PETER GABRIEL
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IF you left Peter Gabriel’s Madison Square Garden concert at its midpoint, you’d have to wonder why no one has bothered to bury this old Brit.
But then, bolstered by a series of terrific visual effects, a sense of humor about the spectacle of rock, not to mention a heavier lean on his tried-and-true songbook, Gabriel bounced back with Lazarus-like resilience.
His fans will argue that all of Thursday’s show was great, including the new tunes from his recently released “Up,” but in fact, even the devoted treated “Up” offerings as the downers they are.
As yawn-inducing as that first half of the show was, it had its moments, among them the propulsive “Red Rain” and the vocal assist dipped in gospel from the Blind Boys of Alabama at the close of the song “Blue Sky.”
The show lost its momentum after that and only found its groove down the line in the tune “Digging in the Dirt.”
From there, it was easy to please fans and naysayers alike as Gabriel peeled off a string of his biggest hits.
The man – who dressed as if he was a priest from the order of the hairless monks – was inspired during his rendition of “Salisbury Hill.” He hit his vocal personal best on “Sledgehammer,” and – with the house finally on its feet – he offered a grand version of “In Your Eyes” that featured interesting alt-rhythms.
When “In Your Eyes” wrapped up 10 minutes later, it seemed as if Gabriel had performed a major musical epic.
Unfortunately, at the conclusion of that little cluster of greatness, he wasn’t wise enough to say, “Goodnight, thanks for the fish,” and take his bow on a high note.
Instead, he whipped out a couple new songs that sucked away the good-time feelings he’d built.
On top of that, his voice at that point was pretty much shot, so not only did he sound terrible, but his mopey introspections on the father-son relationship got the yawn machine cranked up again.
Unfortunately for Gabriel, there are times when more really is less.