Peter Gabriel

Growing Up Live 2002

November 26, 2002

Uncasville, CT

The Mohegan Sun Casino and resort in Uncasville, Connecticut was the setting for stop number seven of the North American leg of Peter Gabriel's "Growing Up Live 2002" tour.  Mohegan Sun is one of the largest Casinos in the world and, with its 10,000 seat arena, is the perfect location for a great concert.  Though the arena was not nearly full, probably due to the approaching snow storm that evening, everyone who came got their money's worth.

"Growing Up Live" is the first major tour Gabriel has embarked upon to support an album since 1992's "Secret World Live."  The stage show for that tour was designed by theatrical designer Robert Lapage.  Lapage created a visual experience for "Secret World Live" that wowed fans the world over and spawned one of the best, most entertaining full-length concert videos you can buy. Gabriel returned to Lapage this year for stage design and the result was, if not slightly pared down from the last iteration, no less visually inspired and entertaining. 

The stage was built for the typical indoor hockey arena setup.  It's round and takes up just about the entire width of a typical playing floor, leaving space for seating on either end, but only enough room for aisle passage on the sides.  At Mohegan Sun, there was enough room for about fifteen rows of seats on the floor, so most fans found themselves up in the stands looking down.  With the 'theater in the round' setup however, there wasn't a bad seat in the house.

Having received word that media access was available just a few short hours before  the show, we arrived a few minutes late, missing most of the first act, "The Blind Boys of Alabama."  I wasn't in all that much of a hurry to see the opening acts, but after hearing the last couple minutes of The Blind Boys set, I was sorry I didn't make it into the arena a little earlier.  With their stirring, incredibly full harmonizations, it doesn't matter if it's Blues or Gospel or something somewhere in between -- their sound is absolutely captivating!

The schedule was kept very tightly and, shortly after the Blind Boys were led off the stage, Peter Gabriel himself came up and introduced the second opening act:  Tanzania's Hukwe and Charles Zawose.  This duo, one of the many traditional World Music acts fostered by Gabriel's Real World record label, arrived onstage with adorned with tribal outfits and sporting some instruments that, I would wager, few in the audience had ever seen before.  Their set was short and mostly instrumental, very much something you'd expect to see on a National Geographic special.  They were entertaining though and appeared to be genuinely thrilled to spread their warm, almost hypnotic brand of music to several thousand strangers.

Within minutes of the Zawose Brothers' departure, things were set and ready to go.  Peter arrived via the back of the house, taking the stage to the thunderous applause of those seated and still arriving.  He did not arrive with a flourish as I'm sure many expected, but stood on the stage and welcomed the audience alone, with nothing but a single, bright spot light to guide him. After a short welcome, Gabriel took his position behind his keyboard station and started the show with a solo, acoustic version of "Here Comes the Flood" from his 1976 debut solo album.  About halfway through the song, the stage rotated 90 degrees, giving the other half of the audience the opportunity to see him perform face-on.

After a very short pause, the rest of the band joined Gabriel onstage and the concert proper began.  There were the regulars: Tony Levin on all things bass, and the great David Rhodes on guitars.  There were also some new faces to the troupe however.  Manu Katche, to my disappointment, was not sitting behind the drums.  I had come to love his effortless-looking attack that added so much raw energy to the live Gabriel experience, but Ged Lynch, his replacement for this tour did not disappoint.  Another new face was Richard Evans who added depth to the sound with acoustic guitar, mandolin and various flutes.  Rachel Z, another name I had not heard of before, was responsible for whatever synths and keyboards Gabriel himself couldn't tackle.  Her presence was immediately felt as she added a special groove to every single song.  And then, last but not least, Gabriel's own daughter Melanie provided backing vocals.  I knew she was going to be performing during the tour, but was under the impression that her involvement would be limited.  She was there throughout however and proved herself more than just the boss's daughter -- she has a beautiful voice and an excellent stage presence.

At this point, the stage was mostly bare, with just the musicians, their instruments and a small white tent-like structure at center stage.  "Darkness," the first track on the new album shot out of the speakers like a cannon.  With the tribal yell and discordant guitars, things started rocking.  Gabriel made his way around the stage, passing each of the musicians in turn until the slowed-down break (chorus?) when he pantomimed the lyrics.  Nearing the end of "Darkness," the stage technicians (later affectionately referred to as 'the Orange Men' because of their bright orange karate-like uniforms) dismantled the structure at center stage, revealing drummer Ged Lynch inside.  Perhaps I was too busy taking pictures to have noticed that the heavy beat of "Darkness" seemed to be coming from nowhere, but I was still surprised to see Lynch emerge from center stage.

"Red Rain" came next.  This song, released as a single in some parts of the world during the commercial blitz of 1986's "So," brought the crowd to their feet.  It was obvious at this point that many in the audience were there to hear the 'old' stuff, but I had a feeling they were going to walk away with a new appreciation for the new songs too.  "Red Rain" was also where I was first struck by just how good Peter Gabriel's voice sounded that night.  This was my fifth time seeing him, and at least a couple of those times he sounded more than a little rough around the edges -- especially when singing some of the more difficult high notes.  But tonight, maybe it was the long absence from touring, he sounded like he was at the top of his form!

Following "Red Rain" was "Secret World," the song he ended his shows with on the "Secret World" tour.  This time there was no stage gimmickry, no baggage and conveyer belts, just the band jamming on a great song.  The crowd was still on its feet as the adrenaline level rose.

Okay, so thus far the show was a little low key, at least visually.  Yes, the audience was really digging the grooves -- and for good reason as it was being executed perfectly, but the visuals many had come to expect from a Lepage-produced show were lacking.  All that was soon to change.

For "Sky Blue," another song from the new album, Peter re-introduced the Blind Boys from Alabama.  They gathered at the center of the stage on seats that had been pre-arranged there and then kind of left the limelight.  "Sky Blue" is an emotional song that, more than most others, probably tested Peter Gabriel's vocal tenacity.  The refrain at the end of the song is an incredibly powerful vocal harmonization by the Blind Boys.  It's pretty awesome on the CD, but live it was even more incredible.  Though this was one of the most poignant points of the show, the whole audience was on their feet... frankly I think they were awestruck by the moment. 

As the Blind Boys were led away from the stage once again, Gabriel introduced the concept of "Ovo," which was the basis of the multimedia extravaganza that opened the Millennium Dome in London on New Years, 2000.  After the introduction, the band began "Downside Up," one of the songs from "Ovo."  It was on this song that we first got to hear Melanie Gabriel's voice as she sang opposite her father.  The egg-shaped thing that had been hanging from the riggings above the stage suddenly disappeared inside the rigging itself, which lowered slowly to the floor.  At about ten feet above the stage, the rigging stopped as Peter and Melanie re-emerged wearing harnesses across their backs (they had snuck off stage as the rigging lowered)I don't know if anybody actually noticed them leave.  With a little help from the stage hands, the two climbed up onto the rigging and latched themselves on.  In moments they were walking, dancing and singing as they worked their way around in circles on the rigging!  This seemingly cheesy stunt got the attention of the audience in a big way. 

With "Downside Up" over and the father-daughter team safely back on the ground, the rigging resumed its downward movement, finally settling on the main stage and revealing itself for what it actually was: a small railed stage within a stage.  The core inside the rigging was draped with a long, billowing curtain which, as it turned out, doubled as a handy 3-D projection screen.  On top of this new second stage sat a large camera on a wheeled tripod.  Gabriel, while aping into the camera (his image being projected onto the big screens hanging from the rafters at either end of the arena) introduced "The Barry Williams Show," the first single from "Up."  This song, arguably the funkiest on the new CD, quickly became an interactive crowd-pleaser as Gabriel zoomed in on his band mates and the crowd with the camera during the chorus.  "The Barry Williams Show" is a fun song made even better by the multi-media presentation that more or less stayed true to its fast paced, trash TV theme.

"More Than This," the next song up and another from "Up" was one of my favorites of the show.  I really like this song and think it has about the best chance of any of the new music to be a successful single.  It's a great tune and the band did a fantastic job with it live.

So "More Than This" was one of the best songs, but "Mercy Street" runs a really close second for best moment of the evening.  First, Gabriel huddled the whole band together near Rachel Z's keyboard stand and directed them in an awesome five-part harmony of the chorus.  With the beginning of the song proper pre-recorded the band went to their respective instruments, then took their place at the edge of the stage, each sitting as the outer rim began to spin.  Tony Levin, toting his signature Chapman Stick, leisurely hung one leg over the side of the stage as it spun.  Richard Evans, playing the woodwind parts, sat lotus-style at the edge.  David Rhodes strummed his guitar and looked on with a big, goofy smile as many in the audience shouted his name and waved.  And last, but not least, Melanie Gabriel sat rigidly upright in a small rowboat, signifying the character for which Mercy Street was written.  The inner stage had been raised back to the rafters again, leaving a round, white ball where the 'egg' had been.  During the song, an image of the full moon was projected on the ball -- a cool 3D effect.  In all, it was a very simple exposition, but incredibly effective and a real crowd pleaser.

After the relative 'downer' of "Mercy Street," "Digging in the Dirt" brought everybody back to up onto their feet again.  I never really cared for this song until I saw it performed during the "Secret World" tour, after which it became one of my all time favorite Gabriel tunes.  The representation on this night was far less produced than the theatrical "Secret World" version, but no less exciting.  By the end of the song, the crowd was revved and people were dancing in the aisles.  It was just the right time to bang out another surprise.

With Tony Levin sawing out the backing melody on his electric cello, the white sheath around the hanging ball was pulled away, revealing something akin to a mirror ball you might see at a disco.  As Gabriel stood by his electric piano and began "Growing Up,"  The ball was slowly lowered to the floor and released.  As the first chorus began, Gabriel climbed inside the ball and all hell broke loose.  The ball was actually made out of some sort of plastic and was inflated.  Using various rails inside the orb, Gabriel could spin around the stage and, during the chorus, even jump up and down, making the ball bounce.  I don't know how he managed to keep from careening off the stage or bouncing into the floor seats, but whatever rehearsing he did before the tour must've paid off.  It was a wacky stunt and maybe some of the less familiar fans might've thought it was kind of cheesy, but it was fun and again got the bulk of the audience pumped and excited.

"Animal Nation" came next.  This is a new song I hadn't heard before, apparently the result of time Gabriel spent with Bonano Chimps.  Apparently the primates were allowed to use musical instruments and the results, at least according to Gabriel, were inspiration enough to write a song featuring the animals.  At first, I have to admit, this song irritated the hell out of me.  It wasn't the song itself, but more the mix which, up to this point, had been perfectly suited to the typically horrendous acoustics of the arena.  Suddenly the sound became overly loud and distorted -- especially the very high and very low end.   By the end of the song though the mix was somewhat back under control and the interactive chant kept the audience on their feet and singing along.

As the opening guitar kicked in for Gabriel's signature song, "Solsbury Hill" a small bicycle arrived from somewhere and he began riding it along the rim of the stage.  The outer part of the stage spun and the rest of the band walked against it while Gabriel rode mostly with it.  The effect was simple, but interesting:  The musicians appeared to be marching in place, while Gabriel on the bike seemed to be going much faster than he should have been for the way he pedaled.  Again, another simple and admittedly cheesy prop, but still kind of interesting and fun.

For "Sledgehammer," the song that really brought the house down, Gabriel left the stage, then returned with a jacket studded with dozens of small lights.  I don't know what the symbolism of the coat was supposed to be, but it was still kind of cool -- I guess I'm just a sucker for cheesy props and production numbers, huh?

Finally, after the cable was untangled and the coat removed, Gabriel started the song I had been waiting for all evening.  "Signal To Noise" began as the inner stage once again began to drop from the rafters.  The mix got a little crazy again in the middle, but Nusrat Ali Khan's pre-recorded vocals cut like through the distortion like a knife.  This is just about my all-time favorite Gabriel song and, true to form the live version left nothing to be desired, only improved on the original.  The live version had more of a rock groove than the studio version (apparently truer to the original version which was featured on a movie soundtrack.  Ged Lynch's drum kit had been moved to center stage and, as "Signal to Noise" approached the climax, the band members departed through the center, eventually leaving Lynch alone banging away to the pre-recorded string crescendo.  After the last musician departed, the stage lowered around Lynch's drum kit, touching the ground in exact cadence with the last beat of "Signal to Noise"

The encore began quickly as Gabriel welcomed the Zawose brothers back to the stage to assist in the chorus of "In Your Eyes."  The audience, many of whom were only familiar with Gabriel's hits, reacted most heartily to this encore tune.  They were dancing in the aisles and singing along the whole time.  I have to admit that even though I have heard this song and seen it live many times, it still gets me going.

Finally the show ended pretty much as it began with Gabriel and Levin the only remaining musicians.  He talked about the quality time he recently spent with his son. "Father and Son," another track from "OVO" was the final song, featuring Gabriel on Piano and Levin on Cello.  Maybe it's my relationship with my father, maybe my relationship with my two sons, but I can't hear this song without getting a lump in my throat. This night was no exception.  The audience, most of whom were probably not familiar with the song (OVO has not been released domestically) appeared to be dumbstruck by the stark intensity of the lyrics.  I know exactly how they felt.

So we left after this, Gabriel departing in front of us on the aisle directly to our left.  The trip home was a lesson in why not to live in the Northeast in the Winter as it snowed like hell the whole way, but in all it was more than worth it.  Peter Gabriel is many things, but more than anything else he is a showman -- always has been.  Even though the crowd wasn't overflowing and, for part of the show some of the less familiar in the audience were clearly bewildered, you could tell that he really dug the whole experience.  Based on the ear-to-ear smile he sported on the way out of the arena, I don't know who had more fun, him or the audience.

The Growing Up tour is moving West.  I have read it billed as the 'first leg' of the Gabriel tour, so I guess that leaves the option open for more dates in the future.  As it stands now there are only about fifteen stops on the tour and most of them are either on the East or West coast -- so maybe there's a chance he'll be coming to an arena near you.  Also, with the multimedia nature of the stage show, there's always a chance that there'll be a "Growing Up" DVD at some point in the future.  Either way, if you have the opportunity to see this show, don't let it pass!