Search - Peter Gabriel - Still Growing Up - Live and Unwrapped on DVD

SORT OF AN ADD-ON DISC TO GROWING UP LIVE. FOR FANATICS ONLY

Unlucky Frank | Lalaland, CA United States | 12/24/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"God, how I hate to give Gabriel only 4 STARS!! Well, here goes. I couldn't decide whether or not to buy this in the store when I first saw it, but I just received it as an early Christmas present. This 2 Disc set contains scattered performances from the 2004 European Tour, STILL GROWING UP LIVE. The venues for each song are different and each performance has a different feel. Some are small venues while others are bigger arena venues. Some performances are a little lackluster while others are genuinely breathtaking and contain that religious awe which confirms why you're a Gabriel fanatic in the first place. As everyone knows, "Genesis is Great, but Peter Gabriel is God." Gabriel only tours about once every ten years, so any time you can find a LIVE performance on DVD it's usually a must have. Everytime he comes to L.A. I spend at least 250.00 to 500.00 dollars to see him up-close. He's the only artist I'll spend that kind of money on. And if you're a Gabriel fanatic you know what I'm talking about. I actually got to touch him once when I was in the front row at The Forum in L.A. Yay! This was in the 80's when he would do LAY YOUR HANDS ON ME Live. SO (pun intended), is this worth having for the fanatic? The answer is a resounding YES.

The concert footage on Disc One is about 90 minutes long and contains seven new LIVE performances including:

COME TALK TO ME
SAN JACINTO
WHITE ASHES
THE TOWER THAT ATE PEOPLE
BURN YOU UP, BURN YOU DOWN
GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS
and BIKO.

Personally I think SECRET WORLD LIVE contains the superior version of COME TALK TO ME. And, SAN JACINTO for that matter. But, this version of SAN JACINTO contains Peter's backstory to a French audience on how this song was inspired by a Native American that he met while on tour. (Make sure you turn on the subtitles which allows you to understand Peter's French. The subtitles won't distract you from enjoying the music as they only appear when Peter is speaking to the audience.) SAN JACINTO is my favorite LIVE Gabriel tune and the performance here is stunning.

There are four reason's to buy these Discs if you're a fanatic. ONE is the performance here of SAN JACINTO. Always great LIVE.

TWO is the song WHITE ASHES, from the LIVE IMPORT OVO TOUR CD and a marvelous new addition to the dark side of Gabriel's repertoire.

THREE is the song THE TOWER THAT ATE PEOPLE, which is also from the IMPORT OVO CD. In my opinion this one performance alone makes this worth a purchase for the fanatic. It reminds me of a LIVE KING CRIMSON improv that might have appeared on THE PROJECKTS Discs. (Is Tony Levin a co-author here?) Although it's a structured song, it harkens back to Gabriel's dark RAEL persona from his LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY or early solo days. It's extremely rare, progressive, and one of the best tunes Gabriel has written in years. It blew me away!!

And the FOURTH reason is the extra track on Disc One: NO SELF CONTROL from the 1988 THIS WAY UP tour film P.O.V. THIS CUT IS AMAZING!! (Although, it's mixed with the video production of the same song which distracts somewhat from the LIVE performance.) In my opinion this is Gabriel's greatest tour video and it isn't available on DVD. (I still own a VCR just so I can play my VHS tape copy of this unbelievable concert performance.) Now I get to beg Peter. Please, please, Peter!! Release the entire P.O.V. concert on DVD!! I won't feel whole as a person or a fan unless you do!! (I hope he heard me.)

Disc Two is the same concert footage as Disc One, but with interviews and video inserts included. I wish they had just made a straight documentary out of this. It's a little bit of overkill. The music distracts from the commentary and vice versa. Disc Two also includes some studio and TV extras that will appeal to the hardcore fanatic.

The concert footage was shot in Widescreen by Hamish Hamilton with documentary footage shot by Anna Gabriel. There are some nice close-ups of Gabriel with some annoying edits and not enough shots of Tony Levin. Every Gabriel fan knows Tony Levin has played on every Gabriel tour and solo album since the 70's. He's a Gabriel mainstay and the best bassist in the world. He should have been featured more prominently here. Ah, that wonderful Chapman Stick has been shortchanged.

The sound is a mixed bag depending on where the individual concert takes were recorded. Some tracks sound GREAT while others sound GOOD. There is a DTS setting as well as a 5.1 surround setting. As you'd expect, the menus look and sound great. This one may only be for the hardcore fanatic. Everyone else should buy GROWING UP LIVE and SECRET WORLD LIVE.

Now, where, oh where is P.O.V. on DVD!?!"

More growing up live

spaceboy | toledo, oh United States | 11/27/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"b4 i say what i'm gonna say, i'd like to state for the record that i'm a big PG fan...have been since a teen. also, i attended both growing up live performances...what a treat!

of course what matters is content. disc 1 is live stuff. the performances, as expected, are great. disc 2 is what i can't figure out. disc 2 is the live performances on disc 1, but with a blend of documentary footage, interviews and way too much playing with mirrors! [it was kinda cool at first but became hokey fast] PG's daughter is responsible for the second disc so perhaps dad was a little less focused on quality control. if you have 'growing up live' & 'a family portrait,' you don't need this set, unless your a hard-core fan like myself. also, not that this is important, but the packaging was not nearly as visually appealing as the first growing up live and play dvd's. not much to look at.

in summary, i would have much more preferred him directing his energy to finish up I/O [the next album] or an in depth road documentary [a family portrait, part II?] without all the mirror effects. Gabriel is much too dignified for that."

Apparently, there *was* more to be said...

Stacey H. Drucker | The city by the bay | 01/12/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Being a devoted PG fan, I have the Growing Up Live DVD, as well as Family Portrait, the documentary made by Anna Gabriel about that tour. I also saw the Growing Up and Still Growing Up tours four times during their three year journey around the world.

So, when I first heard about this new release, I couldn't imagine what more there was to show that I hadn't already seen. I was wrong.

Disc one is a fairly straightforward (for PG) rendering of the last leg of the tour, using footage from three performances to show what the summer 2004 festival shows looked like. Again, being PG, the soundtrack sounds fantastic and has doutbless been overdubbed, to provide the viewer/listener with the best quality possible.

Disc two is slightly different. We see some of the same footage from disc one, but with additional interview segments - most from PG himself, but there's also some commentary from the members of the band who spent so much time working on this music with him. It's interesting to see the material illuminated in such a way.

The real gem of disc two, however, is in the extras. We are supplied with footage shot of the band at Real World during the rehearsal period back in 2002. This footage includes familiar tour offerings such as Darkness and Growing Up, in slightly rougher formats than were played on the road. Also included is No Way Out - a song that was a standout on PG's last studio album, Up, but was played only a handful of times in concert. Seeing and hearing it rendered here, you'll wonder why it wasn't given more stage time.

Somehow, PG (and his daughter, Anna) have managed to illuminate yet a little more of the world of his music with this DVD. I highly recommend picking it up, even if you have Growing Up Live - this shines light into some slightly different spaces.

Enjoy! :o)"

Excellent, though not without its flaws.

spiral_mind | Pennsylvania | 01/23/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It may seem like overkill since it follows 2003's Growing Up DVD, but the latest live Gabriel release is a more than worthy addition that expands on the first and complements it. It's basically for existing fans, but SGU is a treat for anyone who wants more Peter. The guy's still got one of the greatest song catalogues around (is there anyone who doesn't love "In Your Eyes" or "Secret World"?) and he puts on a stage show like nobody else.

Disc 1 is the reason you want this set. Amid the usual greatness of a PG show it's got quite a few rarities & resurrected songs: "The Feeling Begins" (a doudouk solo without the percussion), "San Jacinto," "Games Without Frontiers," "Biko," "The Tower That Ate People," and the infectious "Burn You Up Burn You Down." The biggest treat is probably "White Ashes," transformed into an electronic and spine-tinglingly creepy version that now has lyrics. The main downside is that it's a montage from several shows & venues rather than one performance. One minute they're in a small town square, the next moment it's a big ampitheater.

Disc 2 basically repeats almost the same performances from disc 1, but intercut with different visuals and sporadic little monologues from Peter (and briefly the band) on all kinds of background things. What does he think about the human capacity for art? What are some of the songs about? How does technology influence music and vice-versa? This part doesn't beg for repeated viewings; it might have worked better as a separate documentary or even just a commentary track over the original video itself. Still, it's fascinating stuff (the visuals are nicely creative) and it makes the set more than 'just' another performance DVD.

Extras: a few more live songs from the tour, two tracks from Jools Holland's BBC program, rehearsals of some Up tunes, and an 80s performance of "No Self Control."

Verdict: Secret World Live is still Peter's greatest concert film, but if you also like Growing Up Live, this set will be worth it for the first disc alone. The second just makes it that little bit better."