PLAYS LIVE

I saw this tour when I was 16, and it still stands out as one of the greatest concert experiences of my life. The opening band was horrible, but Peter more than made up for it. The entrance from the back of the arena, with Gabriel carrying a marching bass drum was completely unexpected. Then he put an exclamation point on it by disappearing, and reappearing on top of a scaffolding singing the first note (or wail) of "The Rhythm of the Heat." The free-fall into the audience during "Lay Your Hands on Me." Nothing will ever match chanting along with "Biko," with arms raised long after the band had left the stage. I have seen him since, and many other great shows, but this was the best.

I was ecstatic when I found out an album from this tour was being released. The recording did not let me down. It covered all of the greatest moments. It even featured the surprise "I Go Swimming." No one had heard that before the concert. It could also be the most fun thing PG has ever recorded (along with "Excuse Me"). Tony Levin especially Shines on this one. All of the tracks contain the energy, and magic that I had experienced. Even "Humdrum," which is one of his most moving performances, maintains that quality. The end, of course, is "Biko." Remarkably, it harnesses all the power of actually being there. I won't go into the rest, as they are well known and reported. Although, I will say that there is not one weak moment. Every bit of it is outstanding.

I am generally not a fan of live albums. Most of the time they lack the essence of the show. Other times, the quality of the recording is poor. This one has it all. The sound is terrific (actually, it was state of the art in 1983), and the sense of awe is there. This isn't just a great live version of gabriel, or rock (prog or otherwise), this is a great live album. It is also a great place for a Peter Gabriel initiate to start. Everyone should have it.

H.T. Riekels