Eagle Vision have become wonderfully adept at creating the sort of deluxe packages that fans take great delight in. Reasonably priced (this particular set comes in at about £30.00 at time of writing) and shorn of filler material, this deluxe version of Peter Gabriel’s amazing Back To Front tour follows in the footsteps of similar packages from Dream Theater and the Rolling Stones and features four discs (two blu ray, two audio CDs) packaged inside a gorgeous, hard-bound book filled with pictures and liner notes from the participants. It is the perfect package for an artist as visually orientated as Peter Gabriel and it is the perfect way to celebrate an astonishing 25 years (makes you feel old, doesn’t it?) since the release of the ground-breaking, commercial behemoth that is ‘So’.
Peter Gabriel is an artist who is progressive in the truest sense of the word because his style has never stopped evolving. From the scratchy, arty experimentation of the first four, self-titled albums, via the commercial peak of ‘so’, Peter Gabriel has somehow navigated the pitfalls of success without ever selling his music, or his fans, short and as he takes to the stage, alone and with the house lights up on the blu ray you can’t help but admire the man for embracing vulnerability and turning it into a strength. What follows is a short, acoustic set that covers a brand new (and unfinished) track, ‘daddy long legs’, as well as some well-known and much loved favourites like ‘shock the monkey’ and ‘come talk to me’, the latter reborn in a folky style that recalls Roger Waters’ Berlin reinvention of ‘the Wall’. Like the ‘new blood’ project, Peter once again highlights the versatility of his music, ‘come talk to me’, in particular, sounding radically different from the lush version from ‘secret world’, and yet losing nothing of its potency in the translation. Moreover, the brilliantly directed filming (courtesy of Hamish Hamilton) captures the warmth and humanity of the performers who cast endless, joy-filled looks at one another as they play this much-loved music together again for the first time in years.
The space awarded to the acoustic set makes much more sense in the full-concert version on disc one of the set than in its truncated form on disc 2 (which features the shorter, interview-filled theatrical release of the film), with the songs proving wonderfully complementary, from the sparse ‘daddy longlegs’ via the folky ’come talk to me’ and the bluesy ‘shock the monkey’ to the elegant, beautiful ‘family snapshot’ which unleashes the stage lights and closes out the show’s ‘starter’.
Darkness abounds in the shows ‘main course’ as Peter and his motley crew charge into the monochrome paranoia of ‘digging in the dirt’ with its tough, electronic beat, organ stabs and driving guitar sounding more intense than ever as David Rhodes fully embraces the opportunity to cut loose as the sinister light pods hover overhead. It’s an interesting middle section that focuses quite heavily on Peter’s darker side with songs like the uptight ‘no self-control’ and the deeply eerie ‘the family and the fishing net’ raising goosebumps thanks to the band’s uniformly brilliant performance, whilst ‘Solsbury hill’ raises a huge cheer from the capacity crowd who, although officially seated, seem unable to stay in their seats as Peter and co. unveil another brilliant moment. The central part of the set ends with ‘show yourself’, a song that veers between David Lynch-like intensity and rich, string-augmented beauty in anticipation of the complete performance of ‘so’, an album of similarly schizophrenic tendencies.
As you might expect, ‘so’ is a mesmerising performance of an album now so thoroughly absorbed into the fabric of society that every song feels like an old friend. With an awe inspiring lighting show that combines the best of modern technology and the lessons learned from the ‘New Blood’ show with the classic ‘so’ staging from 1986, it’s a visually engaging feast and, whilst the self-appointed taste-makers from the Guardian (yep – I’m looking at you Mike McCahill, you talentless oaf) considered the surroundings ‘drab’ and Peter’s ‘dad-dancing’ off-putting, the reality is that the stage is adorned by beautifully orchestrated screens, the crowd are so overjoyed by the performance that they sing along at every opportunity, and the on-stage dancing is conducted with such self-knowing irony coupled with such obvious joy in the creation of the music that only the most self-important, pretentious individual could take anything other than pleasure in watching it all come together. Indeed, if the crowd shots are anything to go by, Peter Gabriel continues to cement his cross-generational appeal with young and old alike throwing themselves into the wonderful absurdity of an album as incongruous as ‘so’ having had such a massive (and thoroughly deserved) impact. Picking out highlights is difficult as everyone has their own favoured moments, but for me the glorious ‘red rain’ sounds as beautiful as ever whilst the ever-creepy ‘we do what we’re told’ benefits immensely from the faceless creatures who appear as if from nowhere, and the roving banks of lights patrolling the front of the stage, whilst the music sounds even more like it has been beamed in from Pink Floyd’s dark masterpiece ‘the wall’, reminding you once again that even at his most accessible, Peter Gabriel is never going to make it that easy to follow. The show ends with a pair of mind-altering tracks, the first being the heavy, industrial rock of ‘the tower that ate people’ with its huge, ascending phallic symbol (it needs to be seen to be believed) whilst the second is the ever-green political protest ‘Biko’ which remains one of the most poignantly beautiful commercial rock songs of all time and which, as ever, culminates in a mass sing-along that is more powerful, more affecting and more unifying by far than the lengthy and heart-felt applause which eventually follows it.
Peter Gabriel is one of rock’s most honest and passionate spokesmen. His phenominal success over the years has run hand in hand with his genuine desire to create art, his unceasing quest to bring world-music to popular consciousness, his well-noted humanitarian activities and his indomitable spirit. A hugely respected musician, what shines through in this brilliantly realised, shot and edited performance, is the very human side of the man and his band and, even as the scale and scope grows over the course of the performance, it is the little touches that really draw the attention – the interplay between the musicians, the ever-present smiles on the faces of David Rhodes and the wonderful Tony Levin, the heartbeat percussion of Manu Katche and the various guises of David Sancious as he flits from one instrument to the next. Captured in crystal clear high definition, one moment sums the experience up: as the show ends, the audience, fists aloft, sing along to Biko, and the light pods, forever in motion throughout the show, close in on Manu – the last standing band member, and you realise just how beautiful the moment is and how stunning the entire concert has been. It’s long, over two hours in length, but such is the variety that it flashes by in an instant. A brilliantly memorable and powerful show, what better way to celebrate an anniversary than this excellently put together package? Peter Gabriel remains one of rock’s most enigmatic and charismatic artists, and this beautifully thought out concert reminds us just how talented an artist he truly is.
Extras:
In terms of extras, in addition to the concert itself you also get a pair of clips in the form of ‘In your eyes – DNA mashup’ and ‘this is the picture – FanCam’; an interview and a documentary entitled ‘Back to front – the visual approach’, making this as complete a record of a ground breaking tour as you could wish to have. In fact, it doesn’t end there, because with the deluxe edition you also get a code which enables you to download an exclusive, studio quality, 24-bit version of the music – great news for digital fans out there. It is a generous assortment that will leave even the most obsessive of fans happy, and the book itself is well worth the extra cost with its high quality paper and stunning photography.
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