Porcupine Tree - Preston 20/04/07
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Topic: Porcupine Tree - Preston 20/04/07
Posted By: Tony R
Subject: Porcupine Tree - Preston 20/04/07
Date Posted: April 20 2007 at 21:17
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Porcupine Tree 20/04/07 Preston 53 Degrees
    Another very good show by the band, this is the 4th time I've seen them and never seen a sub-standard performance.
The setlist was well thought out - all the older songs in the main set linking to the FOABP theme. Lightbulb Sun and Drown With Me in particular stood out as both fitting and beautifully played - Wes on lead, Steve on acoustic.
The new album was spectacular with the possible exception of Sentimental, which I dont think quite comes off as a concert piece and was beset with some sonic problems eminating somewhere amongst Richard Barbieri's bank of keyboards. Parts of Anesthetize still need work as a performance piece and I'm not sure Wes has nailed the Lifeson solo yet. At times though the piece was simply mesmerising with its change of pace and thunderous passages. The title track and Way Out Of Here were both triumphs - the former accompanied by the Lasse Hoile video that the band had to pull from its websites on Monday - one image of a youth holding a gun to his head eerily predicting the graphic images coming out of the USA last Monday.
Even Less, Mother &Child Divided and Halo comprised the inevitable encore and a rapturous crowd was sent home elated. I dont know if it was just me and my mate but there seemed some kind of tension amongst the band. SW, not the most communicative of front men, was even more taciturn than usual and he looked tired and drawn. There seemed less interplay and interaction between him and Wes but this didnt affect the performance.I might be way off but I thought it worth mentioning.
For those who like ratings I'd give this evening a solid 8 out of 10.
 It was the first time I had been to the Preston venue, which is part of the UCLAN Students Union.It claims to hold 1200 and it was certainly full. Acoustics were fine and quite a nice sized stage. Opening act Amplifier were an entertaining if one-dimentional diversion, like a psychedelic Zep meets RHCP.
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Replies:
Posted By: Snow Dog
Date Posted: April 20 2007 at 21:34
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Nice work Tony!!!! ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Snow_Dog" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: April 21 2007 at 08:44
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One or two observations:
A feature of Porcupine Tree's live performances is that there are sections where neither Wes or bassist Colin Edwin are required to play anything (Barbieri and Harrison too but they can hide). I dunno but it just seems odd to see people on stage, main members of the band, just stood there and in Colin's case just twiddling their thumbs looking uncomfortable. I think the band should address this. OK, if the piece of music doesnt call for bass or extra guitar then you cant just re-write the music...but I am sure the band could think something to get round this...
Any others have thoughts about this?
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Posted By: Garion81
Date Posted: April 21 2007 at 13:39
^Did they not have a backstage area they could go to when the were not playing?
I have seen bands that have songs where all are not participating in and when that happens the non performer leaves the stage. A good example is when Kansas plays Dust in The Wind Phil Erhart leaves the stage.
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"What are you going to do when that damn thing rusts?" |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: April 21 2007 at 13:41
That's because he's got a weak stomach....
 Sorry G-man!
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Garion81 wrote:Posted By: Richardw
Date Posted: April 21 2007 at 13:58
Great pics Tony  . I found the 'Way Out Of Here' video backdrop particularly haunting. The image of the girl on the railway tracks was a very thought provoking piece. |
Posted By: Rivertree
Date Posted: April 21 2007 at 15:32
must have been very exciting ... nice pictures 
------------- https://awesomeprog.com/users/Rivertree" rel="nofollow">  |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: April 22 2007 at 07:45
More fanboy stuff...
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Posted By: Garion81
Date Posted: April 22 2007 at 14:02
It's Ok these days so do I.
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"What are you going to do when that damn thing rusts?" |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: April 22 2007 at 17:51
Yeah, but Dust in The Wind has always had that effect on me!
Hey nobody else been seeing PT yet, I expected loads of reviews.
The album has come in at #31 in the UK Album Charts BTW!
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Posted By: Garion81
Date Posted: April 22 2007 at 17:57
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There is a version on Two for the Show I really like where they add an acoustic guitar solo and a piano solo but other than that I rarely listen unless it is live. Because Family issues I am missing PT again this year. Same with Backfield earlier this year. Thanks for the pics though Tony.  -------------
"What are you going to do when that damn thing rusts?" |
One of these times things will fall into place. Posted By: Jim Garten
Date Posted: April 23 2007 at 03:59
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Jon Lord 1941 - 2012 |
Posted By: Lazarus
Date Posted: April 23 2007 at 10:38
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I was at the Glasgow concert last Wednesday. Like Tony I had seen them three times previously, all in much smaller venues in 97,00 and 01. What struck me was how much heavier they have become - as well as how much more popular! They simply could not have played some of the quieter pieces from earlier albums,as they would have spoiled the flow of the music on the night. I was waiting for 'Lazarus' the whole evening, but somehow knew it wasn't coming. It was interesting to hear Steve acknowledging that change of direction in the interview on this site. They have moved on, and in some respects moved away from the kind of music that first attrected me to them. That said, it was a great concert and FOABP is possibly their best album yet - great to see it in the UK album chart at 31 this week. ------------- "Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul" |
Posted By: mystic fred
Date Posted: April 23 2007 at 10:54
GREAT PICS TONY!
i see you managed to get a good seat as usual!
i'm seeing DP at Wembley on saturday -- hope i've picked a good seat!
-------------  Prog Archives Tour Van 
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Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: April 23 2007 at 13:43
The venues PT play tend to be "general admission" (ie standing). I was actually 3rd in the queue to get into the venue and first to reach the stage. I figured that SW would prefer to look at a couple of 40-something old geezers to build up the right amount of angst for Blank Planet...
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Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: May 13 2007 at 16:56
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Anyone else got pictures of PT on the latest tour?
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Posted By: asimplemistake
Date Posted: May 13 2007 at 17:08
At the show I went to (Seattle, May 8th) they didn't allow cameras, and even took away a camera from a guy near me  .I decided it would be bad to pull out mine. |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: May 13 2007 at 17:17
I used my phone....I was so close it has SW's noseprint on the lens...
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Posted By: Blacksword
Date Posted: May 14 2007 at 07:34
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Great review Tony. I'm jusdt getting PT now, and look forward to seeing them live at some point.
I think musicians not needsd for lengthy sections in a song should leave the stage for the duration. Redundaant band members standing about, can distract the audience from the 'solo' spot, or whatever else is actually happening on the stage. ------------- Ultimately bored by endless ecstasy! |
Posted By: Tony R
Date Posted: May 16 2007 at 18:08
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I hope it isnt a band decision to ban cameras.....I might be responsible for that! I took those pictures with my mobile phone though...
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Posted By: asimplemistake
Date Posted: May 16 2007 at 19:29
I do know that PT have been known for taking down YouTube videos of them that they didn't put up, and I do believe they are pretty strict about no pictures of them, but you can probably get away with it.... |