Saw Peter Gabriel twice - and enjoyed the shows very much. First time - on the So tour - I was surprised how animated he was a performer. Even with the success of the album, I was expecting a more austere experience. Plus, as a nice bonus, PG threw in a longtime favorite of mine into the set - "Not One Of Us". Second time was in 2003/2004 or so and while the show was solid, the set list was heavily skewed towards PG's more familiar songs. I would have enjoyed something with a little more edge in there - like "DIY" or "On The Air". And this might be heresy, but why not stick an old Genesis number into the set? I don't know how PG feels about his Genesis music, but there's a lot of us who would enjoy hearing him work up one of the old ones.
Thanks for the details. Must have been quite a show. I saw him in Birmingham (U.K.) on Feb 23 that tour and of course the album wasn’t out at that point - it didn’t matter though as Gabriel and the band played great and the audience lapped it up. One of the best gig experiences of my life.
I’d need to check the set lists for the So tour but I think you got a special deal with him including Not One Of Us - what venue was this? Must have been early in the tour I think. Regarding the inclusion of those older tracks - he did do this on the Warm Up tour in 2007 but I think that only happened in Europe not the US. Gabriel actually asked his fans to suggest songs to include and true to his word the set was stuffed full of tracks from the first 4 albums. They were good gigs too! As for Genesis - he sang the opening section of Dancing With the Moonlit Knight in 2016 on the last date of the Gabriel/Sting tour (Rock Paper Scissors) and hadn’t sung a Genesis tune live since 1983 at a Steve Hackett gig at which he guested on a few songs. So it’s not something he tends to do - I believe he considered including Supper’s Ready at one point (I forget which tour but I think 2002/3) and he abandoned it as his band were struggling to learn it. The chances of him ever doing Genesis material now must be slim to non-existent. It’s a small part of what made him who he is (serious thinker, humanitarian, global citizen etc) that it would be difficult to imagine him digging that far back. I love Genesis from that period but I gave up a long time ago thinking he was about to don his leather jacket and jeans and return as Rael.
Wow, to think that Rhodes and Levin at al were struggling with anything in the line of music is just mind-boggling.
From memory, he’s never been overly-positive in interviews about his Genesis-era material. I certainly remember one comment from ‘93 Secret World period where he mumbled something like, “the ideas didn’t mesh quite as well as they could have”, or something similar. Rather indirect, certainly, but revealing nevertheless!
I don't know much about Tony Banks but he doesn't strike me as a keyboard player with a particularly difficult style to replicate. But then again, there might be some other reason behind the decision not to play Supper’s Ready. Or maybe I need to listen to that song...
There's no way they were going to do "Supper's Ready." Maybe he toyed with doing an excerpt from it (just like Genesis did on some later tours). No way he was going to devote 23 minutes to it. His band wouldn't have "struggled" to learn it in that they weren't good enough musicians, I don't think...it just wouldn't fit the mold musically of anyone in that band, except maybe Levin. His solo stuff is so far removed from his old band, that of course the musicians he collaborates with on his solo stuff would also be from a completely different mold.
In 2002 the keyboardist was Rachel Z. A tremendously talented player, but miles away from Tony Banks. Probably closer to Sancious, actually. Rachel Z - Wikipedia
I think they just thought it was too much work. Learning "Supper's Ready" isn't learning one song, it's learning an entire suite and album side of material, none of it straightforward and much of it, as you say, not really in their style. It would make most sense for Peter to do something like "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" (the song!) or "I Know What I Like."
Yeah. I don't think that was ever the plan. Given how he's never done any Genesis stuff since '78, it was, at best, an idea he toyed with for a day or two before abandoning, and was most likely just a snippet or 2-3 minute section. (like when the Ray Wilson-led Genesis did the first couple minutes of "Dancing With the Moonlit Knight"). I'd imagine the band learned several songs that never made it to the show because PG decided they didn't fit.
1980-07-12 diplomat hotel, n.y.c theres a few recordings Of the DiplomaticNY show one of them with an amazing sound -Master - pair nakamichi cm-700 mics
there was some interesting things in the "SO" North America Tour "Not One Of Us" was played in : 1986-11-04 Poughkeepsie civic center warm up show 1986-11-22 The Centrum Worcester MA 1986-11-27 Toronto 1986-11-30 Philadelphia 2nd leg 1987-07-16 Great Woods PAC Mansfield, Mass. 1987-07-21 The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA 1987-07-24 Hoffman Estates, IL 1987-07-27 Cuyahoga Falls, OH "That Voice again " in : 1986-11-04 Poughkeepsie civic center warm up show 1986-11-07 Rochester 2nd leg 1987-07-10 Ottawa- with different arrangement. 1987-07-11 Toronto- with different arrangement. " I DON' REMEMBER" was played in: 1986-11-21 Worcester 1986-11-25 Montreal "Wallflower" in : 1986-11-30 Philadelphia last curiosity: Solsbury Hill is introduced for the first time (after 19 gigs) into the setlist only in 1986-11-30 Philadelphia and them it was regularly part of the set list, but in : 1986-12-04 Rosemont, IL - Rosemont Horizon (Chicago) was played in in a rare order in encore , last music,very rare.
No - if it’s 2002/3 tour then this was Rachel Z on keyboards and Ged Lynch on drums. For me that wasn’t the best line up when you consider 82/83, 86/87 or 93/94 all of which were made up of brilliantly versatile players.
I think it was in an interview but to be honest it’s a long time ago and I couldn’t put my hands on the specific quote right now.
The quote didn’t qualify it was just part of it - he said something along the lines of “I wanted to do Suppers Ready......” on reflection I think that the suggestion it was taking too long to sort it out is correct rather than the band struggled to play it. Sorry if I gave a misleading impression. If I can find the exact quote I’ll post it on this thread but I can’t be sure when he acknowledged this. I remember being surprised by it but he did say it.
The quote didn't, I'm just inferring. But it wasn't the kind of quote that needed or called for specifics unless the interviewer followed up. it's like if a current member of Genesis in 2007 was like "Yeah, we're gonna play 'Firth Of Fifth' on this tour" when of course, they only were ever going to play the middle section. Artists don't always think like fans do.
I didn't pay much attention to PG before So. Nor did I pay much attention after. But over the last few years I've been buying his albums (I have the first 6) and now consider him an all time favorite. I need to get more.