Peter Gabriel has kicked off the first of his i/o world tour shows in Poland with a setlist weighted to the next album ‘i/o’.
Peter addressed the new music heavy setlist ahead of the first show in Krakow saying, “There’s always a trade-off. People generally want to hear what they know and the artist generally wants to play the new stuff. So, I think there’s a sort of barter thing where you have to suffer enough new numbers to get to hear the old ones. It’s always been a bit like that with me, but I think this is a strong batch of songs. They’re not all up-tempo, but I feel they’re certainly being played with a lot of heart.
Peter Gabriel is yet to reveal the final tracklisting or release date for the upcoming i/o album, his first studio album of original material in 21 years. Five songs have so far been released and all were performed on the Krakow opening night. The songs performed for the first time we assume will also be on the album, but you never know with Peter. Two of the songs, ‘Love Can Heal’ (2016) and ‘What Lies Ahead’ (2014) are album orphans.
Absent are the hit songs ‘Games Without Frontiers’, ‘Shock The Monkey’, ‘Sledgehammer’, ‘Big Time’ and ‘Steam’. Some of the older songs were obscure like ‘Washing of the Water’ from ‘Us’ and ‘Darkness’ from ‘Up’. The setlist is definitely for the die-hard fans. Casual acquaintances used to the Peter songs they hear on Classic Hits radio may be better off opting out of this tour.
But hey, its Peter Gabriel. He rarely tours and may never again. His shows are incredible even if the playlist may seem puzzling in print.
The setlist from the first show of the tour on 18 May 2023 in Krakow was:
Set 1:
Washing of the Water (from Us, 1992)
Growing Up (from Up, 2002)
Panopticom (from i/o, 2023)
Four Kinds of Horses (from i/o, 2023)
i/o (from i/o, 2023)
Digging in the Dirt (from Us, 1992)
Playing for Time (from i/o, 2023)
Olive Tree (new, possibly i/o, 2023)
Home (new, possibly i/o, 2023)
Sledgehammer (from So, 1996)
Set 2:
Darkness (from Up, 2002)
Love Can Heal (from 2016, song originally with Sting)
Road to Joy (new, possibly i/o, 2023)
Don’t Give Up (from So, 1996)
The Court (from i/o, 2023)
Red Rain (from So, 1996)
And Still (new, possibly i/o, 2023)
What Lies Ahead (also performed on 2014 tour)
Big Time (from So, 1996)
Live and Let Live (new, possibly i/o, 2023)
Solsbury Hill (from Peter Gabriel, 1977)
Encore:
In Your Eyes (from So, 1996)
Encore 2:
Biko (from Peter Gabriel, 1980)
The Peter Gabriel i/o touring band is Tony Levin (bass), Richard Evans (guitar, flute), Manu Katché (drums), and David Rhodes (guitar), all long-time collaborators with Peter.
New band members are Ayanna Witter-Johnson (cello, piano, vocals), Marina Moore (violin, viola, vocals), Don (Don-E) McLean (keyboards), and Josh Shpak (trumpet, french horn, keys, vocals).
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