Last nights on tours are usually "messy": there's a lot of accounting to be cleared, many knots to untie and everybody's tired. Yet, at the same time, there's a tangible, diffused feeling of elation at having accomplished it all. A feeling which is usually behind some of the most disruptive happenings on stage on those final nights.
One example: on the last European show of 1993 a small scale replica of the Statue Of Liberty made it's unannounced and inexplicable way onto the walkway between the round and square stages of the Secret World tour, to much delight and laughter of Peter and the band - except for L.Shankar, who had been tied up by the roadies and took quite a while to get back on stage when it was time for his introduction by PG...
Oh well...
Back to 10 years before Paris and the Zenith, the scene was already set in France, this time in its top North-Western corner, Brest, 'capital' of Brittany. It was a late autumn night, October 28th, and as previously said, the atmosphere was at the same time hot and relaxed, providing a perfect combination for a great performance.
We had travelled from Nantes by train – one of the very few I could afford on the whole tour, as I usually hitchhiked –, and we happened to share the space with some of The Call and their crew. The band had supported Peter during the summer of 1983 US dates, then joined him again for the last leg of the tour in continental Europe.
Onto the last night...
As he always did with the support acts, Peter came on stage wearing make up but in "civilian" clothes and hat, jokingly introduced them talking in French making fun of Michael Been.
MB: What did ya say?
PG: I said you're shit, Michael!
The real words with which PG described The Call’s songs were "chanson tres interessant pour moi... lors musique vien du coeur" – "interesting songs, and music which comes from the heart”.
That has stayed with me ever since: there was such a heartfelt, truthful passion in their performance and in Michael Been’s delivery that in my experience very few other bands ever got close to it.
I can’t remember exactly on which song, but it must have been close to the end of their set when Peter suddenly reappeared on stage: this time he was in full concert mode, dressed in white, wearing the monkey make-up and also... carrying a large plant or a small tree of some sort: he was not alone, as the other members of his band did the same and caused havoc on stage, depositing the large vases here and there while The Call kept on playing - amazing pros!!
The surprise incursion was later reciprocated when all of The Call re-entered the stage during PG’s set: this time they were also all made-up in monkey attire, but were also wearing towels made to look like giant diapers! They emerged from the top of the stage and jumped up and down throwing bananas all over the place...
Yep, you guessed right: it happened during “Shock The Monkey”, and it was PG’s turn to try and keep on going with the chorus while everybody was laughing real hard!
What else can I say?
The music, the friends, the whole package: that night is burned into my memory cells as one when I experienced the most fun in my life... notwithstanding the totally anti-climactic after show, as we found out most of our luggage and properties had gone, stolen from the friends car we had left them in!
