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Concert Review: Porcupine Tree in Boston 09/27/09

Oct 5

Posted by Vivek in Movies & Music, Reviews | 1 Comment

Venue: House of Blues, Boston

The pictures are from a signing by the band on the afternoon of the show. I don’t have photographic evidence of it, but believe me when I say it, I shook hands with Steven Wilson. I got a poster and my In Absentia CD booklet signed by the band who seemed quite cheery. An acoustic performance had to be canceled as SW was feeling a bit unwell.

The Incident sounded amazing, just as I’d predicted. The band took 3 short breaks during the first set, and it was only because SW had to change guitars. Apart from those, the first set was a pretty seamless experience. Occam’s Razor and The Blind House melded into one song and got the show off to fantastic start. Great Expectations, while still short, was wonderful and Kneel and Disconnect translated really well live. The vocal harmonies between SW and touring guitarist John Wesley gave me goosebumps. I’ve been converted on the quality of The Incident (the title track, not Disc 1 as a whole) as the song was quite hard-hitting when played live (accompanied by a creepy animation). Of course, Time Flies was outstanding. I liked how SW would take a seat whenever he was playing an acoustic guitar – made the show feel more intimate. Octane Twisted and Circle of Manias were real head-bangers and the crowd loved them both. I Drive The Hearse was a beautiful way to end the first set.

The band took a 10-minute break after the first set during which they had a cool digital clock on the projector screen counting down their imminent return. The band opened with The Start of Something Beautiful and it rocked! However, during the second set, Anesthetize pt 2 was by far the song that rocked the hardest. It had the crowd going wild and the band put everything into that song. I wasn’t sure if it would work on its own, but the band segued right into it after Russia on Ice, which featured SW using one of these new-fangled LCD guitars. The venue went dark and the visualizations on the guitar were quite amazing. It was also great to see one of my In Absentia favorites, Strip the Soul being played live. SW introduced the song as the one where “Mr. Colin Edwin plays the bass.” And boy did he play that bass well! Instead of playing the song all the way through, the band ended it with the second half or so of .3 and I thought that was well done, too.

I had seen the band’s sound people making changes to a printed setlist before PT took stage. While I saw the setlist, I couldn’t tell what they replaced Way Out of Here with. Turns out, we got an extra song as the band played both Normal and Mother and Child Divided to close out the second set. Normal in particular was a highlight for me as I had wanted to hear it live and the band played it to perfection.

While it was apparent that SW had a cold, he did not let it affect the band’s performance. Maybe a function of where I was standing (in front of the soundboard), but the sound at this show was one of the best at any show I’ve been to. Ever. I could hear all the instruments, and was especially pleased with the strong presence of Colin Edwin’s bass in the mix. The crowd was respectful and really into the show, which was great to see.

As is usually the case, Gavin Harrison was spot-on, except for a gaffe (intentional?) during The Sound of Muzak. His magic trick in the middle of Trains was entertaining and a train horn sound from Richard Barbieri was a nice touch as well. Quite incredibly, the band has found a way to freshen up the song, in spite of playing it at almost every show since In Absentia came out.

Porcupine Tree are now the band I have seen live most often – three times. Each show has been a wonderful experience and I can’t wait for them to come back next year and play songs not played on this tour. I really wish they’d play more material from Stupid Dream (Piano Lessons, for one) as it’s my second favorite PT record. I got talking to the person behind me as we waited on the line to get in and we became concert buddies for the show! We talked about PT, other bands, and concerts. ‘Twas cool.

Setlist:

The Incident [The Incident Disc 1]
————
The Start of Something Beautiful [Deadwing]
Russia on Ice [Lightbulb Sun]
The Pills I’m Taking (middle section of Anesthetize) [FoaBP]
Remember Me Lover [The Incident Disc 2]
Strip the Soul/.3 [In Absentia]
Normal [Nil Recurring]
Mother and Child Divided [Deadwing B-side]
————
The Sound of Muzak [In Absentia]
Trains [In Absentia]

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Music Will Provide The Light You Cannot Resist

Jun 21

Posted by Vivek in Movies & Music, Sports | 2 Comments

Not my words.  But I agree with them wholeheartedly.  Especially when Mr. Michael Stipe is the one singing them.

Last night, R.E.M. played Madison Square Garden in New York City, and they rocked the arena.  The setlist was fantastic, the sound was great, and the band were enjoying themselves.  They went as far back as Reckoning (3 songs) with this setlist and while no song off Murmur was played, what they did play was extremely satisfying.  I’ve already said how much I love the new album and I enjoyed hearing the new songs.  I belong to the camp that thinks their previous three albums were subpar efforts so it was nice to see that they played almost nothing off those records.

Of course, the hits were all present in abundance – Losing My Religion and Man on the Moon being the highlights of the encore – but they also picked out fan favorites from their older albums.  They came scorching off the blocks with Living Well Is The Best Revenge from the new album and continued with These Days, What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?, and Bad Day before stopping to catch their breath.  Michael Stipe looked smart in his suit and judging by his on-stage antics and that wonderful smile, he was having a good time.  He was quite chatty and introduced several of the songs by briefly explaning what they were about or how old they were.  He called Harborcoat “super-very-old.”  Yes, they played Harborcoat.  The band used an unconventional video projection setup for the show.  Huge screens were suspended behind the band and they showed the band members performing.  They put some fancy effects on the feed to make it look like it came from a pre-recorded DVD or something.  The screens were also used to display other videos and imagery during the songs. (Video from show: http://youtube.com/watch?v=UJ2yHsqJYn4 )

Stipe gave up the center mic to Mike Mills (bassist) for (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville – a nice gesture considering it was Mills who wrote the lyrics.  Fables of the Reconstruction got some love from the band when they played Driver 8.  I love that song so much – it’s been on repeat for most of the day today.  Document was also well-represented with two songs.  As a special treat, the band played Leaving New York and debuted some new video footage during Man-Sized Wreath.  Of course, when Stipe picked up his megaphone and the lights turned orange, I knew it was time for Orange Crush.  It blew my mind.  Then they followed it up with I’m Gonna DJ to close out the main set.  Wow, and I haven’t mentioned Pretty Persuasion or Electrolite yet – beautifully done.

Having seen previous setlists, I knew the encore was going to open with Supernatural Superserious – my favorite off the new album.  And then came the song that a good chunk of the audience was waiting for.  Out came the mandolin and off went R.E.M. into Losing My Religion.  As much as I love the song, I hate the dilettantes who left when it was done.  Hello?  You might not have seen the setlists from the tour, but surely you didn’t think it was the last song of the night?  Or were you only there for this one song?  Your loss folks.  You missed Begin The Begin, Fall On Me, and Man on the Moon.  The last two had Johnny Marr (The Smiths, Modest Mouse) on guitar.  Before the last song, Stipe asked for the house lights to be turned on so that he could see his people.  The whole place erupted with cheers and clapping.  He talked a bit about politics and the last show that R.E.M. at MSG – it came right after the 2004 elections and the band was really pissed that Bush got re-elected then.  But I hope this show will help alleviate those bad memories.  The band were in top form and exuded energy.  I was sitting down for the most part since I had a clear view and wanted to sit back and take in the music and atmosphere.  That doesn’t mean that I was sitting still (lol) the whole time.  I got up ocassionally and was singing and clapping the whole time.  My throat is still a little sore.  The lady sitting next to me felt the urge to get up every 2-3 songs to sway and dance.  It was somewhat disturbing.

The National went on at exactly 7pm and played a great set.  I got to hear Slow Show and although they changed it up a little bit, I still loved it.  Too bad the Garden was only about 10% occupied for their set – damn shame.  Modest Mouse went on next and I thought they were good.  They had two drummers and the guitar work was fabulous.  I must check out their albums.

Wow, this has been a long post.  But I had a great time at the concert and I can unequivocally say that even after 25 years, R.E.M. still know how to put on an amazing show.  Michale Stipe’s voice is as good as ever while Mills and Peter Buck are amazing with their respective instruments.  Touring drummer Bill Rieflin is one hell of a drummer.  The man has white hair but he was hitting those drums hard and fast.  He even left his drum-stool and picked up an acoustic guitar for Let Me In.  All five band members got into a huddle for this song and it was quite moving.

R.E.M. Setlist:
1. Living Well Is the Best Revenge 2. These Days 3. What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? 4. Bad Day 5. Drive 6. Hollow Man 7. Ignoreland 8. Man-Sized Wreath 9. Leaving New York 10. Disturbance At The Heron House 11. Houston 12. Electrolite 13. (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville 14. Driver 8 15. Harborcoat 16. The One I Love 17. Until The Day Is Done 18. Let Me In 19. Horse To Water 20. Pretty Persuasion 21. Orange Crush 22. I’m Gonna DJ

Encore:
23. Supernatural Superserious 24. Losing My Religion 25. Begin The Begin 26. Fall On Me 27. Man On The Moon

The National Setlist:
1. Start A War 2. Brainy 3. Baby, We’ll Be Fine 4. Slow Show 5. Mistaken For Strangers 6. Squalor Victoria 7. Secret Meeting 8. Apartment Story 9. Fake Empire 10. Mr. November

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Upcoming R.E.M. Concert – What songs I really want to hear

Jun 17

Posted by Vivek in Movies & Music | 2 Comments

I’m finally going to get to see R.E.M. on Thursday at Madison Square Garden.  It will be my first concert at this apparently famous arena and I’m excited for it.  The National and Modest Mouse will be supporting R.E.M. at this show.  I’ve seen The National before and I love their music but I haven’t had the time to give Modest Mouse a spin.  So, I’m going to judge their set on face value – I’ll go in with an open mind and decide for myself how good they are.  But anyway, these are some songs that I would love to hear performed by R.E.M., listed by album:

Automatic For The People
Drive
Try Not To Breathe
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite

Murmur
Radio Free Europe
Catapult

Reckoning
Harborcoat
Pretty Persuasion
(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville

Green
World Leader Pretend
Orange Crush

Lifes Rich Pageant
Begin The Begin
These Days

All of these songs would be a nice treat, but even if they play 2-3 from here, I’ll be happy.  The ones I want to hear most are Drive, Try Not To Breathe, (Don’t Go Back To) Rockville, and World Leader Pretend.  Let’s see which ones they actually play.  I did not mention any from the new album since they have been playing my favorites off of it anyway.  Two more days!

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Next Wednesday has too many things happening

May 14

Posted by Vivek in Gaming, General, Movies & Music, Sports | No Comments

My head might just explode. First, we have the UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester United and Chelsea. Of course, you all should know by now whom I will be supporting. Then, there’s the Dream Theater/Opeth concert which while definitely awesome, will be tiring due to four bands playing for a total of nearly four hours. As if this wasn’t enough, I just learned that the first installment of the Penny Arcade game also hits next Wednesday. It will be interesting to see what Tycho and Gabe came up with after years of experience gained by criticizing the work of others (when it sucked).

But that’s next week. Before that, I need to get through my 2.333 remaining finals. Peace the fuck out.

Countdown to Freedom: 40 hours.

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If love is a drug then I don’t need it

Apr 30

Posted by Vivek in Movies & Music, Reviews | No Comments

Incredible, just incredible. You’d think that a break-up lasting almost 10 years would’ve had negative affects on the band, but tonight, The Verve sounded fucking awesome. They played a rocking set and had me yelling and bobbing up and down all night. My ears are ringing, my throat is sore, and my feet are tired. But it was worth it.

The set focused more on Urban Hymns which is my favorite Verve album. I’ll admit that I haven’t heard much of their stuff other than UH and A Northern Soul. However, these two are among the finest albums of the 90s and UH clearly represents a band at its peak. Richard Ashcroft has managed to preserve his voice really well, while Nick McCabe, Simon Jones, and Peter Salisbury are still adept at their respective instruments. We got on line early enough and managed to snag spots right up front – against the railing and under Ashcroft’s nose. The sound was terrific where we were standing.

Ashcroft was fairly animated on stage, dancing in his own strange way, eating a banana, drinking beer, smoking, etc. My friends who went yesterday as well say most of the set was the same but one of the songs they swapped in, “Velvet Morning”, is one I love. Quite aptly, they started with “A New Decade” and I am more than happy with the setlist, although I wouldn’t have minded some “A Northern Soul”, “Catching a Butterfly”, or “This Time.” We were also treated to two completely new songs that will make it on to the next album, to be released some time this year. Plus, the jam at the end of “Come On” was phenomenal. Insane. Mind-blowing. You get the drift.

I’m really glad that The Verve have reunited. Sure, I’ve only been a fan for the last two years, but getting to see a band perform live that you never expected to reunite, is just fantastic. Now I just wish that The Stone Roses would get together. Bury the hatchet, John Squire and Ian Brown!

One final word – the DJ who opened for The Verve was atrocious. Maybe the band forced us to sit through his crap just to make us realize how much ass they kick.

SETLIST: (More or less right order)

A New Decade
Sonnet
This Is Music
Space and Time
Life’s An Ocean
Already There
Weeping Willow
Sit and Wonder
The Rolling People
Man Called Sun
The Drugs Don’t Work
Velvet Morning
Lucky Man
Come On

-Encore-

Bittersweet Symphony
Love Is Noise

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