Peter Gabriel European tour 2013 (UK dates announced)

horseburger

I just noticed on the ticketmaster page for Peter Gabriel, that for anyone who wants to buy seated tickets, it isn't giving the option as a drop down menu, of checking specific blocks for seats.

Whereas on the page for the Elton John gig in the o2, it allows you to check specific blocks for seats.

I'm just wondering why the option to check a particular block isn't available as a drop down menu for the Peter Gabriel gig?

alaimacerc

horseburger wrote: »

I just noticed on the ticketmaster page for Peter Gabriel, that for anyone who wants to buy seated tickets, it isn't giving the option as a drop down menu, of checking specific blocks for seats.

Whereas on the page for the Elton John gig in the o2, it allows you to check specific blocks for seats.

Very odd. It was offering this on the same website for the other pg gigs, the UK ones that went on sale several days earlier!

I'm not sure why this would be the case, but I'm strongly predisposed to believe it's TM up to no good, as usual.

horseburger

alaimacerc wrote: »

Very odd. It was offering this on the same website for the other pg gigs, the UK ones that went on sale several days earlier!

I'm not sure why this would be the case, but I'm strongly predisposed to believe it's TM up to no good, as usual.

I just checked, out of curiosity and there's a drop down menu for specific blocks for seats for other shows in the o2 including the Eagles (which is also the optimum standing layout), Cirque Du Soleil, Julio Iglesias, Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus gigs, and also for McBusted - if anyone is so inclined to attend that last one!:D

so indeed, it is strange that the option isn't available for the Peter Gabriel gig.

alaimacerc

horseburger wrote: »

I just checked, out of curiosity and there's a drop down menu for specific blocks for seats for other shows in the o2 including the Eagles (which is also the optimum standing layout), Cirque Du Soleil, Julio Iglesias, Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus gigs, and also for McBusted - if anyone is so inclined to attend that last one!:D

Not especially, but perhaps not the very worst on that list!

so indeed, it is strange that the option isn't available for the Peter Gabriel gig.

Conspiracy theory that springs to mind first is that ticket sales are tanking, and they're avoiding a map to maintain "illusion of scarcity". Upside!: maybe my PG-favouring buddies will weaken and help form a delegation up from Caaark for said gig.

delbertgrady

I think the options for blocks only start appearing after the show has been on sale for a while, and even then, some are listed as being unavailable. I'm pretty sure I've never seen it appear that way on the day of sale.

horseburger

delbertgrady wrote: »

I think the options for blocks only start appearing after the show has been on sale for a while, and even then, some are listed as being unavailable. I'm pretty sure I've never seen it appear that way on the day of sale.

It's the first time I've noticed that the option isn't there.

As far as I know, they usually allow people to choose particular blocks from the day they go on sale

oldyouth

I've been tracking it for a while. They have only really been releasing Block A. In the last few hours they have released Block E, which is more central. I pre-ordered and had to take Block G, but I'm just happy to be going

rednik

DVD/Blu-ray released this w/end

lambayire

Really looking forward to this gig now.

Have watched the DVD and it's a brilliant show.

alaimacerc

Any guesses as to chucking-out time for this gig? Have to make executive decision between midnight bus home and the 1am one. I think there's a "curfew" of about 11pm at the Point^WO2^W3Arena, and I've seen comments on the show at other venues saying "rather short", so I'm guessing the former is relatively safe, even allowing half an hour or so to fight my way across Dublin to whatever obscure lamppost Aircoach is running its buses from.

lambayire

A friend was at the Cardiff show earlier this week.

The 2 backing singers come on at 8 (Introduced by PG). They do 5 songs.
PG on at 8.45 and the show ends at around 11.

Hope that helps!

horseburger

alaimacerc wrote: »

Any guesses as to chucking-out time for this gig? Have to make executive decision between midnight bus home and the 1am one. I think there's a "curfew" of about 11pm at the Point^WO2^W3Arena, and I've seen comments on the show at other venues saying "rather short", so I'm guessing the former is relatively safe, even allowing half an hour or so to fight my way across Dublin to whatever obscure lamppost Aircoach is running its buses from.

It doesn't take long to get back into town, there are always Luas trams waiting to take people back into town after gigs in the Point. It can take a few minutes to queue to get on the Luas but once it starts moving it takes around 10 minutes to get back into Abbey Street .

It takes about 15-20 minutes to walk back.

I would imagine the gig would be over around 11pm at the latest, but perhaps contact Aiken Promotions to make sure.

Edit: I wrote this next sentence before seeing Lambayire's message above:

If there is no support, then he may be on at 8pm. Roger Waters and Bob Dylan both had no support and they started at 8pm, when they played in the Point in recent years.

If it's the midnight or 1am Dublin - Cork service that you are getting, they leave from Westmoreland Street.

http://aircoach.ie/news/were-back-aircoach-bus-stop-westmoreland-street

http://aircoach.ie/timetables/route-704-x-cork-dublin-city-dublin-airport-express

To Elland Back

Just one more sleep

Chelon

Am tempted by this - think there are still tickets.

Not a massive fan but did love the So album which I believe he will play in full. In his earlier years I hear his shows were spectacular theatrical affairs but what does he do now, what will the show be like visually?

rednik

The last night of an incredible tour and what a night it was?, simply superb.

delbertgrady

It was phenomenal. I was on the barrier, which was a great vantage point. Right from the outset, I had a feeling it would be an outstanding show and I was right. I'd not seen the Back To Front show before and I deliberately made a point of not watching the DVD prior to seeing the concert for myself. Best decision ever.
A full-on production with a super-tight band and a shrewd setlist. So many highlights, but the "loud" section of Secret World was incredible. The Tower That Ate People was terrific. Sledgehammer and Solsbury Hill were such good fun too. Who cares that they're almost the default Gabriel songs for fairweather fans; that doesn't make them any less enjoyable.
It doesn't quite beat Kate Bush for my gig of the year, but it's the only one that comes remotely close.

Zak Flaps

Absolutely brilliant gig!

alaimacerc

delbertgrady wrote: »

It was phenomenal. I was on the barrier, which was a great vantage point.

I was on the barrier too, despite not having queued, and indeed having been made late by the IW protest. (Oh, how I laughed when some langer, for the craic like, yelled "Irish Water!" during the into to "Biko". Not.) Mind you right at the left side, which I immediately feared was a terrible decision for the opening numbers with Petey on the piano -- could really not see a dang thing. Fortunately much matter with the house lights down, and obviously he moved around quite a bit.

Amazing gig. Not the hottest and sweatiest night out you'll ever have, but pretty dang lively by the standards of strokey-beard arena dates.

Highlight for me -- well, highlight of the highlights, really! -- would have to be "No Self Control". Great song, completely nailed it musically (and I would differ with you that that the whole set was entirely evenly well executed, but not complaining, mind!), and the staging was just epic. Really tried together the whole lichtarbiter shtick, I felt. Short of kidnapping KT and making her sing backing vox, don't know how it could have been bettered.

RichardoKhan

Digging in the Dirt for me................the power in that song just blew me away. Great gig on every level

Delphi91

Absolutely phenomenal concert!!!

That man can really put on a show. Not a bum note all night and he can still hit the notes he hit 25 years ago. He was in brilliant form last night....

Chelon

Barrier? Thought this was all seated?

delbertgrady

Chelon wrote: »

Barrier? Thought this was all seated?

No. They had the optimum standing area, the small floor configuration. Best place to be.

To Elland Back

delbertgrady wrote: »

Sledgehammer and Solsbury Hill were such good fun too. Who cares that they're almost the default Gabriel songs for fairweather fans;.

Had one of those beside me. Sang her heart out as if her life depended on it fof 2 or 3 songs and was on Facebook for the rest of the night. I just don't get that. I mean this was no teenager not in to this genre.

Anyway, I was in awe from start to finish. Peter's voice has the same quality it had 30 years ago. Songs that stand the test of time and a band that almost seems as if they are an extension of himself. My bones are still vibrating after a few thunderous tracks.

Another thing off my bucket list, though I might sneak it back on

Mike Guide 69

Finally managing to put some thoughts on the show after 2 hectic gigs back to back, Peter Gabriels last night and Elton Johns, the night before, ironic how both artists were finishing up their tours in Dublin before their breaks.

On the show, amazing, Peter Gabriels voice is still scintillating and fantastic after all these years, the band itself, was possibilty the best performance i had see all year (up to last night, i thought Elton Johns was!!). Highlights for me were "Digging in The Dirt",(favourite tune of the night) "Growing Up", "Red Rain" and the usual "Sledgehammer" and "Dont Give Up".

Special praise has to go to the backing singers Linnea Olsson and Jenny Abrahamson who were the warm up act playing some fantastic songs plus Abrahamson doing a fine job deputising Kate Bush's rendition of "Dont Give Up", she really did great justice to the song, and her voice ever so beautiful in the song, Kate would have been proud of her.

Lighting on the show was brilliant , loved the movement of the tripod set lights on the moveable circular track, did give that eerie distorted look on the stage and played well into some songs especially "Digging in The Dirt", in fact some of the lighting mixed in with the backround of Gabriels industrial rock type music reminded me of some of Trent Reznors early incarnations with Nine Inch nails

Had seated tickets and had a fantastic view of the stage, although i was slightly envious of those that had standing tickets as the atmosphere looked unbelievable from where i was sitting.

If i could be slightly critical,(and i mean ever so slightly) its a pity that there was no performances of "Games Without Frontiers" or "Blood of Eden", as they are my personal favourites. Also hope of all hopes, i was holding out for an appearance of Kate Bush for "Dont Give Up", i would even have settled for Shinner Sinead to turn up and duet on the song but alas that didnt happen.

Having said that, i loved the gig, was my favourite of the year, I'm now going to go onto Peter Gabriels website and order the live 2cd Dublin performance as i want to relive a fantastic night, i just hope he performs in Ireland again soon as for anybody who has'nt seen him live, it is well worth it getting tickets for his perfromances

To Elland Back

Obviously Mike, personal preference comes in to it, but of the versions I have heard, the best partners Peter has had for Don't Give Up are

1. Paula Cole
2. Kate
3. Jenny Abrahamson
4. Sinead (dear God no!)

alaimacerc

Chelon wrote: »

Barrier? Thought this was all seated?

They put in all the raked seats, and the flat arc that's left in the middle is all standing, as opposed to putting in non-banked seats (as they do for theatrical productions and concert with an even more ageing fanbase than pg's). Or taking out the removable banking and squeezing in as many standing as will go (as they would for many rawk concerts).

They call this "optimum" standing, as delbert says, presumably on the basis that it's the natural mix of sitting and standing given the architecture of the building, rather than deliberately trying to max out the one or the other.

alaimacerc

To Elland Back wrote: »

Obviously Mike, personal preference comes in to it, but of the versions I have heard, the best partners Peter has had for Don't Give Up are

1. Paula Cole
2. Kate
3. Jenny Abrahamson
4. Sinead (dear God no!)

Shockingly, I'd only heard two of those versions. I think SO'C has a great voice, myself, but somehow the mind boggles. (How many anti-WC annoyances can one person stand in any given evening? Maybe they could have had a "climate change" vs "right to water ('so far as is practicable', provided you live in Ireland, have a house, and just happen to be connected to the public system)" live debate...)

Listening to the Paula Cole version (and no questioning it's a great vocal performance), I'm struck by one of the various things that I'm not so keen on about it. Applause after the vocal solos, as indeed also happened last night. Very distracting indeed. Makes me feel I'm suddenly in the "wrong" genre entirely, and have wandered into a honky tonk/easy listening jazz bar by (very serious) mistake. And I say this as someone who'd list Kate right up there in his "all time" list (so I guess said collaboration was always going to have preposterously high expectations on it).

Overall I'm much more taken by Linnea Olsson's voice than Jennie Abrahamson. I've heard her first album (I can't remember exactly why -- I think either she must have pitched up in Cork at some point (at a gig I didn't go to) or else it might have been a recommend from someone), and her voice live last night was even better still. Not that gone on the actual material, mind you. Whether it'd suit "Don't Give Up" may be an entirely different question.

lambayire

I have to agree with pretty much everything that Mike Guide 69 said.
I too will be ordering the live 2cd's.

We had such amazing seats. 9 rows back and slap bang in the middle.

Digging in the Dirt and Secret World were my highlights.
I could listen to Secret World on a loop.

That big thumping bass sound had the floor shaking.
Was it coming from Tony's keyboard?

The sound and lighting were just perfect.

Jenny was fantastic for Don't Give Up. I too wondered if Kate or Sinead
might have made an appearance considering it was the last night of the tour.
My memoreis of the Point gig in 93 was the surprise appearance of Sinead
and her being very good that night.

The only thing that annoyed me slightly was that I expected folk to be on their feet
for at least Sledgehammer and then maybe In Your Eyes.

A truly memorable night. Worth waiting for.

alaimacerc

lambayire wrote: »

The only thing that annoyed me slightly was that I expected folk to be on their feet
for at least Sledgehammer and then maybe In Your Eyes.

Standing up in the seats seems to be quite the controversy in concerts these days, especially in this "age band". Friends of mine report that from an Ultravox reunion gig, which had a Ure-orchestrated "everyone stand up!" moment in it, people were still looking daggers at other people standing up in front of them when they didn't want to.

Though I don't want to sound unsympathetic to other people's ankles. Hellish to be "forced" to stand if it's a serious trial to. Maybe they need to set some sort of group-bidding process for seats! "Blocks B&C will be 'will mostly be standing, though obvs not for the the support or anything crazy, or if we need a bit of a rest for a couple of songs."

To Elland Back

Alaimacerc, I think people applaud the female solo part of Don't Give Up, is to acknowledge the bravery of anyone prepared to take on one of the most iconic pieces from that era. Kate laid down a high standard