My first Peter Gabriel concert

  • First show was for PG4 in Liverpool, in 1982/3


    I don't remember an awful lot about it, other than he started Family Snapshot, and had to restart because somebody outside the venue was kicking really loudly on one of the fire exits. Funny what you remember...


    I think it was a relatively basic stage show, in keeping with his early 80s feel. I think that tour ended up on Plays Live album.


    I saw him around the same time at Milton Keynes, with some other proggers you might know...but that's for another thread....:)

  • First PG concert . The first WOMAD festival 1982 and it was a terrible experience. I was 20 ,went with a friend . One of the worst gigs I have ever been too. Don't get me wrong I have seen PG numerous times since, he is one of the best performers ever, great presence and great shows but as far as I was concerned this was awful. ( I have done WOMAD since as well and thoroughly enjoyed it) The day was terrible. Transport was bad. Got trains to wherever and then had to get a bus out to Shelton Mallet , it took hours. When we eventually got there the place was ramshackle . It was supposed to be a festival of all sorts, but all I can remember was a few arty stalls and food places outside .The venue was a cattle maket .I believe. It certainly felt like we were treated as cattle. I knew what the festival was about and I had a dislike for the world music movement / genre that was popular then but we were big PG fans. Didn't care for all the other stuff but so what. PETER GABRIEL. I thought the first two albums were OK Solsbury Hill brilliant , but PG 3 was stunning and I had heard that he was supposed to great live.

    Simple Minds supported him , I didn't like them at the time. All baggy trousered and flouncy shirt, new romantics style .So were most of the crowd.

    Anyway all I knew was that PG was playing . I didn't know what was publicized about what he would play . Didn't know a new album was on its way . I still don't know if he did publicize what he.would play. He came on suitably dressed in a blue or black body suit and head covering. He looked great. AND THEN. Not single song we knew . All new stuff. Turned out out be PG 4 before it came out. Yes it's a great album but was different and took a bit of getting used to, for me anyway . I was looking forward to Solsbury Hill, Intruder , Here comes the flood , GWF , NOOU etc. Not a bunch of all new rythmic songs . We shouting " where's Peter Gabriel?" at one point . We may have been watching a great show and missed out appreciating what was rare treat to be first to hear the new stuff but I just couldn't take to it there . Our reaction was WTF? Most of crowd seemed to like it but at the time I was tired and needed an uplifting show. If he had announced what he was going to do then fair enough but neither of us knew there would be nothing from his albums . The exception was Biko as always at the end which was good but couldn't save it .Can't remember how I got home probably in a cattle truck.

    Not all bad though . As most people sensibly stayed away the second time I saw him was at SOTB. I saw it as compensation.!

  • First PG concert . The first WOMAD festival 1982 and it was a terrible experience. I was 20 ,went with a friend . One of the worst gigs I have ever been too. Don't get me wrong I have seen PG numerous times since, he is one of the best performers ever, great presence and great shows but as far as I was concerned this was awful. ( I have done WOMAD since as well and thoroughly enjoyed it) The day was terrible. Transport was bad. Got trains to wherever and then had to get a bus out to Shelton Mallet , it took hours. When we eventually got there the place was ramshackle . It was supposed to be a festival of all sorts, but all I can remember was a few arty stalls and food places outside .The venue was a cattle maket .I believe. It certainly felt like we were treated as cattle. I knew what the festival was about and I had a dislike for the world music movement / genre that was popular then but we were big PG fans. Didn't care for all the other stuff but so what. PETER GABRIEL. I thought the first two albums were OK Solsbury Hill brilliant , but PG 3 was stunning and I had heard that he was supposed to great live.

    Simple Minds supported him , I didn't like them at the time. All baggy trousered and flouncy shirt, new romantics style .So were most of the crowd.

    Anyway all I knew was that PG was playing . I didn't know what was publicized about what he would play . Didn't know a new album was on its way . I still don't know if he did publicize what he.would play. He came on suitably dressed in a blue or black body suit and head covering. He looked great. AND THEN. Not single song we knew . All new stuff. Turned out out be PG 4 before it came out. Yes it's a great album but was different and took a bit of getting used to, for me anyway . I was looking forward to Solsbury Hill, Intruder , Here comes the flood , GWF , NOOU etc. Not a bunch of all new rythmic songs . We shouting " where's Peter Gabriel?" at one point . We may have been watching a great show and missed out appreciating what was rare treat to be first to hear the new stuff but I just couldn't take to it there . Our reaction was WTF? Most of crowd seemed to like it but at the time I was tired and needed an uplifting show. If he had announced what he was going to do then fair enough but neither of us knew there would be nothing from his albums . The exception was Biko as always at the end which was good but couldn't save it .Can't remember how I got home probably in a cattle truck.

    Not all bad though . As most people sensibly stayed away the second time I saw him was at SOTB. I saw it as compensation.!

    Blimey. If nothing else it's surely a lesson in not going to an event where you're not going to like about 80% of what's on offer!


    That Simple Minds period, the first 5 albums, is my favourite phase of theirs. I don't think they ever bettered that stuff, artistically at least.


    The Shepton Mallet cattle shed was the same venue I saw Genesis play a couple of months later. There was still straw on the floor and everything. It was called the Showering Pavilion and is mainly used for agricultural shows. In the early 80s it went through a phase of being a gig venue, for some reason.

    Abandon all reason

  • My first PG gig was, as I've tediously droned on about elsewhere, when I chatted with Phil Collins and frightened Robert Fripp.


    Tue 11 March 1980, London Hammersmith Odeon, rear stalls. Having watched support act Random Hold (David Rhodes's band of the time) my brother, a friend and I were chatting, and leaned back to let a man and woman get past us to their seats on my right. My companions were suddenly then excitedly pointing and I realised the couple were Phil Collins and (we assumed) his girlfriend. By this point others had recognised him and were talking to him and getting him to sign their PG programmes, which were a mocked-up Mao 'little red book' with "Tour of China 1984" on the cover. Oh, that PG, he kerrrr-aaaazy.


    We had a stack of 10 of these for ourselves and various friends & family. As I was next to PC I was given the task of asking him to sign them all. My nervous 14yo self querolously asked if he'd mind making 10 Genesis fans very happy. He looked at the stack of programmes, looked at me and said "What, do you run a fucking library or something?!" Then he laughed and said "C'mon, give 'em 'ere" and diligently signed them all, pausing to flick through and read one (I never knew who ended up getting that sanctified copy and didn't think to make sure it was me). He asked me what I thought of Random Hold, then we talked about what was playing over the PA which he told me was Larry Fast, then keyboardist in PG's band.


    Shortly after, I saw Robert Fripp talking to someone in the aisle. Not believing my luck that I'd get autographs from and chat with two of my music heroes - for I naively assumed RF would be just as amenable as PC - I went up to him and brightly said "Hello, you're Robert Fripp aren't you?" at which he gasped, looked really scared, went "NO!" then turned and literally ran to the exit - his legs a blur like the Isle of Man symbol spinning in a high wind.


    Oh and by the way I loved the gig.

    Abandon all reason

  • Blimey. If nothing else it's surely a lesson in not going to an event where you're not going to like about 80% of what's on offer!


    That Simple Minds period, the first 5 albums, is my favourite phase of theirs. I don't think they ever bettered that stuff, artistically at least.


    The Shepton Mallet cattle shed was the same venue I saw Genesis play a couple of months later. There was still straw on the floor and everything. It was called the Showering Pavilion and is mainly used for agricultural shows. In the early 80s it went through a phase of being a gig venue, for some reason.

    Well I did come to quite like Simple Minds but did prefer their later period. However despite not being a fan of most of the stuff I would have been quite happy if PG had done even a smattering of his known material. I was only interested in seeing him, we did one day only and we didn't get there until afternoon. My friend was a big Genesis PG fan and also liked the world music scene. He hated it too. I really I have no idea if it was published beforehand what PG would do. As for Shelton Mallet . My memory is that it was similar to Bingly Hall , a great bid shed. These places were used because big venues were limited at that time. The NEC was quite new I think.

  • That is a great story! Phil sounds personable, just as in most other stories I've heard about him.


    My first PG show was not as star studded, but was MSG in 2002. Good show, I remember PG in the big ball knocking over one of Ged Lynch's cymbal stands which was quite humorous. The last song was Father Son and the place was quiet, listening attentively. One of the rare moments in a concert where I felt like all 10k plus of us in the audience were connected through experiencing one song. Quite something.

  • Haven't seen Peter until his Secret World tour. We went to Milan (yes, that one ...) and then Munich a couple of days later. Have vague memories about Milan, but Munich ist still in my head. maybe because it was the second time and we kind of knew what would come?

    Lovetown was a great track from that setlist - and I still wonder why Peter has left out so many tunes off his live album from that tour

    ... make tomorrow today!

  • In going through some archive stuff I found old gig programmes including the above mentioned one signed by PC over 40 years ago


  • Wow, that's cool! Did you take any photos/videos from that concert? I am searching for recordings of 2004 shows with circular stage. Thanks in advance!

  • I was there on 8th June 2004 too! But my first Peter Gabriel concert was 24th April 1977.


    Wow! I see you're Peter's fan for many years!


    I would like to ask you something: did you take any photos/videos from that 2004 London concert? I am searching for recordings of 2004 concerts with circular stage. Thanks in advance!

  • Wow, that's cool! Did you take any photos/videos from that concert? I am searching for recordings of 2004 shows with circular stage. Thanks in advance!


    Sasha,


    There was no point in bootlegging the show, as they were all recorded and released (on sale) from The Music.com as part of their Encore series. We took a few photos, but digital cameras of the consumer level were pretty poor. No one video'd our show, why would they?