STILL GROWING UP - LIVE AND UNWRAPPED

Peter Gabriel amazed me the night I saw the live "UP" show and blew me away with one of his best albums. He seems to be one of the most fruitful periods of his career with a live show that is stunning. He seems able to write great material again after the rather disappointing "Us." This DVD is a real treat. The show itself is fantastic with the usual little tricks and gadgets that Peter likes to play with. The lighting was great and the camera work steady and clear with no effects in the way. The sound was monster on this disc from the low end of Levin's bass to the brightest cymbal crashes, you hear EVERY thing. The vocals are particularly mixed with great clarity and warmth.

This set list had some really nice moments. After a crowd-pleasing openers in "Red Rain" and "Secret World" came a track called "White Ashes" from the OVO album. This is a song I had not heard before and it was noteworthy. Initially it burbles away with electronica like a Bjork track before a whispered male/female chorus that was great. Then it crescendos into an incredibly passionate and dramatic vocal ending that was a real high point in Peter's singing. "Burn You Up" and "The Tower that Ate People" were two more I hadn't heard that made the disc really worth seeing. "Games Without Frontiers" is not typically a song I enjoy but the energetic reworking with the stage bit they do is great. "Digging in the Dirt" got a very heavy updating with loud, crunchy guitars and a more ballsy approach. "Solsbury Hill" was optimistic and fresh as usual with Levin and Rhodes skipping around with Peter. And while Melanie is certainly no Kate Bush or Paula Cole as Peter's backing, she did a stand-up job on "Come Talk To Me." Peter's voice and enduring stage presence have not diminished over time, if anything they have strengthened with his stronger recent material and his understanding of presentation. For that reason this DVD is another recommended view for any Gabriel fan. The only caveat is that it doesn't contain songs from the great "UP" album so make sure to check out that DVD first. This one should be considered a follow-up purchase to the first Growing Up DVD.

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