Peter Gabriel: Taking the Pulse Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.5

Peter Gabriel: Taking the Pulse Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 1, 2025

It may be unavoidably ironic to label someone whose artistic achievements are based in sound as a "visionary", but in the case of Peter Gabriel it's particularly apt, since his live performances are often as multilayered and phantasmagorical as his recordings. That has served Gabriel's fan base rather well in the high definition era, with any number of live performance Blu-rays having been released, including Peter Gabriel: Secret World Live, Peter Gabriel: Live in Athens, Peter Gabriel: Back to Front - Live in London (also available in 4K), Peter Gabriel: Growing Up Live and Peter Gabriel: New Blood - Live in London (rather interestingly also available in 3D). This particular concert was filmed at Arena di Verona on September 26, 2010, and is something of a family affair, with co- direction by Anna Gabriel and supporting vocals by Melanie Gabriel (along with Ane Brun who is so evocatively featured on Andrew Bayer's fantastic cut Lose Sight, which is actually quite a Gabriel-esque tune, now that I think about it).

As with a lot of Gabriel live performances, the music is only one part of a virtual multimedia extravaganza, both in terms of the actual stage performance but probably even more so with regard to the blandishments of the video presentation. That said, the concert's track list is as follows:

1. Rhythm of the Heat
2. San Jacinto
3. Digging in the Dirt
4. The Drop
5. Signal to Noise
6. Downside Up
7. Darkness
8. Mercy Street
9. Blood of Eden
10. Washing of the Water
11. Intruder
12. Red Rain
13. Solsbury Hill
14. In Your Eyes
15. Don't Give Up
16. The Nest that Sailed the Sky

Peter Gabriel: Taking the Pulse Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Peter Gabriel: Taking the Pulse is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Mercury Studios with an AVC encoded transfer in 1.78:1 (some split screen material is windowboxed, as seen in screenshot 7 accompanying this review). My equipment is showing an interlaced presentation, while the back cover claims this is progressive. This is another really stunning production from Gabriel, and it receives a mostly great looking transfer here, with the one possible hiccup being that interlaced presentation. Combing artifacts are pretty noticeable in some fast motion, as in the opening (and recurrent) use of an old style metronome, where the pendulum shows such anomalies, or later when conductor Ben Foster raises the baton early on. Kind of interestingly later moments like some close ups of the string players sawing away with their bows don't have the same issue, at least not quite as obviously. That one stumbling block aside, detail levels are typically great despite any number of near psychedelic bells and whistles that are more than intermittently added to the imagery, and that same quasi- hallucinogenic quality keeps the palette vibrant throughout as well (though there are some black and white moments, as can be seen in some of the screenshots). While there's a slightly digital and processed look to the presentation, the fact that this was filmed in an outdoor venue and looks as generally good as it does is pretty remarkable.

Peter Gabriel: Taking the Pulse Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Peter Gabriel: Taking the Pulse features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0 options. The surround track is noticeably more spacious, though it may not provide the same focused ambience as the stereo track, as it unavoidably provides more breathing room for the outdoor venue and crowd noise in particular. That said, the surround track offers consistent engagement of the side channels at least for a lot of the music (the rear channels also get some spill but tend to probably offer the most noticeable engagement during crowd reactions). Vocals are beautifully mixed and both the orchestral and band support is gorgeously burnished.

Peter Gabriel: Taking the Pulse Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements. An insert booklet (more of a leaflet really) offers complete personnel and other credits, along with stills.

Peter Gabriel: Taking the Pulse Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If the playlist here may seem at least partially reminiscent of some other concerts already available on Blu-ray, the visual side of things here should certainly sustain interest. Technical merits are generally solid (audio probably more than video), and Peter Gabriel: Taking the Pulse comes Highly recommended.