Last seen in town when MTV still semi-regularly played music videos, '80s visual pop star and British prog-rock hero Peter Gabriel is finally due in Minnesota again with a newly announced Oct. 3 concert at Xcel Energy Center.
The Tuesday night date in St. Paul was tacked onto a North American tour itinerary Gabriel first announced last month in conjunction with his first new album in 12 years, "i/o." This will be his first time in the Twin Cities since a 2002 show at Target Center.
Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster, and presale options began Tuesday. Tour promoter Live Nation (which owns Ticketmaster) is not advertising the cost of seats. Initial prices for pre-sale tickets in St. Paul were $110-$165 for lower-bowl seats, but at other U.S. tour dates already on sale they generally range from $200 to $350.
Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as both a solo artist and an early member of Genesis, the 73-year-old "Sledgehammer" and "In Your Eyes" hitmaker has been releasing one track from "i/o" with every new moon, including this month's tune "Playing for Time." The record will reportedly include two versions of each song — a "dark-side mix" and a "bright-side mix."
Word is the tour will blend new and old songs and feature his longtime bandmates Tony Levin, David Rhodes and Manu Katché. In addition to the St. Paul date, he also announced a show at Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum a night earlier, Oct. 2.
