God is in my fingers
God is in my head
God is in the trigger
God is in the lead
You can be right like me
With God in the hole you're a righteous soul
I got a halo round me, I got a halo round me
As good as the show has been up until now, the three song encore blows it all to dust. "The Sound Of Muzak" takes on the subject of today's pathetic mainstream music industry, and features a beautiful chorus which is lead by some of the most stunning harmony vocals the band has ever produced. Wilson also unleashes a killer guitar solo near the end of the song that I have been unable to unscrew from my head ever since. "Even Less" is the Stupid Dream masterpiece, and one of my personal favorites, which they failed to play both times I saw them in concert - damn them! From the lush symphonic opening keyboard sequence, through the massive, distorted slide-guitar riffs, and on to the beautiful acoustic verses, this amazing performance shows just why the song should never be left off their setlist again.
Wilson comes across as a very shy and serious guy while up on stage, barely able to manage a few "thank yous" throughout the show. He prefers to let his amazing vocals and guitar playing speak for themselves, as he sways gently back and forth in front of the mic stand, almost like he is slow-dancing with his guitar. His playing looks so effortless and natural, and his incredible solos seem to just flow out of him without any sense of forethought. He also shows a good sense of humor when, while introducing the last encore of the night, "Trains", some jokester in the crowd yells out for "Freebird". Wilson smiles and wryly answers with "That's tomorrow, the full 17-minute blowout version." Another humorous moment occurred when Wilson broke a string near the end of the song - but I won't spoil that one for you.
"Trains" is the acoustic-flavored, pop gem from the In Absentia album, and it is easily one of the band's finest songs. Before seeing Porcupine Tree live, I doubted whether they would be able to effectively reproduce all of the lush acoustic layers, harmony vocals, and intricate nuances of a song like "Trains", but this performance demonstrates how they have actually improved upon the original. What a marvelous performance and perfect way to end such an incredible show.
The bonus DVD features performances of "Futile" and "Radioactive Toy" from Porcupine Tree's performance on the German TV show Rockpalast last year. This audio from this entire performance is available for download on the Porcupine Tree website, and it is a crime that the video of the entire performance was not made available, especially since the two performances provided here are superior to the main feature. Also included are the screen films for "The Start of Something Beautiful", "Halo", and "Mother and Child Divided", as well as the promo clip for "Lazarus", which were all directed by Lasse Hoile.
Article comments
1 - The Craw
Nice review! Thanks for revealing the band's unique and powerful flavor so articulately. They have been my favorite band since 1995's Signify album, which remains a favorite.
I myself quite enjoyed Lasse's video work, and didn't feel it was overblown, but we all have our personal preferences. (Oh, and "So Called Friend" is one of my favorites too, but that might be because it is so damned fun to PLAY that song. Hahaha!)
Great review, and thanks for joining the Porcupine Tree fanbase!!
I did not see any mention that this tour also included 4 or 5 songs from their upcoming new album, which gave us a look at their direction.
One 15-minute piece, tentativley entitled "The Beast" was a full-on assault much like Futile, but with lots of interwoven parts. OTher songs featured classic PTree acoustics blended with harmonies and hard riffs. AWESOME STUFF!
Oh yes, and don't forget that the new Blackfield album (collaboration with Israeli artist Aviv Geffen) drops some time shortly after the New Year!
2 - Paul Roy
Thanks. I also reviewed both of the PT concerts I attended at my personal site if you follow the link above. You are right, the 17-minute "Beast" was awesome, and the new album is shaping up to be killer.