I saw Peter Gabriel at the Santa Barbara Bowl last night with his "New Blood Orchestra". Beautiful place. Amazing show. I was fortunate enough to see them at the Hollywood Bowl a few months ago as well. I'm not sure which one I liked better. Maybe last night. They switched up some songs, adding some new ones. "Biko." "Blood of Eden."
Fabulous.
Peter was pulling out all the stops to keep his voice going. Swigging tea and honey from a little bench they wheeled out next to him, but he totally pulled it off.
"Red Rain" and "Signal To Noise" are still a high points of the show as I remembered them being at the Hollywood Bowl. And of course "Solsbury Hill". Especially when they morphed into a Bach overture at the end. I didn't remember that bit. I think it's new. He and his daughter smile at each other sometimes as she sings backup vocals. Good stuff.
I'm not always a fan of pop or rock stars with orchestras. It can be pretentious and unfortunate. Sometimes it works though. This totally did. He worked with people who made great arrangements and seemed to understand the emotional nature of his songs. And his songs lent themselves to this format.
I think that's what struck me most about the show as I'm examining my next steps in my own creative life. He is such a great example to me. WWPD? What Would Peter Do? Maybe I'll get a wrist bracelet....
What do I want to do? Where do I see my life going from here? It's all up to me. I have new options open. New paths I'm considering following.
Peter is a true artist. The kind that inspires me. He pushes himself, creates beauty and says meaningful things that I can understand. And I get to walk out singing a little tune.
Song hanging in our heads last night on the way to the car??? "digging in the dirt, to find the places we got hurt...digging in the dirt..."
