Few contemporaries dwell in the deepest textures between shadows and light as does Peter Gabriel. He’s an expert at exposing inner nuances to broad audiences, the tricks of the heart and the mind and their play in human events.

With War of the Worlds-like lighting rigs swirling, probing, attacking the band that brought us So 26 years ago (Tony Levin, David Rhodes, Manu Katche, David Sancious, with vocalists Jeanie Abrahamson and Linnea Olsson) Gabriel bravely rethinks and re-asserts So (“Mercy Street”, “Red Rain”, “Don’t Give Up”) as well as many career defining works, including the fascinatingly visceral “Digging In The Dirt”, “Secret World”, “The Family and the Fishing Net”, and “No Self Control”. But, as is in the human realm, all is not dark. And I can tell you from seeing the show at Jones Beach in 2012, there were great celebratory moments, all vividly captured here. “Solsbury Hill,” “Sledgehammer,” “In Your Eyes,” and “Biko” magnificently capture the tired, questioning spirit at the center of Gabriel’s music.     

I’ve listed a slew of song titles to give you a clear idea of what you’re missing if you pass Back To Front – Live in London up. Filmed in Ultra High-Def 4k, bonus material includes a creator’s look on the show’s evolution. A super-deluxe 2 DVD Blu-Ray/2 CD set is also available.

– Mike Jurkovic