Peter Gabriel & New Blood Orchestra

Is that a crucifix or a dagger I see?

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending a concert with KBD.  She works for a company that has a suite, and she invited me to attend -- in! the! suite! -- with her.  It wasn't just *any* concert (are they ever?!). It was Peter Gabriel and New Blood Orchestra.

I admit to not knowing a lot about Peter Gabriel and his music.  I recalled he was in the band, Genesis.  Of course, his songs from the 80's I recall are "Sledgehammer", "Big Time" and "In Your Eyes". As a kid, I didn't like "Sledgehammer" but as I've matured, I've grown to appreciate it; same with "Big Time".  I have heard the 70's tune, "Solsbury Hill", but didn't know the name of it until last night.  But, since I'm all about the people & trying new things, I was happy to accept this invitation and spend some time with one of my best friends!

My heart is going BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

KBD & I thought some band called "New Blood Orchestra" was opening for him. We elected to take our time at dinner at Chili's.

Um...we were wrong. So very, very wrong!  Peter Gabriel is touring with a full orchestra, and they accompany him singing his old and new songs. The orchestra is called "New Blood Orchestra". Therefore, the correct billing is "Peter Gabriel and New Blood Orchestra". Having made this very embarrassing error, KBD and I missed the first 15-20 minutes of the show.  We girly-giggled our way into our seats & asked what we had missed. Thankfully, we hadn't missed much! I looked up the setlist and found out that he sang a couple songs of which I'd never heard.

The concert was very sensory stimulating. The sound was crisp, clear and moving. The backdrop was visually inviting -- captivating, really.  (The photos in this post are my own -- you can see how well he used the sense of vision! My camera doesn't do it justice, honestly, but they do help you get an idea of what I'm talking about at least.) 

I was impressed that he did not stay in the spot light. Two women accompanied him on a handful of songs -- lovely voices, a bit haunting at times. One of them, Ane Brun, was especially good.  Also impressive was the fact that he collected musician from each of the stops of his tour, so there were included in this symphonic delight, Texas folks!

Upon return from an intermission, an male audience member shouted politely, "How about some 'Shock The Monkey', Peter?"

Peter wittily replied in decline, "I'm trying to give it up, thank you."

Clever.

Just let the Red Rain splash you.

Peter carried on modestly, telling little ditties of how a song came to be, or to whom the song was dedicated. He included stories about his father, the poet Anne Sexton, Kenya, young people in the information age, Afghanistan, etc. Clearly, he's an extremely intelligent and globally-minded individual who is using his talent to move the human race.

The light, the heat - in your eyes - I am complete

I love when musicians take their popular music and re-arrange it.  In this case, the movement to orchestral sounds was exquisite and most enjoyable by this little Texas music lover. Mostly, though, when it was all said an done, I was most thankful to have spent time with KBD.  :)