Peter Gabriel might come across as some kindly, hippy grandpa who likes to tell stories to provide context and meaning to details one may overlook.
But when he sings he reminds you he's been a subtle rock star for decades.
The 73-year-old former frontman of Genesis begins the show by talking about how the planet is billions of years old and how we shouldn't trust our eyes. Then he jokes that what audiences might be seeing when they watch him just may be his avatar.

And then the Grammy-winner suggests that instead of a younger, more attractive computer-generated version; what they are actually seeing is a Gabriel who is balder, heavier, and 20 years older.
The real Gabriel, he claims in a dry wit, is laying on a tropical beach and looks "like a Greek God."

The man who sold over 16 million albums after leaving Genesis, generously introduces his longtime bass player, Anthony Levin, and the pair sit down by a fire and start the show with two acoustic numbers, "Washing of the Water" from 1992's Us and "Growing Up" from 2002's Up.
Of the next seven songs, six are from his forthcoming album i/o, his first studio album in 21 years since the aforementioned Up. The record is a labor of love in the making since 2005.
Once the audience makes it through the parade of unfamiliar, new, tunes, he rewards them with the his biggest hit, "Sledgehammer" and closes the first set.
One of the special things the English musician and activist is doing to give the singles of the album their moment in the, uh, sun, is to release each song during a full moon.
For example the last full moon was on August 30, so Gabriel released "Love Can Heal" from i/o, and when he did, as he has been doing, he announced it with a nice little video.
You can see them all here.
The second set is filled with emotion, drama, nostalgia and fun. Any artist would love the range of tunes of that half of the show from "Don't Give Up" to "Red Rain" to "Big Time" to "Solsbury Hill."
And what a career that there's still "In Your Eyes" and "Biko" left for the encores.
Peter Gabriel is his own man. He may decide that after this tour he doesn't want to play again for another 21 years. There's only a few more shows left on this North American Tour: Chicago and then parts out west. You should get your tickets now to these shows via his website.