Peter Gabriel: Growing Up Live

 

 

Create your own review

We have this on work on a DTS Blu-Ray demo disc.
After seeing Solsbury Hill countless times, I decided to buy the performance here on dvd. Very, VERY satisfied! Some great extras! An excellent buy!
As always, Amazon delivers fast!

Peter Gabriels "Growing Up Live" is one of the best concert films ever made. It joins Jonathan Demme's Talking Heads film " Stop Making Sense", Martin Scorsese's "The Last Waltz" ( The Band), David Mallet's "Remember that Night" ( David Gilmour ) and Michael Wadleigh's "Woodstock" in the upper echelon of the finest Rock concert films.

There are several reasons for this estimation. Firstly the sound on this DVD has no equal. I've never heard anything so well recorded. It's absolutely stunning! You literally feel like you are sitting there with the band. Everything from the highest overtones to the lowest rumblings and all points between is clearly heard and in sumptuous balance.

The same degree of resolution went into the filming as well. The picture quality is crystalline, the colour is about 98% true ( it's very hard to film this kind of lighting and replicate it perfectly ) and the shots and editing are extremely aware of all of the changes and nuances in the music.

And lastly it is a worthy document of one of popular musics greatest artists. Gabriel, now much older than he was when he first blew my mind with his old man masks, bat wings and red, double tetrahedron angel-of-the-apocalypse head piece, is STILL the ultimate showman. Retiring and taciturn in so many ways, and yet this man has so much stage presence and confidence with an audience that from the moment he first appears on stage until he walks off, he is totally in command of the proceedings. And the audience more than justly accords it to him.

One is always struck by that voice. Some people are just born with a voice or a face that stands out as unique and rare in the richness of its character and appeal. PG is one of those. This performance is a testament to how much Gabriel has more than justly earned his place in the hearts of all who've given him a good listen. Without his enormous integrity and skill he'd run a great risk in starting a big show like that with a simple solo number. Yet "Here Comes the Flood", written here in Toronto, a fact he always acknowledges when he comes to town, is absolutely riveting. The filming of it is so intimate that you almost feel you are sitting there alone with him, that his performance of the song is for you. THAT is the testament to his stage skill. In a very large arena he has a way of easily moving right into your heart. From then on, you are his, so to speak.

One could go on and list all the great songs and their unique staging and performances, but I'd say just simply watch this amazing DVD for yourself. It is so muscially and emotionally satisfying that it almost brings a tear. Breathtaking, really. Having said that, I will point out the one song that, for me, is the PEAK of the show. And that is the absolutely soul-stirring "Animal Nation". It joins "Biko" as one of Gabriels most deeply moving and exalting pieces. Listen to what he says before the song and if you're truly able to hear what he has to say, your eyes will flood and pour with the magnificence of the music and the profundity of its message. The song is so powerful that when it finishes the Milanese audience CONTINUES to sing the song with abandon. Gabriel surrenders to the moment and first allows the audience their rapture and then joins them, whipping them up to a final climax of release. And it doesn't stop there. Next he introduces the band using the same sung refrain from "Animal Nation" for each member. It is a powerful testament to the depth of emotional resonance and reach that the song has.

I admire and respect Peter Gabriel enormously and support everything he does but it is here, LIVE, that he shines, and always has done. His studio recordings are dry and overly produced in comparison to what he does in concert. Because the truth is, LIVE is where Peter Gabriel really, REALLY shines. There is a magic, a symbiotic alchemy that is generated in real time when performing in front of an audience. "Growing Up Live" is the deeply moving and richly satisfying evidence of that, in SPADES. ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT.

For fans of Peter Gabiel this is a must buy. For lovers of great concerts you need to see this. The picture quality, camera work and sound are simply outstanding. Try and watch it on someone's projector, its unbelievable.
I was fortunate to see Peter Gabriel at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1980, and although his hair is now grey, he remains the ultimate showman.
Buy this dvd - you will not regret it.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 79 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

3.0 out of 5 stars Bof
Disons qu'à part le moment où Gabriel se promène dans sa bulle géante, la musique de même que les effets visuels sont plutôt conventionnels. Lisez davantage

Published 21 months ago by Philippe Bodson

1.0 out of 5 stars Lacklustre & Boring
Don't waste your time with this DVD. Other than the very rare bit of movement onstage, Gabriel spent the entire time just standing at his keyboard singing. Lisez davantage

Published on Jun 9 2009 by L. Leeming

3.0 out of 5 stars Maybe Growing Down
I'm not sure I like the direction Peter has gone, Riding a bicycle around on stage and somewhat very gimickry performances that are much less than where he was years ago with... Lisez davantage

Published on Jan 31 2009 by TDN

5.0 out of 5 stars un show pleins de surprises !!!!!!!
avec ce DVD Peter reviens après 10 ans d'absence pour notre plus grand plaisir et toujours avec la génial mise en scène de Robert lepage . Lisez davantage

Published on Sep 25 2004 by Laurence

5.0 out of 5 stars Peter is the best !
Incredibule! that DVD every song or very special the first time you gone a listened , you gone a be anxious to present to all your friends Growing up and Downside Up... Lisez davantage

Published on July 8 2004 by Jean Pierre Boutin

5.0 out of 5 stars Un de mes trois meilleur DVD
Bien oui,
du tout début jusqu'a la fin il est sensasionnel j'ai meme été voir le spectacle a MTL il faut le faire chanter une chanson avec sa fille la... Lisez davantage

Published on July 8 2004 by Jean Pierre Boutin

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!
I was so disapointed that I missed the "Growing UP" tour. I have seen most of Peter Gabriel's concerts in the last 25 years so I had to buy the DVD. Lisez davantage

Published on July 4 2004 by Eric

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Unreal
This DVD mas as well have replaced every other live music recording in my collection. I was dragged (nearly kicking and screaming) to see Peter Gabriel on his Growing Up Tour's... Lisez davantage

Published on Jun 25 2004 by Michael J Dory

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
I just watched this and all I can say is WOW! This is the best concert video I have ever seen. Peter Gabriel is the greatest bard of our time.

Published on May 26 2004 by Bryan D. Uslick

4.0 out of 5 stars A little disappointing
I realise that it is 9 years since Peter did Secret World Live and that at about 54 he is not the spring chicken he once was. Lisez davantage

Published on May 25 2004 by kentboisen

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 79 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!