The Visuals were stunning at times so beautiful that I didn't film them. Peter Gabriel has a voice that reaches into crevices and baptizes you.
Gabriel is like two competing angels One full of hope
and the Other warns of darkness. He is obsessed with blood imagery. It colors his lyrics. So many great songs all with out guitar or drums just with an orchestra.
At times I was sad. Watching Gabriel in concert is like watching a beloved family member grow older, larger while letting himself go and it frightens me. Makes me realize again that we all grow old if we are lucky. But what magnificent gifts he brings this angel called Peter Gabriel.
When "IN YOUR EYES" was played so many people were crying.
There was a serious desire to dance which caused an inherent problem. This concert was again with full orchestra with no drums and no guitar. Many times the music soared but something geriatric did happen like one of the previous reviews hinted. While I was looking up information on the concert prior to going, one review was critical of the older Peter Gabriel at the time I didn't get it but sitting there waiting to hear "SLEDGE HAMMER", I understood the slur. Matter of fact at one point during the concert feeling the need to get up and move around, I walked with a friend in one of the large aisles and mocked the stifleness that I was feeling by pretending to "get down" to whatever was playing. I laughed and so did my friend and it gave me some momentary relief for being sedentary.
Back to the visuals, Peter Gabriel has always been known for pushing the directorial landscapes of music videos. His concerts are no exception from the handsome conductor with the hypnotizing movements to the cameras catching the actions. Amazing dissolves from the singer to symbolic atoms of light. Other times a giant screen was used to emulate a body scanner for security at our terror crazed airports. Gabriel's obsession with blood ran through out the concert, on the large screens and on the main stage. One of my dislikes were the over head shots that looked down directly at whom ever was singing or the conductor. Those angles were not flattering or interesting to me. Neither was the helmet cam that scammered through the New Blood Orchestra (Peter Gabriel's name for his musicians). Those shots were irritating and useless to me. An over use of the technology that was so relentlessly available during the course of the show. It was entirely unnecessary and was over kill.
And speaking of over kill, another twist of the concert was how many drunk, angry, over weight and obnoxious people were at the show. I'm not joking. Through out the concert from our entrance, to going to buy water, to walking to our seats, men were blatantly staring, yelling to get attention, saying obnoxious things and just plain gross. We wondered what was going on? Do these people ever go out? Also, so many people were so intense. One person that we had the misfortune to sit near, took over 2-3 seats with his legs spread and his baggage. His belongings were so large. They were like carry on luggage in the middle of the row. Instead of him pushing it under the bench, he left it in the aisle so people tripped on it. He looked like the Unibomber. He sat at one point with is head down and looked like he was going to blow any moment which made me sit even closer away from him towards my friend. I saw one guy falling down the concrete stairs drunk. Alot of piggish behavior. Many people that we talked to noticed it as well. Very strange and it killed some of the enjoyment of the show. We also noticed that the Hollywood Bowl sold humongous containers of wine which encouraged the over drinking. You could hear wine/beer bottles breaking through out the show and people kicking the empty plastic glasses that were littered in the aisles adding an annoying distraction to the performance. The concert was primarily full and I can't imagined how many of those drunkards went and got into their cars after the show.
I saw Peter Gabriel several years ago in another venue and it was great with a light/livelier with a more sober crowd so this was a let down. If Peter Gabriel's next concert tour is like this one, I will have to skip it and just prefer to listen to him in the comfort and safety of my place not in an arena with a bunch of ancient Greeks and Romans in a drunken orgy.
So in total, are a majority of fans of Peter Gabriel reflective of the piggish drunks of the Hollywood Bowl crowd? I don't know but I hope not. I love Peter Gabriel but not in last night's type of atmosphere.
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