Review of Eurythmics: Peace Tour

Introduction

Never has the phrase, “The sum is greater than the parts”, been more appropriate than when applied to the Eurythhmics. Individually, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart are undoubtedly talented artists. Together they are stadium filling, hit-making monsters. Since the Eurythmics split in 1990, Annie Lennox produced 2 lacklustre albums and Dave Stewart …. Well, I doubt if very many people have heard anything Dave Stewart has done in the last decade. Underachievers, the pair of them!

But together, something special happens. They complement each other; compensate for each others failings. It was inevitable that they would get back together and in 1999 they produced a new album, Peace. Unlike some rock reunions, I don’t think it was a cynical ploy to milk the audiences one more time. I think they genuinely NEEDED to work together again. The album was pretty good too; maybe not a hook-ridden as some of their previous efforts but better than anything they have done individually.

This DVD captures a concert at the London Docklands and also documents the events that provoked the creation of the Peace album.

Video

Not sure about the video. Sure, it’s anamorphic 16:9 and initially looks quite impressive but something’s not quite right. When the scene is static everything is fine; the image is nice and crisp if a little over-processed. However, whenever there is any real movement, the image gets very smeary and is very distracting.

The visuals on the additional 60 minute documentary are 4:3, are nice and crisp and aren’t subject to the motion problem of the concert footage.

It’s a shame that the concert footage isn’t as good as it could have been. Never mind, though, the music’s great.

Audio

For the concert footage, we have a choice of DD stereo and DD 5.1. In reality, there’s not much to choose between the two. The DD 5.1 mix does make use of all 5 channels (the LFE is subtle, as it should be) but it’s neither realistic nor particularly impressive. It’s nice to have but doesn’t add much to the experience.

In general the performance is good. You get most of the hits and the best of the new songs and these are performed extremely well. Some songs are rearranged (Love is a Stranger becomes more rocky and less electronic) but nobody will feel that old favourites have been butchered.

Annie is in fine voice on all the songs and this is well reproduced on the DVD.

Standout tracks are “You Have Placed a Chill In my Heart” which is bleak and heartbreaking and “17 Again” which is simultaneously melancholy and euphoric.

Sound on the PeaceTalk documentary is DD Stereo and sounds good on the performance sections.

Features

You get some nice extras on the DVD. The main thing is the 60 minute PeaceTalk documentary. As well as watching Annie and Dave discuss how the Eurythmics came about and the creation of the Peace album, you also get some alternate performances of songs. Interesting as Annie and Dave are, you wish there were more songs like the raw performance of “17 Again”; Annie and Dave sit on a sofa and Annie belts the song out while Dave plays acoustic guitar. Still, it is a worthwhile 60 minutes.
You also get the lyrics of all the featured songs and can jump from the lyrics to the performances. Also, you get a full discography with album covers and song snippets. These are worthwhile, but are linked by some art college graphics that ruin the effect somewhat.

Finally, you have 2 tracks that feature multiple angles; basically rather than cutting between cameras, you get to choose one of 2 fixed camera positions. Nice, but a bit pointless.

Overall, a respectable set of features and these make this disk a much better buy than the VHS version.

Conclusion

The combination of a super concert performance and interesting extras makes this a must-buy for any Eurythmics fans. Casual buyers will find much to enjoy here too, it is just a shame that the concert visuals are disappointing.

Recommended!