At first I was slightly skeptical at this latest video release from the legendary Peter Gabriel. After all, the former Genesis frontman performed this concert at the Hammersmith Apollo in March of 2011 without his band and only with the 46 piece New Blood Orchestra and backing vocalists Melanie Gabriel, Ane Brun, and Tom Cawley, in support of the recently released New Blood studio album. That's right, no guitars, bass, drums, or keyboards to be found anywhere here. Instead, Gabriel's rich vocals are supported by a sumptuous orchestra, and the results are quite magical.
The set features 22 songs old and new, and once "Intruder" commences, any doubts regarding hearing these songs without Gabriel's band quickly disappears. This is grand, majestic, emotional execution plain and simple, with Gabriel's vocals never sounding better and the orchestra really giving these songs the magical treatment they so deserve. The setlist contains many gems from his vast solo catalog, including stellar versions of "Biko", "Wallflower", "Digging in the Dirt", "The Rhythm of the Heat", "Red Rain", "In Your Eyes", "The Boy in the Bubble", "Blood of Eden", "The Book of Love", "San Jacinto", "Don't Give Up", and of course "Solsbury Hill", among many other highlights. The overall feeling you get from experiencing this concert is just uplifting, with all the soaring musical passages just sweeping you off your feet. This is how rock and orchestra should be paired up!
The high-definition presentation here for the most part is very good, though there are moments of 'video trails' (done on purpose perhaps?) and over saturation probably due to the reflections from the many lights and video screens that were littered all over the Apollo. Audio wise this is lovely, and you'll want to turn your home theater system up high and be swept away by the grand and magical sounds that Gabriel and the orchestra delivered. Throw in a nice little souvenir booklet filled with photos and info, and you have another great Blu-ray package from the folks over at Eagle Rock.
Track Listing
1) Intruder
2) Wallflower
3) The Boy In The Bubble
4) Après Moi
5) The Drop
6) Washing Of The Water
7) The Book Of Love
8) Darkness
9) The Power Of The Heart
10) Biko
11) San Jacinto
12) Digging In The Dirt
13) Signal To Noise
14) Downside Up
15) Mercy Street
16) The Rhythm Of The Heat
17) Blood Of Eden
18) Red Rain
19) Solsbury Hill
20) In Your Eyes
21) Don t Give Up
22) The Nest That Sailed The Sky
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