Sting & Peter Gabriel

The music video for "Shock the Monkey" scared me when I was a little boy, while the videos for "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time" enthralled me.  Later, in high school, I dove deep into Peter Gabriel's extensive canon, experiencing the heady glories of "Solsbury Hill," "I Don't Remember," and "Mercy Street," among others.  While teammates listened to AC/DC or Pink Floyd on the bus, I checked out to "Games Without Frontiers" or "Biko," whose grave I would later visit as a missionary in South Africa.  When my father was let go from a high-profile job, I introduced him to "Don't Give Up" during a late-night drive around the reservoir, as both of us were moved by its message.  In short, Gabriel was formative for me.

At the intersection of big-tent pop music and literate art-rock, the Sage of Surrey is a singular pop star and icon, and would probably be so just on the strength of "In Your Eyes" alone, to say nothing of his other stellar tracks accumulated over decades.  It is hard to imagine an arena-trotting artist today with hits as dense yet accessible as "Red Rain."

So it was a thrill to hear Gabriel live for the first time in the Hollywood Bowl during his Rock Paper Scissors tour with Sting, another lifelong favorite that I have fortunately seen seven or eight times. Gabriel's talents were on full display, his evocative voice having lost little of its stretched-out timbre even at the age of 66.  He was surprisingly spry, funny, and deeply serious at all the right moments.

Sting sounded strong, as usual, but the real story was just how fun he seemed to be having, immersing himself into various roles during the show, providing backup vocals, slap bass, or even line dancing during a rousing performance of "In Your Eyes."  Gabriel, of course, participated in this same generous gamesmanship, manning vocals and keyboards for Sting's numbers.  The two mostly stayed on stage together throughout the night, and even started the show with a hilarious bit of back and forth, culminating in Gabriel dubbing themselves the "Tantric Twins" after apparently learning some yoga tips from Mr. Sumner.

Twelve superb musicians joined them on stage, including Gabriel's and Sting's long-time lead guitar foils David Rhodes and Dominic Miller and backing vocalists Jo Lawry and Jennie Abrahamson. Two drummers, a percussionist, cello/violin, keyboards, you name it--all of the players executed at a high level on a lovely summer night.

• The Rhythm of the Heat.
• If I Ever Lose My Faith in You.  Sting arched his eyebrow as he sang, I've lost my faith in politicians / They all seem like game show hosts to me.  The crowd went wild and his words, penned more than 20 years ago, seemed more prescient than ever.
• No Self Control.
• Invisible Sun.  Sting seemed to favor a few of his deeper cuts, including this Police standout, which was a nice change of pace in an otherwise (and rightfully so) hit-heavy performance.
• Games Without Frontiers.  Gabriel marched around on stage and saluted, a nod to the song's eerily effective take down of brinksmanship and war games.  It's a knockout!
• Shock the Monkey.  Sting took sole vocal duties on this surprising hit song from Gabriel's self-titled 1982 album.  He worked it up perfectly, as Gabriel hit the high-arcing backup notes throughout the song.
• Secret World.  From 1992's underrated Us, this lush track played brilliantly as the sky darkened around the Hollywood Hills.
• Driven to Tears.  Just last month, Sting made a surprise visit during Pearl Jam's show at Madison Square Garden.  This is the song the band wanted to play with him, and hearing it rock live makes the decision easily understandable.
• Fragile.  Sting discussed the mindless violence of the past several months and then, standing alone center stage, played a haunting acoustic version of his long-running anthem for peace and humanity.
• Red Rain.  This song gave me chills.  It is prone to do that even when I hear it come across the radio.  Sitting behind his keyboards, Gabriel belted out the yearning as if it were 1986 and the sky was pouring down only on him.
• Dancing With the Moonlit Knight.  Sting played the first half of this Genesis track and then ripped into a roaring version of "Message in a Bottle," which had every last person standing in the massive venue.
• Message in Bottle.
• Don't Give Up.  Gabriel's duet partner, Jennie Abrahamson, was incredible, singing the encouragement that Kate Bush made famous.  It was easy to tell that the audience loved hearing every bit of this.
• The Hounds of Winter.
• Big Time.
• Englishman in New York.
• Solsbury Hill.  Written after a spiritual experience overlooking the city, having made the bold decision to leave Genesis and embrace his new future, this song (now used in endless movie trailers) still delivers the soul-stirring goods.  Boom! Boom! Boom!
• Every Little Thing She Does As Magic.
• If You Love Somebody Set Them Free.  Gabriel skulked around the stage in a down-tempo version of Sting's late 80s radio hit, backed by the same keyboard runs from Beck's "Where It's At."  He used his lowest possible voice to urge the crowd on during the chorus climax: Set them free.  It was both an ironic and arresting rendition, and kept the right balance of levity during this point in the show.
• Roxanne.
• Love Can Heal.
• Desert Rose
• In Your Eyes.  It is arguably a perfect love song, one of the greatest ever written, and hearing it live was no less than a spiritual experience.  I soaked up every second of it.
• ENCORE
• Every Breath You Take.
• Sledgehammer.  As Sting and Gabriel listed off all of the musicians' names during "Every Breath You Take," I thought to myself, wait a minute, I haven't heard Sledgehammer.  As if on cue, the opening horns blasted away, and the two rock legends belted the pitch-perfect sendoff.