There`s no wonder that throughout his career Peter Gabriel has ever been in research of something new and different. From his flamboyant costumes in the 70′s, to his shocking departure from Genesis, to his current orchestral work, Gabriel has made some interesting decisions but managed to get success in each. Gabriel continued his successful streak with a mellow, yet captivating performance with the New Blood Orchestra at the Comcast Center on Friday.
Gabriel`s current tour spawned from his latest project titled Scratch My Back in which he covered songs from various artists including Radiohead, David Bowie, and Arcade Fire. The idea is for the artists covered to react with an album titled "Ill Scratch Yours" in which they give the privilege and hatch a Gabriel song. Although the singer is still waiting to be "scratched back", he`s continued on with the orchestral approach he took on Scratch My Back and has brought it upon his own songs as well.
Although winning the rock element out of rock songs may not be the most popular endeavor (as evidenced by the modest Comcast Center crowd that failed to meet in even the covered seating section) it did prove quite interesting. One could tell right from the first that things were passing to be different as the present began with a slow, chilling version of David Bowie`s "Heroes". The song set the spirit for the dark as the evidence would turn out in a very mellow manner. Gabriel joked about explaining his intentions for "The Boy in the Bubble" to Paul Simon saying he was going to "drain off" all the African tonality until it`s "merely another miserable white boy song". However, there was some truth behind Gabriel`s kidding as his stripped down version of the song seemed to take any uplifting sentiment and emphasize the catastrophe in the lyrics. Thankfully, the singer had the interview feeling warm again after singing a fresh story about doing yoga with his father before the ballad "Father, Son", during which he featured clips of himself with his 99 year-old dad. Fans melted when Gabriel said he bust into tears while his mother helped him stretch saying it was the most intimate moment they shared since he was a baby and recounting the audience, "If you even have loved ones grab `em while you can".
After closing the maiden set triumphantly with "Biko" as fans stood up and put their firsts in the air with the singer, Gabriel and the New Blood Orchestra returned for a bit set that was slightly more uptempo and included some of Gabriel`s better known work. After belting out "San Jacinto", Gabriel gave a Broadway-esque performance of "Digging in the Dirt" considering the orchestra and how animated he appeared during the verses. "Signal to Noise" followed and produced the nights first standing ovation, however, it was not for the superstar but instead the orchestra as New Blood rocked a percussion-heavy finish to the song. "Rhythm of the Heat" would later do the like as conductor Ben Foster led the orchestra through a captivating coda. "Solsbury Hill" would cap off the bit set as Gabriel let light and began skipping around the stage cheerfully while the orchestra appropriately kicked in a bit of "Joyful, Joyful".
Returning for the encore, Gabriel pleased fans by finally playing his biggest hit "In Your Eyes". Although fans were simply glad to try it, the songs delivery was really a bit underwhelming, although it was enjoyable seeing backup singer (and show opener) Ane Brun show off her range. After the momentum change in "Dont Give Up" brought fans to their feet, the night ended nicely with the instrumental "The Nest That Sailed the Sky" as Gabriel joked, "it`s crucial to be in a safe rate before bed". After a soft, mellifluent night with Gabriel and the New Blood Orchestra fans likely found it unproblematic to rest easy.
Setlist
First Set
Heroes (David Bowie cover)
Wallflower
Apres Moi (Regina Spektor cover)
The Boy in the Bubble (Paul Simon cover)
My Body is a Cage (Arcade Fire Cover)
Father, Son
Darkness
Washing of the Water
Biko
Second Set
San Jacinto
Digging in the Dirt
Signal to Noise
Downside Up
Mercy Street
The Rhythm of the Heat
Blood of Eden
Intruder
Red Rain
Solsbury Hill
Encore
In Your Eyes
Don`t Give Up
The Nest that Sailed the Sky
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