Peter Gabriel - Growing Up Live - Region 1 DVD

Gabriel may be less wired than before, but he commands the arena with effortless charm and charismatic presence, his voice retaining all its paradoxically fragile power. Presented in an understated blue light and shot in an unobtrusive, gimmick-free style, the concert begins and ends in virtual darkness with Gabriel alone at a keyboard; from the opening "Here Comes the Flood" to the final "Father, Son," Growing Up is rock theater of rare intimacy, emotion, and intelligence.

The DVD is presented with a flawless 16:9 anamorphically enhanced picture and three soundtracks: rich and clear stereo, excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 and even more precise and detailed DTS. The Story of Growing Up is polished nine-minute documentary in which Gabriel talks about his ideas for the tour and the presentation of some of the songs. Tony Levin's View (five minutes) sets the song "More Than This" to photos taken by the bass player. --Gary S. Dalkin