by Gabby, Rose Valley, PA

The summer I was going into 8th grade, I attended my first concert with some friends and… my mother. Despite “Sledgehammer,” a song I initially hated, I had developed into quite a Peter Gabriel fan since hearing “Red Rain” on the radio for the first time (which I thought very fitting since my name was Gabrielle).

So when he scheduled a 2nd tour in support of So, I talked my mom into letting a friend and me sleep out for tickets at the King of Prussia mall, watched over by none other than some cool lifeguards from our pool (themselves only 17 yrs old). One can imagine how awesome we thought we were.

When the big date arrived (July 20, 1987 - it is unbelievable that it’s been 20 years!), an aforementioned lifeguard lent me a concert shirt from PG’s previous tour and gave us tips on how to not look like “teenyboppers.” (I don’t know how else 8th graders with a mother in tow were supposed to look, but whatever. We thought we were cool.) The concert was, as I recall, amazing. (I wouldn’t be able to remember it any other way, of course, but I know it did receive independently good reviews.) Despite our valiant effort, our seats were not great: 2nd level to the right of the stage, directly across from a banner proclaiming “MERCY STREET.”

His performances of “No Self Control,” “Lay Your Hands on Me,” “Games Without Frontiers,” “In Your Eyes,” & “Biko” are the ones I most remember. What is especially funny to me now is that while my friends from that era can sheepishly admit Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, or New Kids on the Block as their first concerts, I can say with absolute pride that mine was Peter Gabriel. Finding his music set me on a path of seeking out challenging, interesting things to listen to, and thankfully I’ve enjoyed good music ever since (helped along since college, especially, by XPN).

Although there is so much else out there to listen to, and I don’t often pull out any of my many PG CDs or collectibles, he is still my favorite. He’s so good he can’t be outgrown.