Concert Review Peter Gabriel Live on Letterman 11/9/2011

Peter Gabriel and the newest incarnation of the New Blood Orchestra performed a free 67 minute concert at the Ed Sullivan Theatre for the "Live On Letterman" webcast series at CBS.com. I was lucky enough to be in row 8, 9 or 10 (I forgot to count and tickets were General Admission) and have not yet recovered from the experience. The concert can be seen in its entirety for free at Petergabriel.com. (I'm the idiot in the red beret.)

What was especially sweet was that the concert was free. None of the tickets were for sale. Many were distributed through Gabriel's website. (Thank you, Adam, for my pair of tickets!) Considering I could not afford to see Peter Gabriel when he toured North America this summer, I was especially happy. Peter Gabriel's studio and tour technician, Richard "Dickie" Chappell did predict that ticket prices would eventually drop and at least they did for this free show and a similar concert in London for BBC2.

Some Surprises

Since the concert was being sponsored by Citibank, their employees got to be seated first, along with any friends and family of the musicians or of Peter Gabriel. Seated in front of me was one of Gabriel's friends, songwriter-singer-speed painter Joseph Arthur. It was odd to be in a theatre where half of the audience was almost completely unfamiliar with Gabriel's works.

Another surprise was just how small the David Letterman show's stage was. Paul Schaeffer's band kit was still onstage and untouched throughout the night. The 46-piece New Blood Orchestra, Peter and two back up singers were crammed. Gabriel usually marches about the stage, but could only stand in front of the mike for most of the concert. He did leave the stage entirely a couple of times in order for the spotlight to fall on the orchestra, again under the direction of wiry conductor Ben Foster.

During the first notes of Red Rain, Gabriel also announced himself before coming onto the stage - by coming down the centre aisle, slapping a lot of outstretched palms along the way. In case you're wondering, David Letterman was not to be seen. If he was there, he kept himself well hidden.

Gabriel's Voice

This was the smallest venue I'd ever seen Gabriel in. Because the stage was so small, there were absolutely no way the lighting effects and triptych video screen from the summer before could be used. This made the music the focus of attention, as well as Gabriel's introductions to his songs, especially for San Jacinto and The Rhythm of the Heat. Although cameramen ran up and down the aisles or stage periodically, I did not find them distracting.

Gabriel's voice has gotten lower over the years, but has also become more powerful and versatile. He can hold notes for much longer than he did in the early 1980s. Gabriel tackled a fan favorite Wallflower and managed to hit some sweetly delicate notes. It was the first time I'd ever seen Wallflower live and it was a joy to hear.

One way Gabriel managed these notes was to chug honey straight from a bottle. He also drank tea (presumably unsweetened.) However he managed it, Gabriel's voice goes up the back of your head and curls up over the top of the skull. In a nice way.

After the Show

Gabriel and Foster managed to sign autographs for about a dozen or so lucky fans that just happened to be at the right place at the right time - when he was leaving the theatre for his hired car (a tiny Prius). Although Gabriel's studio had stressed that Gabriel would not meet with fans before or after the concert, this was a nice touch.

I waved at him and he waved back. I told him the show was great and he said, "Thanks," then slipped inside, sunk into his seat and popped the top off of bottle of beer. One fan walked to his window and briefly talked to him. She wore a neon-yellow shirt that said "LUNATIC" in black capitals. (Peter affectionately calls his fans lunatics.) "I like that shirt!" laughed Peter.

"You should," the fan replied. "You've seen it at about 40 of your concerts." And this was one concert definitely for the memory banks.