peter and his daughter. I was glad to hear Gabriel reaching back into his vast repertoire and pull out this gem. Also….I WANT A SEGWAY NOW!!
A little technical difficulty with Peter’s microphone gives him a chance to do a little banter with his band. He also gets to even through in a reference to his days with Genesis before he goes into his introduction of ”Mercy Street.” “Imagine a vast ocean with a small boat on it. “ he says as a full moon appears in the circular monitor located behind the band. Using the acapella beginning that was so captivating in the previous shows, this showstopper kicks off. The only problem is that about two lines into the song, Peter screws up the lyrics! Well, he says….”This is a true f**k-up” and proceeds to start the song over. This has always been on my A list of Peter songs. A true classic that once they got going, became a haunting moment that I remember for a long, long time.
A pulsating beat and with a thunderous crash and a swirl of strobes, Gabriel breaks into a gem from his newest album called ”Darkness.” This song could have come off any of Peter’s first three albums. Great rock and roll where the band starts to let loose a little bit and the whole show gets fired up once more.
Peter then comes out wearing a camera on his head and gives us some extremely tight close ups just like in the video of this song ”Digging In The Dirt.” Seeing Gabriel’s nose hairs looking about 3 ft long across the large screen behind the stage was a little unnerving but what the heck. He gets out and really turns this into an electrified rocker. There is one scorching guitar solo that I never would have guessed hearing at a Gabriel show. A great song that I can finally say I saw played live.
The next song is the powerful ”Don’t Give Up” sung as a duet with his daughter Melanie. Well, I love to do things with my daughter, even if she is not up to the task. I guess Peter does too! She is definitely no Kate Bush by any stretch of the imagination. Still it is a cool moment to see them together on stage having a little fun. Especially when they both urge the crowd into helping sing the final chorus.
A real surprise comes next with the song ”The Tower That Ate People” from his little known OVO album. Using some real cool animation on the circular screen along with a terrific light show, Peter tuns this song into a real thumper! Originally written as a soundtrack to a children show, he coverts it into an adult moment here! I was really overwhelmed by the awesome power he generates for this number.
Before getting into the next song, let me just say that my new goal in life is to go toy shopping with Peter Gabriel just once!. His mind works in some mysterious ways to say the least. Just think about what he does here. With the announcement “We all have to grow up sometime.” A giant plastic ball descends from the ceiling and engulfs Peter to the opening bars of the title song to this tour Growing Up.” Now safe inside his clear plastic bubble, Peter becomes a human beach ball while singing this song from within. He even manages to mow down one of the band members while bouncing around the stage in his giant
hamster wheel. I want one of those! I guess neither Peter nor I have to worry about growing up anytime soon.
Next Peter takes us through a kind of laid back version of ”Shock The Monkey.” The song had all the energy of the original but for some reason they removed the guitar that accented the album version. Here it is replaced with some organ fills that give it a more jungle feel but it is not nearly as heavy of a song this way. Still terrific no matter how you slice it though.
Now we get to the comedic portion of the show. My all time favorite song by Peter is still ”Solsbury Hill.” After the monkey was sufficiently shocked, Peter introduces all the band members very tongue-in-cheek before trying to make me very happy by climbing the fore mentioned hill. Once again the electronic demons show up and cut out the keyboards completely. Peter stops the song once again and tells us that we are having what is called “Solsbury Interruptous.” Gabriel tries to keep the crowd amused while the techs work on the problem.
Finally he gives up and decides to treat us to a solo version of “Here Comes The Flood” until they get it fixed. This was another surprise for sure. I bet as much to Peter as it was to the audience. Reading later at bass player Tony Levin’s web page, it was only the second time the song was performed during the tour. It was an amazing bit of an amazing evening. Just Peter and a piano. I am glad I was there.
Well the techs do their job and finally we are treated to the timeless ”Solsbury Hill.” Normally during this song the band does a little follow the leader around the stage and here they did it with a little special touch. Instead of staying on stage, they followed Peter through the crowd all the way to the hill in the back and then down the other side of the theater. They all passed within 2-3 feet of me while giving every person in attendance the opportunity to say hi to the band. Not only did they do a great version, they did it in a way as if to say thank you all for the support through the years. This memory is one I will cherish forever. It is the type of thing that you go to a concert for in the first place.
Without letting up Peter dashes backstage only to reemerge in a suit covered in tiny spotlights to perform the song ”Sledgehammer.” Wow! A flashing Peter Gabriel!! This song sounded as good as ever. Peter doesn’t deviate from the album version at all. This is a fantastic song to see him perform. What a spectacle. The crowd is rocking now!
So what does Peter do? Well he gives us his political views on the U. S. A. and their actions in Iraq. Well he is entitled to his opinion but this was not the time or the place. I lost a little respect for Peter when he used the moment to do this. I mean there were those that agree with him in the audience. There was those that didn’t. One thing in common though is everyone was there to hear music, not political speeches. Enough of that, Peter uses this as his introduction to the last new song he was going to play, ”Signal To Noise.” When I first heard this song on the UP album, I was not all that impressed. Well after the live treatment that Gabriel gives it, this song gets a much needed boot in the a**! Maybe it was the captivating light show or the very cool projections he used on the circular monitor but this becomes a little bit of theater and a lot of good rock and roll. A great way to end the concert….that is, before we get the encore!
For the encore Peter brings back Sevara and her band to help him with a great version of ”In Your Eyes.”This has to be the highlight of the concert. As the band cranks it up and Peter and Sevara sing along with 20,000 to this enchanting piece of music. I could not believe the power that Peter can put into his music. This song, along with the rest of the concert is one of those evenings that you hope would never end, but it had too.
I now that they have a curfew at DTE. No song could start after a certain time. Peter says that they reached curfew and could not play anymore. Too bad, I think the technical problems cost us at least one more tune.
That is trivial compared to the whole evening though. What a magical night and one that I am glad to have been a part of. Gabriel is without a doubt one of the greatest live performers of our time. I just can’t explain why I have never seen him before this time and place. I wonder how many other great shows I had missed?
I know the tour is done now. So, I won’t say go see him when he gets to your town. Instead let me say, you missed a great one! Maybe if you are lucky he will do another tour and if he does, don’t miss it this time! I know I won’t.
As a bonus, at the end of the concert, there was a blurb on the big screen about a CD of the concert. A few days later I remembered about that and went Peter’s website and followed the links until I came to a place where I could order a complete recording of the live concert! I had to try this. So I sent for it and it got here today. That is why I haven’t written the review until now. I wanted to see if this was a true recording and included what I find in the review.
Well it is an uncut recording of the evening from start to finish. I know have a cd of the night I spent with Peter and the band. What an added treat. This site does it for other bands on tour too. If you are interested in seeing if there is anything that you might want there, just drop me an email and I will send you the link.
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Epinions.com ID:
wolfman309
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Member: Scott Ward
Location: Mt Pleasant, MI
Reviews written: 255
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About Me:
Let the music do the talking!!!
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