Seven Occasions When Peter Gabriel Sang Genesis Songs In Public After Leaving the Group in 1975
As with any artist who wishes to go solo, they normally want to make a name for themselves outside of their previous band. However not wanting Genesis fans to go home completely disappointed, his show during the 1977 tour ended with “Back in New York City”. The next year he closed out the night with “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway”. He even put on his old leather jacket from the Lamb stage show for the occasion. These songs would be played regularly during his first two solo tours in the late 70’s.
In the early 80’s he only performed Genesis songs on three occasions, and nothing in the 90’s and 00’s. So when we all heard him sing the fist few lines of “Dancing With the Moonlit Knight” in 2016, it resulting in a global wave of euphoria.
Take a look at this list of times/tours Peter Gabriel sang Genesis tracks post 1975:
1. 1977 Solo Tour
“Back in N.Y.C.” was played 61 times, and “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” was played 19 times.
Back in NYC, live in Rotterdam, 7 September 1977
2. 1978 Solo Tour
“The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” would be played 54 times on this tour.
Rockpalast, Germany 15 September 1978
Full show here
3. 1978 Genesis Tour
Peter joined his previous band, Genesis, at the Madison Square Gardens during “I Know What I like.’
I Know What I Like, Genesis. New York 29 July 1978
4. 1979 Solo Tour
“The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” is played twice on this tour including the time when Phil Collins joins Peter at the Reading Festival.
Reading Festival, UK 26 August 1979
5. Six Of The Best Reunion Show 1982
This is the only time, to date, that Peter Gabriel played with Genesis for a full-length concert since his departure in 1975. The gig was organised to raise funds for money he had lost during the first WOMAD concert.
Concert Bowl, Milton Keynes, England, 2 October 1982
6. Peter and Mike Rutherford join Steve Hackett 1983
During his show in 1983, Steve Hackett announced that there would be special guests to raise money for Tadworth Childrens Hospital. Towards the end of the set Peter Gabriel appears to sing “Here Comes The Flood.”
Mike Rutherford also the comes on stage for a slower, incomplete rendition of “Solsbury Hill” played in a lower key. Gabriel’s microphone stops working in the beginning of “Reach Out” but he is given one that works and they complete the song without incident. “I Know What I Like,” then closes the event.
I Know What I Like, Guildford, UK 29 Jan 1983
7. Sting & Peter Gabriel on their Rock, Paper, Scissors Tour
Throughout the tour Sting would introduce his hit “Message In A Bottle” with an arrangement of the intro to the Genesis song “Dancing With the Moonlit Knight,”. For the finale gig of the tour Peter sings the intro of this Genesis song for the first time live in 34 years.
Dancing With the Moonlit Knight, Rexall Place in Edmonton, USA, 24 July 2016
“I felt great awesomeness in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out “oh yeah!” and were suddenly silenced. Something amazing just happened.”
6 comments
I’m pretty sure I remember Peter singing the intro to Dancing With the Moonlit Knight at the Sting/Gabriel show on Coney Island, NY during that tour as well. Perhaps it is simply a ‘wishful memory’?
He did….I was there.
No Brasil com Milton Nascimento eles cantaram “The Carpet Crawl.” Não lembro o ano, foi no Metropoliten, Rio de Janeiro.
he was better with genesis than solo. His solo stuff is garbage. I hate it and never bought a peter gabriel cd and never will. He was young and stupid to make such a stupid decision. What a mistake he made.
Are you serious??? He’s one of the best solo artists ever, not to mention producing and an advocate for human rights all over the world. The man’s voice, his signature has been tops. Again, music evolves with Life. He’s certainly done that. He experiments with genres and makes them his own. A genius, I must say.
When they sang it together again, Collins, a good singer too, just doesn’t sing it as good as Peter did. It was way better when Peter sang it ‘alone’ with a bit of backing from Collins. Peter’s voice is still Peter’s voice. One of the best. But yes, it was better when there are many good people playing together like when Genesis started out. They all became watered down after the split…