CHIMES OF FREEDOM - Gabriel rouses human spirit...
While Bruce Springsteen clearly is the main attraction of the Human Rights Now tour, which concluded its second of two Canadian stops at the Olympic Stadium last night, it is equally clear that Peter Gabriel is its conscience.
Many of the 60,000 who filled the giant arena came to be entertained and arrived blissfully unaware of the work Amnesty International has done to help free political prisoners around the world.
With mounting levels of excitement they waited out sets by Quebec stars Michel Rivard and Daniel Lavoie (both of whom were commanding figures), Senegal's amazing vocalist Youssou N'Dour, Tracy Chapman (whose Fast Car raised goosebumps), Sting and Gabriel.
For more than seven hours, they anticipated the moment when Springsteen would lead them in his anthems to escapism.
Yet 'Born In The USA', 'War', 'Thunder Road', 'Promised Land', 'Cover Me', 'The River' (with Sting singing a verse), 'My Hometown' and 'Glory Days' led inevitably to the finale, 'Chimes of Freedom', and that inevitably led back to Amnesty International.
Springsteen's version of the Bob Dylan song is in stores Sept. 26 On the tour he is accompanied by Sting, Gabriel, Chapman, N'Dour and their guests.
Written more than 25 years ago, 'Chimes of Freedom' is an apt choice not only does it sums up the purpose of this six-week campaign but also complements Springsteen's songs of unfulfilled dreams and little victories.
Springsteen's set, then, is symbolic, Gabriel's is built on vision and purpose.
Sting might be a high profile booster of numerous causes, yet, following the egoless Gabriel, his presence was smug and self-satisfied; his jazz-influenced performance ultimately anticlimactic.
By far his best moment was the duet with Springsteen (the two have formed a mutual admiration society) on the encore of 'Every Breath You Take'. Then again, Sting's French-language version of 'If You Go Away' deteriorated into sell-indulgence.
In contrast, Gabriel's 70-minute set gave the audience the sexually charged 'Sledgehammer' (with the itinerant Branford Marsalis on sax) and antic 'Shock The Monkey', but was built around themes of individual dignity and the human spirit.
Gabriel's was a generous and involving performance, in which he seized the occasion not to enhance his profile bet to motivate the audience and stimulate it into positive action.
'Red Rain', 'Games Without Frontiers', 'No Self Control', 'Don't Give Up' and 'In Your Eyes' by turns were moody, hopeful, dramatic, uplifting and kinetic.
By the time he concluded with 'Biko', a poignant lament for the murdered Stephen Biko, 60,000 fists and voices were raised in unison. For those few moments you could only wish that the tyrants and cynics would be made to stand, exposed.
(c) The Province by Tom Harrison
You must have a display name to comment.
Follow the button below to create your display name.
CREATE A DISPLAY NAME