'Peter Gabriel: New Blood - Live in London'
(Peter Gabriel / Blu ray / NR / 2011 / Eagle Eye Media)
Overview: Filmed at Hammersmith Apollo in March of this year, New Blood Live In London captures Peter Gabriel performing live with the 46 piece New Blood Orchestra. The repertoire mixes cover versions from his Scratch My Back album with classic tracks from across his solo career in brand new orchestral arrangements.
Blu ray Verdict: I was lucky enough to see Peter's show this past summer with the New Blood Orchestra, and I can tell you first hand - it was AMAZING! I was floored! This wasn't your average sappy sweet slow string accompaniment - this orchestra WAS the show.
This is orchestration on steroids! Think Beethoven mixed with Copeland mixed with Shostakovich, and then turn the volume up to 12. They are totally engaged with every aspect of the music, and the arrangements are absolutely first rate.
Filmed in high definition 3D at Hammersmith Apollo in March of this year, 'New Blood – Live In London' also comes in 3 Dimensions and captures Peter Gabriel performing live with the aforementioned 46-piece New Blood Orchestra.
If you have a good sound system, and let yourself just be drawn in, you won't miss the drums and theater of previous tours. The visual effects are first rate enough to allow ou to bow down to them from the very first few minutes!
In truth, Peter's performance is relegated to more of a vocal accompaniment, as opposed to the center of attention. But he seems to relish his new found role while standing aside and letting this bombastic and talented orchestra give new life to his old standards.
If I had to single out songs that were my personal favs, I would say 'Biko,' 'Rhythm of the Heat,' and 'Signal To Noise' will blow you away - as they truly did me!
So, if you are one of those people who've always thought an orchestra could never whip up the power and fury of a live rock band, you need to see this. Prepare to pick your jaw up from the floor. Oh, and as if that weren't enough, the visuals are stunning also (as previously mentioned!) The Bonus Feature section (Blu-ray & DVD only) offers the feature “Blood Donors” – the story behind the project which includes an interview with Peter Gabriel. This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.66:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs, and has been remastered into a crisp Blu ray production.
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