petergabriel.com

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.

Discover more about the restoration process of 'Secret World Live', Peter's Grammy Award winning film from 1994. The newly restored film is to be released on DVD & Bluray on the July 16th (24th US).

Three additional dates in October have been added to the 'Back To Front' tour of North America / Canada.

Fan Club Pre-sale / VIP tickets go on sale on the 19 June at 10am (EST), with the General public sale being the 22 June at 10am (EST). Pre-sale tickets require the following password:

sledgehammer

Ticket links will appear on the live page when they are available.

Date	Location	Venue	Tickets
8 Oct	San Diego	Valley View Casino	Buy Tickets
13 Oct	Uncasville	Mohegan Sun	Buy Tickets
14 Oct	Virginia	Patriot Center	Buy Tickets

Focusing on the entirety of Peter's multi-platinum album 'SO', the 'Back To Front' tour will feature many of the members of the original band he toured with 25 years ago and will feature the album's songs from start to finish plus some of his other biggest hits.

The Interspecies Internet (I2I) is a non-profit organisation founded by Peter which was created to explore, encourage and facilitate communication between cognitive species.  Some of you may have already seen the footage of Peter playing with Bonobo apes.

The organisation is unique as they seek to promote the cognitive abilities of species through technology. The hope is that the general population will gain a better understanding of the importance and intelligence of these animals.

The Interspecies Internet (I2I) was recently discussed at this conference at the World Science Festival.  In the video below Neil Gershenfeld gives a nice breakdown of what they are trying to achieve (see 1 hour 6mins in) - however the whole discussion is worth checking out.

WITNESS have launched the Human Rights channel [BETA] on YouTube in conjunction with Storyful.

The channel will be curating the most powerful human rights content - breaking news, cutting edge activism video, under-covered stories, and more. Please take the time to visit the channel's homepage and subscribe for future updates.

Eric Schmidt (Executive Chairman of Google) recently appeared on CNN talking about the channel.

VIP packages for the 'Back To Front' shows will be on sale from May 23. Choose from Front Row Package, Hot Sound Package and Hot Ticket Package. See below for more information:

FRONT ROW PACKAGE
o Approx 16 shows - limited to 20 packages per show
o Average package price $500 (including average PL1 ticket cost of $125)
o Package to include:
o Front row ticket
o VIP entrance (where available)
o Invitation to Sound Check
o Pre-show hospitality
o Exclusive merchandise item
o Collectible laminate
o Onsite event management staff*

HOT SOUND PACKAGE
o Approx 16 shows - limited to 100 packages per show
o Average package price $400 (including average PL1 ticket cost of $125)
o Package to include:
o Premium ticket located within rows 3-10
o VIP entrance (where available)
o Invitation to Sound Check
o Pre-show hospitality
o Exclusive merchandise item
o Collectible laminate
o Onsite event management staff*

HOT TICKET PACKAGE
o Approx 16 shows - average 50 packages per show
o Average package price $175 (including average PL2 ticket cost of $75)
o Package to include:
o Premium Price Level 2 ticket
o Exclusive merchandise item
o Collectible laminate

* On-road VIP Packages coordinator will travel with the tour.

Following a critically acclaimed New Blood tour in 2011 that reignited Peter Gabriel fans across the world by reimagining his best known songs through stunning orchestral arrangements, Gabriel announced today his return to U.S. stages to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking, iconic album So.

Focusing on the entirety of that multi-platinum album, the tour, entitled BACK TO FRONT, will feature Gabriel with many of the members of the original band he toured with 25 years ago and will feature the album's songs from start to finish plus some of his other biggest hits.

Lucky Peter Gabriel fans can purchase advance tickets from May 23 depending on the venue, prior to the general public sale which begins on May 26. Check the live page for up to date ticket links.

VIP packages for all the shows will also be on sale from May 23. Choose from Front Row Package, Hot Sound Package and Hot Ticket Package. More details on each specific package to follow shortly.

What kind of world do we want for our great-great-grandchildren? People, profit and the environment - can we balance them, or do we have to make a choice? Can global summits achieve anything? And how do we create change - starting now?

The Elders debate with tomorrow's leaders to find new ways of thinking on the most urgent issues facing our world today. As world leaders gear up for the Rio+20 summit on sustainable development this June, join the Elders+Youngers to explore practical paths of action.