Rating: 
Summary: Don't Expect Secret World...
Review: I saw this tour TWICE last year, in both Toronto and Vancouver and loved it. Being a professional musician myself, i am usually very critical of concerts and music in general, so i am very happy when i find something that impresses me as much as this concert did. This being said, i am a little disappointed with the quality of music on the dvd. I bought the secret world dvd when it came out, and the music on it is amazing and flawless. This in combination with how much i loved the growing up tour, i was really anxious for growing up live to be released. However now that it has been, i wish the musicality was as good as on secret world live. First and foremost, Ged Lynch (drums) doesn't even come within worlds of being able to top Manu Katche form the secret world tour. His grooves don't lock in with Tony Levin (bass), his drums sound terrible, and his fills are tasteless. The absence of Paula Cole from the secret world tour is also greatly missed. Even though the background vocal parts are not always very present, Melanie Gabriel (vocals, and Peter's daughter as well) certainly is no substitute for Paula Cole. Now with that criticism out of the way, the other additions to the band are great. Tony Levin (bass) and David Rhodes (guitar) are long time members of Peter's band, and there's no doubt as to why he has kept them around for so long. The addition of Rachel Z on keyboards is also very impressive, and does a great job juggling between her piano skills and synth skills (which are very demanding in Peter's more recent music). All in all, i think maybe my anticipation for this DVD was too great, which is what has caused my frustration. If you're expecting music that can match up to Secret World LIVE, then you're in for a disappointment. But Peter does still put on a great show, and the DVD is still worth viewing to see how he can still entertain arenas the way he does.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant sound, visuals didn't do much for me
Review: I'm a big PG fan and have been since the second album, and I was eager to see this disc. I'm not a big fan of concert videos usually, and I probably wouldn't watch this more than once. However, the sound is excellent - the best thing I've heard on my DTS system and I've played the disc with the TV off and the audio only - it's fantastic!
Rating:
Summary: as good as the live show...
Review: I really enjoyed the live show, and this dvd is also excellent, for xmas I bought a copy of the dvd, for each of the friends that I went to the show with, and they also love the dvd.
Rating: 
Summary: An Innovative Live Show
Review: I had purchased the Secret World Live DVD as well, and was thrilled to see all my favourite musicians together on-stage. With Growing Up Live I had high expectations. Well, visually the show is pretty amazing. On nearly all the songs something exciting happens - be it some contraption lowering down from the ceiling, the light show, or the various props put into motion. It certainly looks like it would have been worth the ticket price. Sonically it all sounds great, you don't need surround speakers to appreciate the aural pleasures. It has to be said that the attending crowd was very enthusiastic too, which I think adds to the feeling of "being there" for the viewer of the DVD.
I was somewhat irritated by the frequent panning of the camera to the world of the orange clad stage crew, even though I think I understand the purpose of it. Still, shots of crew who at times look totally bored out of their skulls may reveal a lot about the stress of putting on such a spectacle, but I for one would have preferred seeing more of the show itself.
I also really wish they had shown a song or two from the other acts Sevara or Blind Boys of Alabama; after all, they are on Peter Gabriel's Real World Records label too.
As for the songs themselves, I know that Shock the Monkey made it to the repertoire for the US Tour, so I was sad to not experience it live (especially seeing Tony Levin get funky with bass would have been very cool).
Overall, no fan of Peter Gabriel should be without this. If you are unfamiliar with Gabriel or the live spectacle of his music, then I still think this is a really good indicator of what a really innovative artist can do with his live shows.
Rating:
Summary: Don't dump on PG
Review: or you'll get a nasty note posted by PG SUPER FANS.
Rating:
Summary: Sets a standard for music DVD
Review: Let me state that the shows I saw in San Francisco and Dallas were not as exciting and creative as the Milan performance. I read several reviews before purchasing, and what I most heard about was the people in Orange Suits were too visible. But, having watched it, there were only one or two moments when the camera on them was inappropriate.
What I saw was a middle aged man being a great musician and song writer. The quality of the DVD is superb, and there aren't too many, awkward camera angles. The sound is terrific, and I often play the DVD for the music alone. The DVD highlights the bands energy and enormous talents, and Animal Nation, a song I have never heard before (although it sounds simplistic by PG's standards) starts kind of slow and silly, but ends powerfully, with an international, tribal sound.
However, there were two flaws I caught after the second viewing of it: in "Animal Nation", for one brief moment, the sound and the visual are off. The second one is the song, "In Your Eyes", where a guest of PG is on one side, then magically appears on the other, and then back on one side, then magically reappearing on the other.
But, all in all, I have not seen a musical DVD with as high of quality as this, and I definitely believe it sets the standard for future musical DVD releases.
Rating:
Summary: Superb all around
Review: I had the opportunity to get through this entire disk over the holidays, and I was very impressed ... superb audio, superb video, & superb performances. And in reply to the naysayers (who are apparently highly paid professional camera-persons, editors, & vocalists), (1) the video images are of outstanding quality, (2) if you didn't like the camera shots, movements, & transitions ... I did, (3) if you don't like seeing orange-men ... Peter & company simply want to credit the entire crew, (4) Melanie's not Kate, Laurie, Sinead, or Paula ... she's Melanie & she performed great!, and (5) if you don't like to see Peter growing up ... it does happen. Get over whatever needs to be gotten over & give this superb dvd a fair shot. Any objective look could never lead to one or two stars. Highly recommended !!!! As is Secret World Live. Both are outstanding with slightly different but great audio/video quality, supporting casts, tracks, & performances.
Rating:
Summary: Astonishing!
Review: I've been a PG fan since I bought my first Genesis album in 1973 at the ripe age of 11. He seems to improve with every album and every tour, but this DVD marks a new high. I wasn't sure what to make of the CD when I bought it the day it was released. I listened and listened (as I do every CD he puts out - or album in the older days). Then I saw him live in Chicago and he knocked my socks off. I had a newfound appreciation of the songs. Then I got this DVD for Christmas. Technologically it is cutting edge, as is everything PG does. I particularly love the vertical split screens. I also love the camera work showing the crew underneath the stage preparing bits of the current or next song staging and then panning upwards back to the musicians. Musically it is also breathtaking. It captures the live show extremely well. The performances were all stellar and to that knucklehead who wrote a review from NY (meowmix or something?), that background singer is PG's daughter Melanie Gabriel. And she was excellent. As both a visual and musical experience, it was astonishing. Something I will watch over and over again to (a) recall the concert I saw; (b) see bits I might have missed since it was in the round; and (c) experience the talents of PG and his band each time anew. I've always tried to explain verbally to friends what a Gabriel concert is like (comparing it sometimes to a Cirque de Soleil show), but oral tradition only does partial justice. Thank goodness this DVD does it complete justice. (How do you explain a musician/singer revolving around the stage in a uterus shaped plastic mouse ball?)
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, as always...
Review: First of all, there was a review that mentioned the following: "His background singer is NO Paula Cole and whatever New Jersey diner he found her at, she needs to be returned." ::sigh:: Michelle Gabriel, aka his background singer, is Peter's daughter, and I thought that she was just fine. Ok, had to get that out. On with the review.... I first saw PG at the Royal Oak Music Theatre during the PG2 album tour. The show was totally amazing. The band opened by walking down the aisles of the theatre carying portable spotlights. I next saw PG during the PG4 album tour when he was in full face makup and let the audience pass him around on his back during 'Lay Your Hands on Me'. Everything Peter Gaberiel did on stage was and is a finly coreographed piece of artwork. The Secret World Live tour was amazing with the 'male' and female' stages and the interplay down the moving walkway that connected them. The Growing Up tour played on more of a relation with sky, earth, and ground. I think that this tour is just as creative as any of his previous works. The only problem that I have is that there are few older songs, but that's ok too, due to the quality of material on the UP album. I really enjoyed the opening of 'Here Comes the Flood'. That is one of my favorites and this version does it justice. Peter Gabriel is one of those special artists that continues to grow and expand the boundaries of his/her art. Many can sit on their laurels and trot out a tour of tried and true old material, but Peter Gabriel is an artist of rare form. If you've never seen Peter Gabriel before, perhaps Secret World Live is a beter introduction, but Growing Up Live is truly excellent and a must have for all PG fans.
Rating:
Summary: Whew...what a show!
Review: "WHEW! Breathless...panting..and still in a bit of a trance about it all". So began a newspaper review from 4/4/77 of Gabiel's first solo tour. That was an incredible show for me, all new songs (only reference to Genesis was the encore, Back In New York City), great Band (Robert Fripp playing unknown backstage only to be introduced, and still never seen, at the end). It was the beginning of Grabriel's growing up. This DVD shows how far he has come. It is hard to get a handle on just how good he is at doing this kind of thing. He writes a few simple yet profound songs, gathers some of the best musicians and technicians together and aims for the stars, or should I say the clear Blue Sky, the Big Time, something.... More Than This. This was a great venue, a great crowd, a great band and choreographed show (a little like a playful Cirque du Sole show). Nice song selection...but what matters most is that the audio and video quality are excellent. This is a must have for the old fan, and bound to keep attracting the new (the Milan crowd here looks mostly 20 to 30 something, and my 8 yr old was mesmerized and kept saying she wants the CD, then later my 15 old admitted to loving The Blind Boys of Alabama jamming on Blue Sky, as well as the super slick Barry Williams Show). Peter is one of those rare older rock artists who has continued to grow and expand his horizon and bring it all back to share. I'm still a bit breathless.
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