Peter Gabriel: Back to Front - Live in London 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Peter Gabriel: Back to Front - Live in London 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 23, 2024

Back when Mercury Studios was still Eagle Rock Entertainment, they released Peter Gabriel: Back to Front - Live in London in a 2 BD / 2 CD edition that is now rather incredibly going for hundreds of dollars according to our Amazon link. (Budget minded folks can find this at least somewhat more wallet friendly single disc version.) While Eagle Rock Entertainment actually is still credited as this concert opens, this release does not offer the full assortment of content from that now outlandishly expensive multi disc edition, and instead offers the one disc version, now upgraded visually to 4K, but without HDR, and with the same audio codecs as on the original 1080 disc.

For those wanting a recap of what's in store on this disc, as well as my reaction and technical assessment, you can head over to my old Peter Gabriel: Back to Front - Live in London Blu-ray review of the multi disc edition. This disc's playlist is as follows:

• 1) Daddy Long Legs
• 2) Come Talk To Me
• 3) Shock The Monkey
• 4) Family Snapshot
• 5) Digging In The Dirt
• 6) Secret World
• 7) The Family And The Fishing Net
• 8) No Self Control
• 9) Solsbury Hill
• 10) Show Yourself
• 11) Red Rain
• 12) Sledgehammer
• 13) Don’t Give Up
• 14) That Voice Again
• 15) Mercy Street
• 16) Big Time
• 17) We Do What We’re Told (Milgram’s 37)
• 18) This Is The Picture (Excellent Birds)
• 19) In Your Eyes
• 20) The Tower That Ate People
• 21) Biko

Peter Gabriel: Back to Front - Live in London 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 release from Eagle Rock Entertainment. This release does not include a 1080 disc, which is why the 2K video score above has been intentionally left blank.

Peter Gabriel: Back to Front is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Mercury Studios with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. This is a kind of curious 4K UHD release from Mercury Studios, in that the old 1080 release trumpeted "ultra high definition 4K" technology used to capture the concert (even if that disc was 1080), whereas this release doesn't mention that and even more strangely doesn't include HDR / Dolby Vision. The result is a presentation that offers at least marginally improved detail levels, at least in passing, but which may not offer that much of an overall different appearance, especially vis a vis palette and shadow detail, making this a "glass half full, glass half empty" sort of proposition for some. The uptick in fine detail is often at least relatively noticeable, and includes everything from the texture of the black shirt Gabriel wears to even some of the accoutrements that ultimately accompany the stage presentation. The increased resolution of this format can lead to some slight aberrations on some of the upstage projections that may not be quite as noticeable on the old 1080 release. Other moments that have been deliberately tweaked to look "distressed" actually may offer minimally observable better detail levels overall in this version. Large portions of this concert kind of play on black and white, as is actually discussed by Peter Gabriel in some voiceover on the Visual Approach supplement included as this release's sole bonus feature, and contrast is secure, but I have to wonder what HDR might have added to the mix. There are other moments that are absolutely bathed in either red or blue tones, and these are other moments that look spectacularly well suffused, but frankly not all that different from the old 1080 release.

Peter Gabriel: Back to Front - Live in London 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This release repeats the excellent LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 options from Eagle Rock Entertainment's old 1080 release. The 5.1 mix is obviously the better choice, and though it offers a much more present and aggressive low end, the mix is really well done so that neither the low nor midranges sound muddy, and vocals are always forward and clearly heard. The 5.1 mix is beautifully spacious, offering a nicely directional recreation of the instruments on the stage. There is "dialogue", or at least occasional voiceover or spoken material, here, and that is all rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional subtitles in several languages are available.

Peter Gabriel: Back to Front - Live in London 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Visual Approach (1080p; 6:13) features Gabriel and director Hamish Hamilton discussing the staging for the concert.

The DigiPack also includes a nicely appointed insert booklet with a fun archival essay by Mark Beaumont, credits and photographs.

Peter Gabriel: Back to Front - Live in London 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I remember the early days of 1080 Blu-ray when some of the first labels to release concert videos oddly only offered lossy audio, and I kind of feel we may be in somewhat the same situation with labels starting to dip their toes into 4K UHD concert material, without thinking about "niceties" like HDR or even audio upgrades like Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. Detail levels are arguably at least somewhat improved overall in this "true" 4K rendering, but the palette is largely identical to Eagle Rock Entertainment's old 1080 release. Audio is also the same as on the old release, and while some may have wished for one of those aforementioned "new, improved" codecs, what's here sounds fantastic. With caveats noted, Recommended.