What a Show
Nov. 23rd, 2002 02:10 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thedarksiren2The concert was to start at 7:30P.M. EST.
EDT was not prevalent, so we got there a little early.
Once inside, I think we walked several laps around the Gund, as they weren't letting us into the main concert area yet.
In the meantime,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
digitylgoddess and I scoffed at $5 wine coolers and $8 hot dog stands, eventually lingering just outside section 117. While standing there, yet again appalled by the $100 sweatshirts and $45 t-shirts, a few of the Gund workers came over to discuss piercings with me, and then hair, and eventually tattoos. The one lady had vibrant, crimson hair, and gray contacts that made her dark skin seem even more ebony, and I thought she was beautiful for it.
I think we got into the concert area by 8:30. Our seats were outstanding - row 6, seats 3 & 4. I think we got the old-school section, however. Everyone around us was easily in their 40's, which is fine except for that only a few even knew Gabriel had a new album, and the one guy said it was "growing on" him.
For the record, and I know I have said it before, but Peter Gabriel's new album is amazing. It's a mixture of older feel with new technilogical additions (more synths, some electronic drums, more sound samples). The lyrics are what make it so good though - they are very raw, straightforward. There's a reason the tour is called "Growing Up," and his album reveals the experience tremendously well.
The opening act was called the Blind Guys (men?) of Alabama. What we saw first was Peter walking up to the stage, right through the crowd, and then he introduced them, leaving the stage for his opening act.
Seven elderly African American gentlemen in dapper suits, three leading three others one step at a time, came onto the stage, and broke into seven-part harmony singing a capella. I got chills listening to them, their voices a grand mixture of falsetto and bass (if you have seen Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, think about the scene where they go back to the cabin and the three gravediggers are singing *shivers*).
The second song was a fun spiritual-revival, easily seven to ten minutes in length and the crowd was up dancing and clapping - all except for our section. Instead they were drinking their beers, bitching about the opening act and making cracks about them. I tried to ignore them, and had my own kind of fun clapping and bouncing in my seat.
Their final song of the set was one of the blind guy's favorites, as he put it, and they began playing the intro to "House of the Rising Sun." Only, it wasn't that song - instead, it was the words to "Amazing Grace" set to the melody of "House..."
It was just gorgeous.
The second act, whose name I couldn't pronounce or spell either way, was straight out of Tanzania. Two men in ritualistic garb with hand-made instruments and bells on their ankles came onto the stage. They wore headdresses with black feathers, and their set began with a flute and the one man's stunning vocals. The second man, who seemed a lot younger than the first, brought out a large instrument with a gourd on the end. Our section became a frenzy of drunken stupidity, making racist jokes and saying the instrument looked like a bong.
Fucking white trash. Pure white trash podunk bullshit.
I tried to ignore them, tried to enjoy the show because it really was amazing to watch these men sing and dance and play these instruments. They, along with the Blind Guys of Alabama, were what music is - spirit and joy.
Of course, I found my smarm coming up, and when I heard the girl a few seats down from me bitch to her boyfriend that the Tanzanian people weren't really playing instruments, I explained to her that she could probably go into Coventry and find the boxes with the copper sticking out of them and play them herself. I went into the instrument a bit, what i know of it, and she sat back quietly in her chair.
When Peter came out onto the stage, the place roared. He began with an older piece (one I am not familiar with, honestly) and then went into "Darkness," the first track on his new album, and my favorite incidentally. The stage rotated a bit, being center of the venue, and lights flickered. He had six or seven other members in his band, the back-up singer being his daughter. Live was so much more stunning.
He mixed up old songs with new ones, but managed to play his entire new album. The effects/ theatrics were fantastic, as they always are with his shows. The first effect was this pod-looking thing, easily 25 feet around and a story tall, which came down from above the stage. The lights reflected off of it for "Sky Blue," making clouds and baby-blue all over it.
Eventually, the pod opened to "More Than This," revealing a seed-looking thing. That came down through a couple more songs, and was uncovered. Underneath there was a large ball that looked like a mass of bubble-wrap. Peter Gabriel climbed inside and somehow managed to roll around in it like a hamster wheel, stopping occasionally to bounce with the beat, the crowd bouncing with him.
After a while, I found myself rather annoyed - no one in our section would stand or dance. Hell, clapping seemed like a chore to everyone around me. I just kept thinking how sedate our section was, and when I saw a man out on the stairway dancing, I decided I needed to get down with my bad self. I tried to getdigitylgoddess to come along, but she hesitated. So off I went to the stairway, dancing and waving my arms, clapping and carrying on like I was 18 again. I closed my eyes and remembered W.O.M.A.D. festivals, and smiled from ear to ear, dancing like a maniac to "Digging in the Dirt."
There were bicycles that Peter rode around on the stage, a platform and live video cameras for "The Barry Williams Show," and even a boat that Melanie (his daughter) rode around on during "Mercy Street." Just lovely!!!
I finally gotdigitylgoddess out to dance when they played "Sledgehammer." It was a riot at this point, several people dancing on the stairs with us - our section may as well have been the geriatric unit of a hospital.
But we didn't care, and we danced and he sang more. There were two encores, the final songs being one he wrote for his son (it was really beautiful - slow, melodic. He said he wrote it after doing yoga with his son, and it was totally about their movements together, both in life and in the yoga), and the last being "In Your Eyes."
The Tanzanian men joined them for this, and we stood right in the middle of our section, saying fuck it about standing in front of them. Eventually the guy whose girlfriend had bitched earlier stood up and began clapping, and shaking his drunken booty to the song.
HA! I won!!!
One of the most fabulous endings to a show ever.
***
Thank you again,digitylgoddess for winning those tickets and taking me to such an amazing show. I had an awesome time, despite all the aftermath and craziness with the keys. Nothing will change my thrill for the show itself, and the fact that you were there to share it with me. I had a wonderful time, sweetie. Thanks so much!!!(((HUGZ!)))
EDT was not prevalent, so we got there a little early.
Once inside, I think we walked several laps around the Gund, as they weren't letting us into the main concert area yet.
In the meantime,
digitylgoddess and I scoffed at $5 wine coolers and $8 hot dog stands, eventually lingering just outside section 117. While standing there, yet again appalled by the $100 sweatshirts and $45 t-shirts, a few of the Gund workers came over to discuss piercings with me, and then hair, and eventually tattoos. The one lady had vibrant, crimson hair, and gray contacts that made her dark skin seem even more ebony, and I thought she was beautiful for it.I think we got into the concert area by 8:30. Our seats were outstanding - row 6, seats 3 & 4. I think we got the old-school section, however. Everyone around us was easily in their 40's, which is fine except for that only a few even knew Gabriel had a new album, and the one guy said it was "growing on" him.
For the record, and I know I have said it before, but Peter Gabriel's new album is amazing. It's a mixture of older feel with new technilogical additions (more synths, some electronic drums, more sound samples). The lyrics are what make it so good though - they are very raw, straightforward. There's a reason the tour is called "Growing Up," and his album reveals the experience tremendously well.
The opening act was called the Blind Guys (men?) of Alabama. What we saw first was Peter walking up to the stage, right through the crowd, and then he introduced them, leaving the stage for his opening act.
Seven elderly African American gentlemen in dapper suits, three leading three others one step at a time, came onto the stage, and broke into seven-part harmony singing a capella. I got chills listening to them, their voices a grand mixture of falsetto and bass (if you have seen Oh Brother Where Art Thou?, think about the scene where they go back to the cabin and the three gravediggers are singing *shivers*).
The second song was a fun spiritual-revival, easily seven to ten minutes in length and the crowd was up dancing and clapping - all except for our section. Instead they were drinking their beers, bitching about the opening act and making cracks about them. I tried to ignore them, and had my own kind of fun clapping and bouncing in my seat.
Their final song of the set was one of the blind guy's favorites, as he put it, and they began playing the intro to "House of the Rising Sun." Only, it wasn't that song - instead, it was the words to "Amazing Grace" set to the melody of "House..."
It was just gorgeous.
The second act, whose name I couldn't pronounce or spell either way, was straight out of Tanzania. Two men in ritualistic garb with hand-made instruments and bells on their ankles came onto the stage. They wore headdresses with black feathers, and their set began with a flute and the one man's stunning vocals. The second man, who seemed a lot younger than the first, brought out a large instrument with a gourd on the end. Our section became a frenzy of drunken stupidity, making racist jokes and saying the instrument looked like a bong.
Fucking white trash. Pure white trash podunk bullshit.
I tried to ignore them, tried to enjoy the show because it really was amazing to watch these men sing and dance and play these instruments. They, along with the Blind Guys of Alabama, were what music is - spirit and joy.
Of course, I found my smarm coming up, and when I heard the girl a few seats down from me bitch to her boyfriend that the Tanzanian people weren't really playing instruments, I explained to her that she could probably go into Coventry and find the boxes with the copper sticking out of them and play them herself. I went into the instrument a bit, what i know of it, and she sat back quietly in her chair.
When Peter came out onto the stage, the place roared. He began with an older piece (one I am not familiar with, honestly) and then went into "Darkness," the first track on his new album, and my favorite incidentally. The stage rotated a bit, being center of the venue, and lights flickered. He had six or seven other members in his band, the back-up singer being his daughter. Live was so much more stunning.
He mixed up old songs with new ones, but managed to play his entire new album. The effects/ theatrics were fantastic, as they always are with his shows. The first effect was this pod-looking thing, easily 25 feet around and a story tall, which came down from above the stage. The lights reflected off of it for "Sky Blue," making clouds and baby-blue all over it.
Eventually, the pod opened to "More Than This," revealing a seed-looking thing. That came down through a couple more songs, and was uncovered. Underneath there was a large ball that looked like a mass of bubble-wrap. Peter Gabriel climbed inside and somehow managed to roll around in it like a hamster wheel, stopping occasionally to bounce with the beat, the crowd bouncing with him.
After a while, I found myself rather annoyed - no one in our section would stand or dance. Hell, clapping seemed like a chore to everyone around me. I just kept thinking how sedate our section was, and when I saw a man out on the stairway dancing, I decided I needed to get down with my bad self. I tried to get
digitylgoddess to come along, but she hesitated. So off I went to the stairway, dancing and waving my arms, clapping and carrying on like I was 18 again. I closed my eyes and remembered W.O.M.A.D. festivals, and smiled from ear to ear, dancing like a maniac to "Digging in the Dirt." There were bicycles that Peter rode around on the stage, a platform and live video cameras for "The Barry Williams Show," and even a boat that Melanie (his daughter) rode around on during "Mercy Street." Just lovely!!!
I finally got
digitylgoddess out to dance when they played "Sledgehammer." It was a riot at this point, several people dancing on the stairs with us - our section may as well have been the geriatric unit of a hospital.But we didn't care, and we danced and he sang more. There were two encores, the final songs being one he wrote for his son (it was really beautiful - slow, melodic. He said he wrote it after doing yoga with his son, and it was totally about their movements together, both in life and in the yoga), and the last being "In Your Eyes."
The Tanzanian men joined them for this, and we stood right in the middle of our section, saying fuck it about standing in front of them. Eventually the guy whose girlfriend had bitched earlier stood up and began clapping, and shaking his drunken booty to the song.
HA! I won!!!
One of the most fabulous endings to a show ever.
***
Thank you again,
digitylgoddess for winning those tickets and taking me to such an amazing show. I had an awesome time, despite all the aftermath and craziness with the keys. Nothing will change my thrill for the show itself, and the fact that you were there to share it with me. I had a wonderful time, sweetie. Thanks so much!!!(((HUGZ!)))
no subject
Date: 2002-11-24 06:50 am (UTC)