Peter Gabriel-Back to Front Live in London (Blu-ray) (2014)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Main Menu Audio & Animation Featurette-Behind The Scenes-The Visual Approach Booklet
Rating
Year Of Production	2014
Running Time	135:58 (Case: 142)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Hamish Hamilton
Studio Distributor	Shock Entertainment	Starring	Peter Gabriel Tony Levin David Sancious Manu Katché Linnea Olsson Jennie Abrahamson Daby Touré
Case	Standard Blu-ray
RPI	?	Music	Peter Gabriel

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 (6912Kb/s) English Linear PCM 96/24 2.0 (4608Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.85:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes, short crew introductions during the credits

Like a "Sledgehammer".

     Peter Gabriel born 1950 first came to musical prominence through the band he founded in 1967, Genesis. After some 8 years of moderate success Gabriel left the band when it became apparent that his creative energy was creating tension with the other members. His passion for controlling the song writing process and meticulous production values made it clear that going solo was the direction he should follow. Gabriel's first solo success was the single Solsbury Hill in 1977 and he followed this up with a second LP in 1978. His fourth solo album contained his first top 40 hit in Shock the Monkey - helped considerably by a quirky music video which featured heavily on MTV. Real mainstream success finally arrived in 1986 with his fifth album named simply So, which contained three UK top 20 hits in Sledgehammer, Big Time, and Don't Give Up. Although only releasing another four solo albums till this time Gabriel has continued in the music industry scoring numerous Grammy awards along with Golden Globe nominations for original motion picture scores.

     To mark the 25th anniversary of his So album's release, Peter Gabriel embarked on a two year concert tour commencing in 2012, and scheduled to conclude in December 2014. This recording was taken in October 2013 over two nights at the O2 arena in London. Featuring original band members from that time, Gabriel has staged a concert in three sections - firstly an acoustic set, then a progression to electric instrumentation, and finally concluding with the entire So album track list. Stage design follows the three musical themes in starting with a sombre fully lit arena, before transforming into a more traditional light show, and then becoming more surreal with Gabriel's trademark quirky visual effects and stagings.

     As a performer Gabriel has lost nothing of his exuberance, but he has aged and his voice is not quite as clean as it was 25 years ago. Nevertheless it does improve as he warms up, and the backing singers cover any slight imperfections. His band is excellent, and has great stage presence as well as being masters of their instruments. Special mention should be made of the staging and visual effects which I found captivating. The use of large boom mounted lighting and video cameras reminded me somewhat of the machines in War of the Worlds, and brought an unusual, unique perspective to this musical performance. All of his hits feature in this set list including Don't Give Up with backing singer Jennie Abrahamson substituting for Kate Bush. The closing songs bring the performance to a climax with some spectacular visual effects, although I thought the encore closer of Biko was a bit more downbeat than I would have preferred. Overall this was an excellent concert experience which left me wanting more than the two hours fifteen provided. Even though I am not a hard-core Peter Gabriel fan, hearing his old hits and some of his lesser-known tunes was always enjoyable and rewarding.

Video

     Video is presented in the theatrical aspect of 1.85:1. This concert was recorded on ultra high definition 4k cameras and truly looks spectacular. There is really nothing to criticise in this presentation apart from the usual problems associated with live music concerts. Black levels, especially in the opening section of the concert, are deep and nicely defined. When the colours become more prominent during the second half of the concert, the reds and blues and golds are all deep and vibrant without any cross banding. Typically of live concert videos there is a bit of lens flare and glare from stage lighting, although at no time are these distracting. Also typical is some banding as the focus pulls out and the cameras are overwhelmed by the stage lighting. Detail is excellent at all times even with the smaller handheld effects cameras which are used to add close-up shots of Gabriel and his band. As far as concert videos are concerned this presentation would rate up there as one of the best you would see.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio options are 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio at around 6500 Kb/s and the default stereo LPCM track at 4608 Kb/s. Switching between the two tracks I couldn't decide which one I preferred with both quite superb and crystal clear at all times. Discrete surround effects are used later in the concert which obviously makes the 5.1 track a better choice, however if you prefer the 2.0 track then you will be very satisfied as well. Voice synchronisation occasionally faltered although I can't tell if that is recording defect or in the mastering itself. Either way most would not notice the slight variation and so it is not a serious problem. Gabriel's voice is clear and to the front in both tracks and is never drowned out by the band or sound effects. The sub-woofer is used extensively and is deep and always present but is never obtrusive. Surround effects are usually provided by the audience, however in some latter tracks such as This Is The Picture and The Tower That Ate People there are discreet audio effects.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

     Animated menu with audio.

Featurette: The Visual Approach (6:13)

     HD video and 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio at around 6500 Kb/s or stereo LPCM track at 4608 Kb/s. Gabriel and director Hamish Hamilton discuss the staging for Back to Front including the use of boom mounted cameras and lights. Also discussed is the methodology behind the three phases of the concert ranging from black and white acoustics to full blown computer generated 3D effects and lighting.

Booklet

     Glossy fifteen page booklet with concert photos and an introduction by Mark Beaumont.

    Region A seems to have either an identical package to ours or a limited edition option which includes a second Blu-ray disc. The additional disc contains a theatrical film of the concert with interviews but misses some of the tracks from the concert video. This disc also contains two extras: a mash up of In Your Eyes performed over the years and a "Fan Cam" compilation. In addition to the second Blu-ray disc are two CDs containing the concert audio. The limited edition package seems attractive if you can get hold of it.

    Back to Front is a fantastic musical production with first-class video and audio around a super set list. Peter Gabriel may be showing his age but the quality of his songs remain undiminished and the presentation values are high. Highly recommended even for the casual fans.

    The video quality is excellent.

    The audio quality is excellent.

    Extras are meagre.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall