I am officially old. One of my musical heroes, Peter Gabriel, turned 70  today. I’ve been a fan since he had hair and I had more hair. Happy Birthday and many returns of the day from one Peter to another.

I’ve seen PG many times, especially when I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area. I was lucky enough to see him twice with Genesis including the epic The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway tour. I was in high school and went with my closest cronies. You know who you are. All of us except the driver dropped acid. I had a test the next day, which I aced. A minor miracle but my teacher knew I was high. He pulled me aside after class. Fortunately, he was a cool teacher. I told him I saw Genesis and he turned out to be a fan so he let me slide. I was not a low maintenance teenager. Anyone surprised?

I recall seeing PG”s first solo tour at my home away from home, Winterland. King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp was in the band. But he was introduced as “Dusty Rhodes” and played the entire show in the shadows

I had a close encounter with PG during the Peter Gabriel 3/Melt tour. It was at the Warfield Theatre on Market Street. I’d just finished using the facilities when I walked into the lobby and ran into Peter Gabriel and one of his roadies. He was about to enter the theatre via the center aisle; initially in darkness until the opening notes of  Intruder started.

I had heard that there was some talking during a quiet moment in his Arthur Bremer song, Family Snapshot, the previous night. I took it upon myself to apologize for other’s loud mouthery. He shrugged and said, “It’s rock and roll, man.”

In honor of Peter Gabriel’s 70th birthday, here’s a shit ton of live music: