Porcupine Tree, NYC, October 6th 2006

It was an excellent show. The sound was not as good as in Philly the following night, but that was to be expected. The lights were great, as were PT.

I agree that the P6 sound was not good - what they needed was a bass player. Belew was not just playing drums on the v-drums, but also the bass lines. What he was doing was technically clever, it just sounded pretty rotten, with the result being both drum and bass parts that sounded like they could have been programmed with little talent or effort. It was a shame to see him do something that was challenging to play, but uninteresting in result.

In Philadelphia, Belew improved and really pulled off the first of the tracks in particular, getting a pretty hypnotic bass & drum grove going. However, I still found myself in the audience appreciating what he was doing more than how it was sounding, and that's not ideal in my opinion. Fripp was even better in Philly too - even with the limitations of the exercise, there's a chemistry between Fripp and Belew and it was evident that night. And the smiles were precious. :)

It was great to go to both gigs for PT though - they were superb on both occasions. However, NYC won for lighting and crowd ambiance (due to the standing section of the house) while Philly won for sound and atmosphere (the band appeared more relaxed). Of the six new songs they played them all well both nights, but the edge went to NYC for the sixth, and a clear win in Philly with the fourth.

I saw the shows in both NYC on the 6th and Phlly on the 7th.  I agree with Maani about Belew.  Just horrible.  Even worse because I was on the rail, front centerstage.. and got the monitor feed which was a static electric drumkit.... :shudder:

Edited by threefates - October 09 2006 at 11:16

Fight Club wrote: They closed with an encore of Trains, Blackest Eyes and Lazarus.   I do believe you may be mistaken Maani,I dont remember them playing Lazarus... admin edit...poster is being unecessarily obtuse,so I have amended post to show him how it can be done courteously.

Good thing I did not say hi then...

Edited by Gravity Eyelids - October 07 2006 at 15:21

Fight Club wrote: I definately don't think they're becoming a disappointment, as I enjoy the later albums equally as much as the earlier. However, I think the new songs could still use some work. I agree with what you said about "digging deep to find a hook". I loved the new long track, and thought the chorus was quite haunting, but the only thing I think could have been better is if they added an intense driving chord section after the build up. The build up is impressive, but I was expecting a breakout of complete insanity following it, you know? I enjoyed the new material though, and overall I think the band will continue to keep duds out of their discography.

Edited by Gravity Eyelids - October 12 2006 at 15:43

I dont think the somgs are the finished article yet...it seemed to me that some sections needed further development.

Arteum wrote: Please see my independent report at my Live Journal page: http://prog-squirrel.livejournal.com/19368.html?mode=reply

Please see my independent report at my Live Journal page:

http://prog-squirrel.livejournal.com/19368.html?mode=reply

Thanks Maani.

Let's hope the new album lives up to the hype.

Hightea,thanks for the pix..pity about the over-zealous security...what kind of recording did they think you could get on a digital camera?

Eric,for some reason Steve always breaks a string,its almost a cliche.

When the band go mega with the new album maybe he can stop buying "used" strings.....
    

Edited by Tony R - October 07 2006 at 11:10

Excellent show