What to expect from the Peter Gabriel concert in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH ― Peter Gabriel fans from western Pennsylvania soon get to rejoice, as the English singer prepares for his long-awaited Sept. 23 concert at PPG Paints Arena.

Gabriel's first Pittsburgh proper concert in 37 years − he also appeared at Star Lake Amphitheater in 1993 − promises a night of intense, artsy music, movements and messages.

Showtime is 8 p.m. and tickets remain, including reserved floor seats for $99 to $275; lower bowl seats for $95 to $165; and a bunch of $50 tickets in the furthest region of the arena's upper bowl.

I don't want to spoil anything, but I caught night No. 3 of Gabriel's North American "i/o −The Tour" on Sept. 11 in Toronto and can report it was remarkable and one-of-a-kind.

Again, no major spoilers, but let's just say Gabriel performed arguably eight of his 10 most essential solo songs. (The full setlist, if you want to see it, is at setlistfm.com). He also performed 11 of the 12 tracks from his upcoming "i/o" album, for which he's released a new single timed with each full moon of this year.

To prepare you for the Pittsburgh show, here are some general things that happened at the Toronto hockey arena concert (with mild spoilers).

There was no opening act.

As he did at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena on Nov. 8, 1986, Gabriel made his stage entrance in a most unassuming fashion. He strolled out alone and talked a bit about the cosmos. He joked how the audience actually wasn't seeing him, but instead were witnessing an avatar, except he went against the prevailing attitude and chose an avatar that was 20 years older, heavier and bald. (Nope, that's just Gabriel at age 73.)

In unique fashion, the concert began with band members, including the supreme Tony Levin on Chapman stick, seated in a semicircle with the likewise seated Gabriel, all performing in front of a faux campfire. Several songs later, Gabriel stood up and got more animated with hand gestures to fire up the crowd as the band also stood and took its posts, as the campfire was extinguished.

They played 10 songs then took a 15-minute intermission.

The second set also featured 10 songs with two single-song encores tacked on, for a grand total of 22 selections.

The 15,000 or so fans stayed seated until the encore, even on the full floor.

Between songs, Gabriel frequently introduced and verbally applauded his band members, including regular tourmates David Rhodes (guitar), Richard Evans (guitar, flute), Manu Katché (drums) and newcomers Marina Moore (violin, viola, vocals) and Ayanna Witter-Johnson (cello, piano, vocals). Witter-Johnson delivers a very important Kate Bush-ish vocal quality when necessary − one of the show's standout segments.

Gabriel briefly discussed the sources and inspirations for several songs, as when noting it felt good to be back in Toronto where "Solsbury Hill" was recorded. C'mon, you knew he'd sing that one.

He tidily referenced essential and timely topics such as artificial intelligence, commenting it has potential for good but a troubling possibility for bad. He also noted he grew up on a farm, where the initials AI stood for "artificial insemination." He made sure to collectively thank the hard work of his tour lighting, sound and set-up workers, many of whom could be spotted wearing matching orange lab coats.

From a constructive criticism point, I'd have appreciated a bit more volume in the show. There were times Gabriel sang too softly, as if his mouth wasn't near enough to the mic. Maybe he was conserving energy.

Fortunately, that was just a handful of times. When his singing hit full power, it was as majestic and richly textured as ever.

If you're a full-on fan open to the new material, and patient enough to wait for the hits, you're poised for an unforgettable and enjoyable experience.

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Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: What to expect from Peter Gabriel at PPG Paints Arena