This Way Up Tour


The This Way Up Tour was a concert tour mounted by the English singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel to promote his 1986 album So. The concert tour spanned 93 shows, starting on 7 November 1986 in Rochester, New York and concluding on 9 October 1987 in Athens, Greece. It was broken up into two legs, with the first lasting one month through the middle of December and the second commencing in June of 1987, which covered the continents of both North America and Europe.
Gabriel's touring band consisted of several musicians who had played on So, including Tony Levin, David Rhodes, and Manu Katché. The setlist comprised around half of So, with the remaining songs originating from earlier albums in Gabriel's discography. Youssou N'Dour served as the opening act throughout the duration of the tour.

Background

In June 1986, Gabriel performed at A Conspiracy of Hope, which was arranged to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Amnesty International. Bono asked Gabriel to participate in the concerts and told him that his song "Biko" had "opened him up to Africa". The Conspiracy of Hope concerts required Gabriel to reschedule his This Way Up Tour further back than he had originally planned.
Gabriel embarked on the This Way Up Tour in November 1986 with a touring band consisting of Tony Levin, David Rhodes, Manu Katché, and David Sancious. The setlist consisted of songs from Gabriels So studio album along with several other songs from Gabriel's discography. Whereas the audiences of several of his previous tours consisted of "denim guys and intellectuals." according to Rhodes, the This Way Up Tour marked a shift toward larger and younger crowds with a more equal gender balance.
"San Jacinto" served as first song of the setlist for both the 1986 and 1987 legs of the tour and began with an extended polyrhythmic instrumental sequence. Youssou N'Dour, who served as the tour's opening act with his band Super Étoile de Dakar, joined Gabriel onstage to sing "In Your Eyes". Some members from N'Dour's band played horns on "Big Time". Whereas the studio recording of "Don't Give Up" was sung as a duet with Kate Bush, Gabriel covered all of the vocals on the song during this concert tour. The exception to this was when Bush sang the song with Gabriel during his concert on 28 June 1987 in Earl's Court, which marked the only time Bush ever performed the song live with him.

Staging

For the show's illumination, four banks of light were installed onto a set of crane arms that maneuvered throughout the stage via a railed track. During "San Jacinto", which served as the opening song of the set, the four moving crane arms would direct beams of light at Gabriel, in some cases a few inches away from his face. On "Red Rain", the lights were calibrated to create the illusion of rain droplets falling.
The lighting cranes were used extensively on both "No [Self Control (Peter Gabriel song)|No Self Control]" and "Mercy Street". On "No Self Control", the telescoping lighting arms would descend upon Gabriel "like pterodactyls scrutinizing their prey" according to Pete Bishop of The Pittsburgh Press. These lights would then hover over Gabriel's body as he began the next song of the set, "Mercy Street". "This is the Picture (Excellent Birds)", featured an extended introduction where Gabriel and members of his touring band would line up at the front of the stage while playing mobile instruments, with Katché playing a MIDI rhythm stick and Sancious using a portable remote keyboard. Gabriel would also introduce the members of the band during the introduction of this song.
On "Big Time", the light fixtures were programmed to create what the Toronto Star described as "a massive display of white light" that "exploded and swirled around the arena." Gabriel would conclude "Lay Your [Hands on Me (Peter Gabriel song)|Lay Your Hands on Me]" while "bathed in white light" and perform a backwards fall into the audience where he would then crowd surf. In certain cases, Gabriel would lose articles of clothing while crowd surfing. He would then return to the stage with new clothes and perform "Sledgehammer".
When determining the show's choreography, Gabriel took inspiration from some of the movements and gestures found in the 1975 book Bodily Communication, written by the UK social psychologist Michael Argyle. One such example was the outward palm gesture that he employed during "In Your Eyes". Music Week mentioned in the 4 July 1987 edition of the publication that Gabriel would be the using four Ibanez SDR1000+ effect units on the European leg of his tour.

Recordings

A concert film for the tour, titled Live in [Athens 1987], was released on DVD in 2013. Filmed at the Lycabettus Theatre on three of the five nights, the film was directed by Michael Chapman with Martin Scorsese serving as executive producer. A live album of the film was released in 2020. Previously, audio of the recording was issued on a 25th anniversary edition of So, restored and mixed by Ben Findlay. The film was sourced from over 150 reels of 35mm film and restored into high-definition. Much of the film was included on Gabriel's POV concert film and restored for physical release.

Set list

These setlists are not representative of every show during the first leg of the tour. During Gabriel's show in Rochester, New York, "Big Time" was positioned in the set after "Don't Give Up (Peter Gabriel and [Kate Bush song)|Don't Give Up]". For other performances, including his tour stop in Buffalo, New York, "Big Time" instead preceded "Don't Give Up." For the same show, "I Don't Remember" was played after "Family Snapshot". At certain shows, "Not One of Us", "Solsbury Hill" and Wallflower" were also played. By 1987, "Solsbury Hill" and "Games Without Frontiers" were more consistently integrated into the setlist.
;1986 leg
  1. "San Jacinto"
  2. "Red Rain"
  3. "Shock the Monkey"
  4. "Family Snapshot"
  5. "I Have the Touch"
  6. "The Family and the Fishing Net"
  7. "No Self Control"
  8. "Mercy Street"
  9. "This is the Picture (Excellent Birds)"
  10. "Big Time"
  11. "Don't Give Up"
  12. "Lay Your Hands on Me"
  13. "Sledgehammer"
  14. "Here Comes the Flood"
Encore:
  1. "In Your Eyes"
  2. "Biko"
;1987 leg
  1. "San Jacinto"
  2. "Red Rain"
  3. "Shock the Monkey"
  4. "Family Snapshot"
  5. "Games Without Frontiers"
  6. "The Family and the Fishing Net"
  7. "No Self Control"
  8. "Mercy Street"
  9. "This is the Picture (Excellent Birds)"
  10. "Big Time"
  11. "Don't Give Up"
  12. "Solsbury Hill"
  13. "Lay Your Hands on Me"
  14. "Sledgehammer"
  15. "Here Comes the Flood"
Encore:
  1. "In Your Eyes"
  2. "Biko"
Alterations
  • For the first two shows in Athens, "This is the Picture " was performed at the start of the concert.
  • "Not One of Us" was occasionally performed at shows in the 1986 leg.
  • "Intruder" was occasionally performed at shows in the 1987 leg.

    Tour dates

DateCityCountryVenue
June 1, 1987Clermont-FerrandFranceMaison Des Sports
June 2, 1987BordeauxFrancePatinoire de Mériadeck
June 3, 1987NantesFranceParc des Expositions de la Beaujoire
June 5, 1987ParisFrancePalais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
June 6, 1987ParisFrancePalais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
June 7, 1987ParisFrancePalais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy
June 10, 1987MilanItalyPalaTrussardi
June 12, 1987RomeItalyPalazzo dello Sport
June 13, 1987RomeItalyPalazzo dello Sport
June 15, 1987MunichGermanyOlympiahalle
June 16, 1987StuttgartGermanyHanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
June 17, 1987NurembergGermanyFrankenhalle
June 19, 1987CologneGermanySporthalle
June 20, 1987HamburgGermanyAlsterdorfer Sporthalle
June 21, 1987BremenGermanyStadthalle
June 23, 1987GlasgowScotlandScottish Exhibition and Conference Centre
June 25, 1987LondonEnglandEarls Court Exhibition Centre
June 26, 1987LondonEnglandEarls Court Exhibition Centre
June 27, 1987LondonEnglandEarls Court Exhibition Centre
June 28, 1987LondonEnglandEarls Court Exhibition Centre
June 30, 1987BirminghamEnglandNEC Arena
July 1, 1987BirminghamEnglandNEC Arena
July 2, 1987BirminghamEnglandNEC Arena
July 4, 1987TorhoutBelgiumRockweide
July 5, 1987WerchterBelgiumWerchter Festivalpark
July 10, 1987OttawaCanadaLansdowne Park
July 11, 1987TorontoCanadaCNE Grandstand
July 12, 1987MontrealCanadaMontreal Forum
July 13, 1987MontrealCanadaMontreal Forum
July 15, 1987MansfieldUnited StatesGreat Woods Center for the Performing Arts
July 16, 1987MansfieldUnited StatesGreat Woods Center for the Performing Arts
July 17, 1987East RutherfordUnited StatesBrendan Byrne Arena
July 18, 1987East RutherfordUnited StatesBrendan Byrne Arena
July 19, 1987East RutherfordUnited StatesBrendan Byrne Arena
July 20, 1987PhiladelphiaUnited StatesSpectrum
July 21, 1987PhiladelphiaUnited StatesSpectrum
July 23, 1987ClarkstonUnited StatesPine Knob Music Theatre
July 24, 1987ClevelandUnited StatesMasonic Auditorium
July 25, 1987MilwaukeeUnited StatesMarcus Amphitheater
July 27, 1987Cuyahoga FallsUnited StatesBlossom Music Center
July 28, 1987ColumbiaUnited StatesMerriweather Post Pavilion
August 29, 1987CopenhagenDenmarkHvidovre Stadium
August 30, 1987BærumNorwayKalvøya
September 1, 1987HelsinkiFinlandHelsinki Ice Hall
September 3, 1987StockholmSwedenJohanneshovs Isstadion
September 6, 1987GothenburgSwedenScandinavium
September 8, 1987RotterdamNetherlandsAhoy
September 9, 1987RotterdamNetherlandsAhoy
September 11, 1987BerlinGermanyWaldbuhne
September 12, 1987BochumGermanyRuhrstadion
September 13, 1987Offenbach am MainGermanyStadion am Bieberer Berg
September 15, 1987BudapestHungaryHidegkuti Nándor Stadion
September 16, 1987ViennaAustriaWiener Stadthalle
September 18, 1987VeronaItalyArena di Verona
September 19, 1987LocarnoSwitzerlandPiazza Grande
September 21, 1987BaselSwitzerlandSt. Jakobshalle
September 22, 1987LausanneSwitzerlandCIG de Malley
September 23, 1987StrasbourgFranceStade de la Meinau
September 24, 1987LyonFrancePalais des Sports de Gerland
September 26, 1987ToulouseFrancePalais des Sports
September 27, 1987San SebastiánSpainVelódromo de Anoeta
September 28, 1987MadridSpainPalacio de Deportes de [la Comunidad de Madrid]
September 30, 1987BarcelonaSpainPalau dels Esports de Barcelona
October 5, 1987AthensGreeceLycabettus Theatre
October 6, 1987AthensGreeceLycabettus Theatre
October 7, 1987AthensGreeceLycabettus Theatre
October 8, 1987AthensGreeceLycabettus Theatre
October 9, 1987AthensGreeceLycabettus Theatre

Personnel

Musicians

  • Peter Gabriel – vocals, keyboards
  • David Rhodes – guitar and backing vocals
  • Tony Levin – bass guitar, Chapman stick, synthesizer, backing vocals
  • David Sancious – keyboards
  • Manu Katché – drums

    Tour crew

  • Gail Colson – manager
  • Billy Francis – road manager
  • Carol Graham – wardrobe
  • David Parry – accountant
  • Jonathan Smeeton – lightning designer
  • Clive Franks – sound engineer