petergabriel.com

It's a great feeling to finally have the first Back To Front show under our belts. The amazingly vocal audience in Quebec City got us off to a great start - even though they got to see the show's teething problems when a system crash meant the set order had to rearrange on the fly, we can't thank them enough for the reception we were given. The first show wouldn't be the first without a F***-up or two.

The first load-out of the tour saw the crew working well into the night, feeding the trucks that waited outside - now, already in Montreal, Back To Front is really a tour and we're looking forward to putting on the show on Tuesday - is a Montreal audience as loud as one in Quebec City - we hope so.

Real World Productions and the Encore Series team at TheMusic.com have joined forces once again to create the Peter Gabriel 'Back To Front' Encore Series 2012. Each show of the Peter Gabriel Back to Front Tour will be recorded live from the soundboard, mixed by Peter's 'Front of House' Engineer, Ben Findlay.

In keeping with Peter Gabriel's work as a pioneer of digital distribution of music, each show can be purchased as a high-quality manufactured 2-CD set (not CD-Rs) or you can get digital delivery of the show via custom USB stick in the shape of a microphone.

Shows can be purchased separately, or for the ultimate fan, can be purchased as a complete set (all 16 shows) in either our Collectors Edition Box Set or Deluxe Limited Edition numbered Road Case.

After a week of band rehearsals we are now ensconced in the Colisee Pepsi where day five of production rehearsals are in full swing.

We find ourselves cocooned in a dark, fetid, foggy atmosphere where a newly identified species of monkey has been heard calling, but it's not Cercopithecus lomamiensis. However, just as the new species identified in Democratic Republic of Congo is already listed as "vulnerable" this new version of Monkey may come as a shock if it's heard again as it seemed to reveal a different side of the song.

'So' is at the heart of the Back To Front tour and it's been fascinating seeing the same group of musicians who brought that record to life on tour in 1987 feeling their way around each other and playing together again. Throw in a quarter of a century of technological development and a skilled crew and Back To Front should be a magical experience - we'll have to wait till Sunday to see if the monkey revels itself again.

There have been a number of comments and questions about the forthcoming So Box set. Paul Sinclair has posted an open letter to Peter on his website Super Deluxe Edition. Peter has replied to this, and the comments from various fans, with a letter which he hopes will explain his vision for the Box and the challenges and work that have gone into its creation:

Peter Gabriel's 'So' Anniversary Box Set will be delivering outstanding studio quality 24 bit audio. Each box contains a unique download code which will let you access the 'So' album plus the three tracks available on the 12" vinyl.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of 'So' Peter will be releasing a newly re-mastered version of his 1986 album.

As well as the re-mastered So album, the So anniversary editions also include a Special Edition 3 CD and Deluxe box set formats.

The Guardian caught up with Peter to discuss the 30th year of WOMAD.

Topics of discussion also included the festivals troubled beginnings, bonding with Kofi Annan over congas and how music mixes with politics.

BBC Radio 6 Music's Tom Robinson invited Peter into the studio to chat about his career to date and the 30th anniversary of WOMAD festival.

The interview was broadcasted on Saturday evening, but is available to listen to online until the 28th July. Peter's discussion starts from about 30 minutes in.

For 20 years, WITNESS has been empowering activists to expose human rights abuse through video. To kick-start their birthday celebration their goal is to raise $20,000 from supporters like you. These funds will help them give more activists the tools and training to turn raw images into compelling stories. Please watch WITNESS' new video (above) and help them expose the truth for another 20 years.