petergabriel.com

1977? But DeFacto, you said you're sixteen! Yeah. I am. This is a secondhand account of a story from a man in his late fifties. Elaboration: Yesterday I went to a family picnic that my mother's cousin's husband was also at(a man I call the "Prog Guru"). His son(a good friend of mine) remembered that I had been to Mr. Gabriel's Camden show the previous Saturday, probably because I was wearing the bandaid tee you could purchase as tour merch. He said "Hey Dad, [DeFacto] saw Peter Gabriel last weekend." The Prog Guru's response basically was "I saw Peter Gabriel on his first tour after Genesis. It was 1977 or so. That night he got very, very mad." What? Mr. Gabriel, the man that can take obnoxious, loud fans, that cut him off when he's talking, in stride? "Yep, someone in the front row was trying to put something on his head. It was the batwings." Yeah, the headwings from Watcher in the Skies. "He didn't like it because he was trying to distance himself from Genesis, though he did play a few Genesis songs during that time period." I don't know where this was in state, city, or venue; I don't know where he(Prog Guru) lived during that time or where the shows had been at(so I can't go "this was probably which of the shows he could have attended"), but can anyone attest to seeing this happen?

I was at The Tower Theatre for PG's first post-Genesis show (as well as his Genesis shows and other post-Genesis shows). It definitely did not happen at the Tower Theatre (Upper Darby, PA). I can remember the show as being a kind of "what will we see/hear?" kind of show. The audience might have called out Genesis songs, but I believe PG was expecting that. I think I've reached the point now that I should really go through all of my memorabilia and put my stories, dates, places together for questions such as yours, DeFacto - so many of these shows begin to run together. Hopefully, someone here on the moon will know of your story - I'd be interested in knowing more about it. Kind regards,

Said person might have had difficulty walking if this Irishman was having undesired bat wings foisted on their heads. Would have made a great picture for the family album. Hey, look, Uncle < --- > had a bat fly up his arse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qP-NglUeZU Blammie! Kapow! Zilgchthwonk!

Don't know anyone who went to the Camden show but I know someone that lives on my street that went to the Tower show Pat did. He said it was one of the best concerts he had been to in his life. Peter walked through the audience. Also, you could still smoke in the Tower back in 1977.

Bumping up.

Bumping again at about 1AM. Sleep? We don't need no stinkin' sleep!

1977 ! The year of my first concert, and it was PG ! That "hadwings thing" didn't happen in Strasbourg - France! Don't remember he played any Genesis song. . . but remembering during a song he disapeared from the scene and was coming upstairs at some little distance from me. . then crossing the audience back to the scene. . . BTW nice work you do,and welcome here. . . ( I am a "Prog Guru" who took my son at his first concert in 2004 as he was 14. . . .a PG one of course lol! - many other since, Hackett, The Watch, Musical Box. . . he's got the virus !)

Thanks, Raelo. Good for you to keep your son into the good stuff. I don't really have a reason to disbelieve my own Prog Guru, but it seems like a bit of an odd occurence to me. I guess I'll just have to ask Mr. Gabriel himself if I ever get to talk to him. *Crosses fingers*

I have got an original article with pictures from 1977 from a teen magazine - there you can see Peter walk around through the audience, while he is singing "Waiting for the Big One" obviously.