The Rhythm of the Heat

It can be a terrifying experience when you dare to see an artist who you've admired and enjoyed for many, many years.

Will they still have the magical charisma of their youth or will they merely be coasting on past accomplishments? Do they still have something to say, or are their best days behind them?

The scene in the movie 'Trainspotting' captured it perfectly when two of the characters talk about the career trajectory of Sean Connery. Their conclusion: "So we all get old and then we can't hack it anymore. Is that it?" Musical examples would be Bob Dylan, The Who and The Rolling Stones -- do they have anything new to contribute or are all artists doomed to follow the path of Sean Connery?

After seeing Peter Gabriel in concert, it is a huge relief to report that he is the exception to the Trainspotting rule.

Before writing about the concert, I have to confess that I am not a huge fan of Peter Gabriel's new album, "Scratch My Back". It has an interesting and challenging concept as he does interpretations of classic songs without the safety net of guitars or drums and instead relies on orchestral arrangement for the material. David Bowie's "Heroes", Paul Simon's "The Boy in the Bubble" and Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain" are among the songs that he re-works under his self-imposed restraints.

But as a complete work the album sounds monotone and dull because it lack any shifts in mood or passion. It can be enjoy in tiny morsels, but listening to the whole thing in one sitting is somewhat trying. And coming from an artist as energetic and thrilling as Gabriel, the album feels especially dry.

Having said that, when I heard that he was touring and making a stop in Montreal, there was no way I was going to pass on the event.

As a bit of an aside: years ago I had to learn the difference between a play and the production of a play: Shakespeare's "Hamlet" exists on the page; the production is what I might go see in Stratford. The work continues to exist on the page while the production is an interpretation of the work -- sometimes the interpretation is a success, sometimes it's a failure. Books and films can have the same relationship -- the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan and Harry Potter continue to live on the page no matter how good or bad the screen interpretations may be.

And in the same vein, while the album doesn't work for me, the concert presentation of "Scratch My Back" was a marvel to hear. While there are still challenges with what the orchestral arrangements can and cannot do, the concert setting and atmosphere makes the music powerful and captivating in a way that the album never does.

The concert was broken into two parts: the first had Gabriel perform the new album in its entirety. He then returned after a a short break to present re-workings of some of his own songs including "Digging in the Dirt", "Mercy Street" and "San Jacinto". The tribal-like of drums were sorely missed in "The Rhythm of the Heat", but "In Your Eyes" and "Solsbury Hill" were exhilarating with the orchestra.

Peter Gabriel's voice sounded somewhat challenged at times but considering the man is now 60 years old, it's not surprising that some of the notes that he hit some 30 years ago are no longer within his range.

But what is surprising is that he continues to challenge himself. It would have been easy for him to coast and merely give the fans what they want. Instead, he continues to challenge himself and his listeners to try something completely different.

The album doesn't work for me and I still can't listen to the entire cd at one time. But I do appreciate it more after seeing the show. Peter Gabriel's latest endeavor could have easily seen him fall on his face, but instead he soared.