On cue, sharing a new song on every full moon, Peter Gabriel has released “Playing For Time,” the latest Dark-Side track off his upcoming tenth album i/o.
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“‘Playing for Time’ is a song that I have been working on for a long time and have performed live, without lyrics, so some people may be familiar with it,” said Gabriel in a statement. “It’s been an important song for me. It’s about time, mortality and memories, and the idea that each of us has a planet full of memories which get stashed inside the brain.”
Through the more dramatic, piano-led song, Gabriel sings Far, far away / Out amongst the stars / There’s a planet spinning slowly / We call it ours / Any time, any day. The song was written and produced by Gabriel.
Part of his first batch of new music since the 2011 release New Blood, “Playing For Time” was recorded at The Beehive in London and Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Wiltshire. The track features Tom Cawley on piano, along with an orchestral arrangement by Ed Shearmur, featuring musicians who also played on New Blood.
“It is more of a personal song about how you assemble memories and whether we are prisoners of time or whether that is something that can actually free us,” added Gabriel of the track. “I do think it’s good to push yourself towards more bold or interesting experiences because then you will have richer memories to feed you when you get to my age. You also get taught by every meaningful experience that you go through.”
Gabriel recently revealed that songs off i/o will be released as two different versions. Splitting the project into a Dark-Side and a Bright-Side, the songs will vary in sound, based on specific mixes by engineers Tchad Blake and Mark “Spike” Stent.
“Playing for Time” follows previous i/o releases “The Court” and “Panopticom,” and are part of a collection of songs Gabriel plans to release a new song every full moon up until the release of the album in 2023.
Supporting i/o, Gabriel is set to embark on an upcoming tour of 22 shows across the U.K. and Europe, which will kick off on May 18 in Krakow, Poland, and conclude on June 23, in Dublin, Ireland, followed by a North American Tour.
Peter Gabriel 2023 ‘i/o’ European Dates:
May 18 – Krakow, Poland @ Tuaron Arena
May 20 – Verona, Italy @ Verona Arena
May 21 – Milan, Italy @ Mediolanum Arena
May 23 – Paris, France @ Accorhotels Arena
May 24 – Lille, France @ Stade Pierre-Mauroy
May 26 – Berlin, German @ Waldbuehne
May 28 – Munich, Germany @ Koeingsplatz
May 30 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena
May 31 – Stockholm, Sweden @ Avicii Arena
June 2 – Bergen, Norway @ Koengen
June 5 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome
June 6 – Antwerp, Belgium @ Sportpaleis
June 8 – Zurich, Switzerland @ Hallenstadion
June 10 – Cologne, Germany @ Lanxess Arena
June 12 – Hamburg, Germany @ Barclays Arena
June 13 – Frankfurt, Germany @ Festhalle
June 15 – Bordeaux, France @ Arkea Arena
June 17 – Birmingham, UK @ Utilitia Arena
June 19 – London, UK @ 02 Arena
June 22 – Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro
June 23 – Manchester, UK @ AO Arena
June 25 – Dublin, Ireland @ 3Arena
2023 North American Tour:
Sept. 8 – Quebec City, Quebec @ Videotron Centre
Sept. 9 – Ottawa, Ontario @ Canadian Tire Centre
Sept. 11 – Toronto, Ontario @ Scotiabank Arena
Sept. 13 – Montreal, Quebec @ Bell Centre
Sept. 14 – Boston, Massachusetts @ TD Garden
Sept. 16 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @ Wells Fargo Center
Sept. 18 – New York, New York @ Madison Square Garden
Sept. 30 – Chicago, Illinois@ United Center
Oct. 7 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Rogers Arena
Oct. 8 – Seattle, Washington @ Climate Pledge Arena
Oct. 11 – San Francisco, California @ Chase Center
Oct. 13 – Los Angeles, California @ Kia Foruml
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Live Nation
