This is an interesting double DVD set because it contains a concert that never happened. How so? Well Peter Gabriel last year performed a number of concerts that left behind all the theatrics of his previous tour and he’s assembled the footage here. So we have performances from a number of different venues edited together to create psuedo-concert. The first disc contains this performance and features songs such as “Digging in the Dirt”, “Red Rain” and the obligatory “Sledgehammer”. It’s interesting to see PG perform without bouncing around the stage in his Zorb or his other theatrical devices and it does make for some fascinating viewing. However, if you’ve bought either of Gabriel’s other live DVDs there are a number of tracks that are constantly repeated. But of course, packages like this are aimed at the superfan, so no complaints.
The picture quality is excellent and the 5.1 DTS sound absolutely superb, putting you right in the middle of the audience. Despite the material being gathered from different concerts, you don’t really notice the join. Bonuses on this disc includes another chance to see “In Your Eyes” being performed and “No Self Control” from the POV video (which was released in the 1990s and has been long out of print) with an excellent 5.1 Dolby soundtrack. This bodes well for the future and maybe POV will soon be getting a proper DVD release?
The second disc is an odd affair as it features the same setlist from the first disc (though I think the performances are different) and is intercut with Peter Gabriel and his touring musicians ruminating over the clips about subjects such as touring, their dreams and other stuff. I found this disc absolutely infuriating as it didn’t seem to know if it was a documentary or a concert film, with both types of footage vying for the viewer’s attention. I’d have liked to have seen a straight documentary in the style of Anna Gabriel’s “Growing Up on Tour” DVD (which is great, but a little short BTW). The best thing about this disc is the extras as you get three tracks taken from a studio performance of UP tracks performed for journalists at the Real World Studio back in 2002 and two tracks from the Jools Holland TV show.
Overall, it is a great package if you don’t own any PG DVDs, but some might find the repitition of tracks a little too much and the lack of the theatrical set-pieces a little dull. I enjoyed it though. Mind you, I am a big PG fan.
(You can get this disc from CD WOW for £12.99 – some shops have been charging £19.99 for it – so you have been warned)

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