- I have been to more orchestral concerts than rock concerts in the last five years and my listening is well attuned to the orchestral experience, especially modern pieces. I had listened to Scratch My Back a bunch, but was lukewarm on most of it, although I thought the arrangements were lush and had a few favorites. I got to like the Arcade Fire track quite a bit. Talking Heads' Listening Wind was a favorite.
- My in-going criteria for a great show, my need-to-haves, were (1 to once again listen to PG's voice, live, and find it exceptional and 2) to be astounded by his theatrics. As long as those two features would meet my expectations, the show would be a worth the effort and the cost (~$200 each for 2 seats, $20 for parking, $70 for the babysitter, $8.75 for the one beer for the wife, about the same for 2 gallons of gas to get us there and back). Those two criteria were met.
- 1) He was in fine voice but his song selection and pace reveal his age, he is not what the voice he was on "I Don't Remember" followed by "Shock The Monkey" from Plays Live. No 61-year-old man could sing like that 29-year-old man did back then. Like my mom says "His voice has mellowed with age." He used his tools, but not at the level of his earlier days. He still beats them all, and this show was a great showcase for the voice. He started slow, with the cover tracks, but the second set really rocked for a good bit. I could see the teleprompter, too; that is new, I think, for PG. His body was showing his age; maybe he needs to do more Yoga with his 99 year old dad.
- 2) Light show & films on screens both off highest quality. I like the crew in blood-red jumpsuits; little corpuscles crawling around on the set. His spoken stories were witty and sincere. His actions quirky at times, but less-so than in his youth (most people mellow with age).
- My in-going hopes (stretch goals) were 1) great sound, 2) a performance that comprises a string of emotive experiences extending over a spectrum of moods, and 3) no loud idiots seated behind me. 2 out of 3 is good, and they were the only 2 PG could control
- 1) The sound was awesome. I walked into the UC and was struck be the dead sound before the show. Then I noticed the curtains. The top deck was empty and hidden behind a ring of huge black curtains; big smile. Seated 5th row up and 14 seats back to the left side of the stage.
- 2) The performance satisfied and more. PG did a lot of talking between songs; good setups for the songs.
- 3) The idiot was seated behind me - he actually thought he should sing the Kate Bush part on Don't Give Up.
- Details:
- First song: Heroes (a bit of a Robert Fripp moment for me). They played it like the SMB version, slow but fitting and emotive; hearing PG sing again was accompanied by a slowly growing realization that he is still a great singer and that was why I always have loved his work.
- I hoped maybe he would play Listening Wind; it did not happen; the only real disappointment.
- Paul Simon's Boy in the Bubble was probably the low point, but still interesting.
- From the reviews, I knew to expect Intruder, but not Sledgehammer, which seemed like the song mix might strongly favor my tastes, although I knew I would be sitting trough Biko in the first set rather than walking out during another protracted Biko encore like I have done twice before. Biko is not bad; love the rhythm; lyric is lacking and it can be chanted on for far too long at the end of the show.
- Intruder was the highlight, such a strong lyric sung by that voice; shivers.
- The nice surprise from SMB was Apres Moi by Regina Spektor. Beautiful, lively, positive.
- The second set was mostly all upbeat PG songs, newly arranged by the violist/arranger. They are still working on new pieces covering the corners of his studio albums. I was very pleased and even surprised by some selections - Digging in the Dirt; I liked the new arrangement better than the record. There will soon be a new release of old PG songs recorded live on this tour. I think it will be great to listen too. The arrangements of PG's songs are more lush and rhythmic than SMB where they redid the cover songs in a whole new way. The PG songs stick close to the original moods.
- The Tribune guy said: "most arrangements were protracted, with the occasional avant-garde motifs offset by a lack of energy." The songs were long - "Hurray!" I say. I have an attention span beyond that of a 5-year-old. I like avant-garde motifs; modern classical motifs and the music of Philip Glass appeals to me. I like complex rhythms that take a while for me to unfold; I prefer that to having it slammed in my face for 2 hours. The energy was that of a 61-year-old man who has not had a rigorous training program for many years, but still has something left in the tank. I knew to expect that, I thought he measured his efforts well and the show really rocks at the end. The power of the NBO was evident and not lost on the UC audience.
- With few exceptions, when rockers go classical, they cling to the drum kit and guitar. Peter's music is so well suited to eschewing those tools. I generally abhor the classicalization of rock as it has been done - like a music grad student assignment to convert the melody to a strings arrangement.
- The arranger of PG's work deserves a lot of credit for understanding PG's music and keeping the essence. As the show developed, the intensity rose dramatically, crescendos got bigger and bigger each song. It was awesome to watch those PG rhythms coming out of the orchestral percussion.
- Horns, the arranger's heavy usage of them and the performers pulling it off live were a wondrous thing poorly used in the usual classical/rock mash. Most people at the UC had never heard a bassoon featured in a song. They went wild for it. The same goes for the flute; she had us wanting more. The whole NBO (half touring/half local) would be rocking and the girl picks up her piccolo and stomps on top of them. Brass was lightly used, but they held their own including some wild bass lines that went unnoticed by most, I'm sure.
- That takes us to the string bass. They struggled. 4 classical guys trying to play TLev parts. Close, fun to watch, not quite getting it yet. Maybe the arranger can work on it.
- The two women singing backup were good; his daughter Melanie and a Norwegian woman with a lot of talent.
- Producer Bob Ezrin (Pink Floyd's The Wall, et al.) was there in a blood-red jumpsuit like the stage hands. Unexpected Floyd moment for me.
- I played my PG mp3 collection (370 tracks) on random today while writing until I heard Shaking The Tree from Secret World live and it occurred to me I wanted to hear Plays Live, loud! Payoff.
- I am glad I have tickets for Milwaukee next week. Last chance to enjoy PG for another 10 years?
