Review: Porcupine Tree – Enmore Theatre, 26th April 2008

Last night, Saturday 26th of April, I was very VERY fortunate to finally attend one of the most amazing progressive rock bands, Porcupine Tree, live in concert at the Enmore Theatre.

This is a concert that has been a LONG time coming for me. I’d hoped and hoped that one day, I would get to enjoy the amazing musical stylings of the incredibly talented Steven Wilson and members of Porcupine Tree, including one of the most amazing drummers I’ve ever heard, Gavin Harrison and of course the great John Wesley.

So let’s start…

I arrived at the Enmore Theatre at 7pm and as I stepped out of the car, where we were conveniently parked across the road, I was astounded by the turn out of fans. Lines of fans in both directions, up and down the footpath, waiting in anticipation in front of the doors of the theatre.

Groups of eager fans began to sing their favourite Porcupine Tree tracks in harmony. I stood close to the door and smiled after hearing the group start to sing Arriving Somewhere but Not Here acapella, then belting out a hilarious guitar solo. You could tell that this was a friendly bunch. Everyone was just so happy that this amazing Prog Rock band had finally come down under. Their were smiles on everyone’s faces as they chatted about their hopes for their own personal dream setlist.

After hearing the group of fans happily sing their favourites such as Blackest Eyes, Trains and Radioactive Toy, I heard one fan yell “Sing the lyrics to Wedding Nails“. There was a pause in the crowd as people stopped to think which was then followed by laughter as the song is an instrumental.

It’s very interesting to note that this crowd was of all ages. There was even a few kids with their parents hoping to hear their favourites and of course, there were the old school Prog-Heads sporting Rush and King Crimson shirts. Sadly, I didn’t see a single Marillion shirt, but they’ve never been here either. As I was wearing my Iron Maiden – Number of the Beast shirt that I bought at the Maiden tour last Feb, I did, as usual, get a few nods from the many guys sporting their Iron Maiden tour shirts that evening.

The doors had finally opened and we all rushed in. Luckily, I was one of the first at the Merch stand and got my hands on two T-shirts, a Fear Of shirt and a Tour Of shirt. The crowd huddled around the small stand hoping to buy some memorabilia for what could be the greatest concert of their lives.

We then hurried to our seats to check out what kind of view we’d be having for the night’s entertainment. Left side of the Balcony, Row B, Seat 10. Pretty good view. I stood up to check out the all the fans on the floor who began to congregate around the stage.

The lights dimmed, three men stepped onto the stage. Sleep Parade, the opening act for the evening. Leigh Davies (Guitars/Lead Vocals), James Livesey (Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals) and most notably, Dan Teng (Drums/Backing Vocals). I had previously checked out some of their tracks when I found out who would be opening for Porcupine Tree, I was impressed at that time, thought they’d be very well received by PT fans. The crowd cheered as they played. They were a very fitting band, a good opening sound. The drummer, Dan Teng, was great. Very talented. This three-piece band was, as I expected, incredibly well received. Fans shouted out comments like “You guys rock!” and “You’re not half bad!”, and my favourite, “I’d buy their album!”. They played 45 minute set of about seven tracks, all of which were great. Stand outs for me, Carry on, Weeping Walls and Everyday.

When they finished, they thanked the audience along with Porcupine Tree for having them for the evening. As they left, the stage was littered with roadies who began to set up for the upcoming event we were all waiting for. They placed down a carpet in the middle of the stage, there were questions floating around asking why, but come on, Wilson doesn’t wear shoes when he plays! He’s gotta be comfortable.

I’d never seen a crowd waiting with as much anticipation as this one. Cheers and screams were triggered by the smallest of things. We all waited. The chants began followed by rumbling as feet stomped the floor below. Everyone was ready.

Finally, the lights dimmed again. A screen in the background was seen. Our gods had entered. Steven, Colin, Gavin, John and Richard were on the stage. The crowd went wild. Then we all heard that familiar laugh…the show had begun.

The setlist:

-Fear of a Blank Planet
-What Happens Now
-The Sound of Muzak
-Lazarus
-Anesthetize
-Open Car
-Dark Matter
-Hatesong
-A Smart Kid
-Blackest Eyes
-Way Out of Here
-Sleep Together

Encore:

-Mother and Child Divided
-Trains
-Halo

Fear of a Blank Planet – A perfect choice for an opening track, especially since it’s the title track of the newest album. This song was accompanied by an extended version of its video clip seen on the screen behind them. These videos, as usual for Porcupine Tree, fit the song perfectly, giving you a visualisation of what you’re hearing. It was an amazing start to our dream concert.

What Happens Now – A track from the Nil Recurring mini album. After hearing a live version of this track, I had great expectations for it. I have to say that experiencing this song FAR exceeded my expectations. I was elated.

The Sound of Muzak – A favourite of mine for the evening. I’ve always loved this song and knew it’d be a great live one. Wilson’s voice was just perfect.

Lazarus – A beautiful track, I’ve heard several live version of it, including the acoustic one from We Lost The Skyline, but they cannot beat this one. Probably because I was hearing it straight up, I was there to experience it, but it was great.

Anesthetize – Now for the epic we’d been expecting. Hearing this live, in person, words cannot explain the experience. It was far better live than the studio version. The visualisation for this track was incredible. It featured kids on computers and lots of pills. Kaleidoscope pills. I’d love to have that on my computer. Supurb.

Open Car – I’m not the biggest fan of this song. I’ve never been that big on the studio version, but this live version…I was blown away. It was just such a good song to hear live.

Dark Matter – This song fits well after Open Car, it’s got a great solo. It was nice to sit back and enjoy this one.

Hatesong – This is another song that I’m not as big a fan of the studio version, though I am very fond of the music in it. It’s a great composition and hearing it live like this has pretty much swayed my opinion of it. It was enjoyed by many. That familiar bass line, gotta love it.

A Smart Kid – One of the softer tracks, it was placed well in the setlist. Another song that was great to sit back and enjoy it.

Blackest Eyes – As expected, this song was loved by all fans. In the pit below me, headbanging, jumping, everyone sang along. A true crowd pleaser. It was given a standing ovation.

Way Out of Here – EPIC. Did not expect this at all, I was blown away by how good this was live. The accompanying visualisation was great. A very moving piece of film.

Sleep Together – Right after Way Out of Here, it kicked straight in with a visualisation of a little metal man…thing, which I thought looked really cool. It’s also on the Tour Of shirt. That little dude was moving to the beat. I was incredibly pleased with this song. This was the “closer”.

Encore:

Mother and Child Divided - A great instrumental. Steven had said that they didn’t play it in Melbourne but they played it for us because we’re a bit more of a “Metal Crowd”.

Trains – A very popular PT track. It’s one of those songs that everyone at the gig knows the lyrics to. Everyone sang along, it was great for the audience.

Halo – The closing song that I expected. I love this song and it was great to hear it live. The visualisation in the background with the lyrics, as seen on the Arriving Somewhere dvd, was great. “God Gives Power. God Gives PAIN.”

The setlist was great, though I still would’ve liked to hear songs such as Arriving Somewhere but Not Here, Even Less, Piano Lessons, Lightbulb Sun, shesmovedon and Russia on Ice. But as Wilson said on the night, we weren’t all gonna hear our dream setlist no matter how much we yelled out what songs we wanted. I did get to listen to all the songs I would’ve liked to hear on the way home in the car, so I was happy.

This concert was amazing. I was truly blown away. I went home very happy. I know everyone else had a great time, you could see it in their eyes. All I’ve got to say is Thanks Porcupine Tree for a great evening. I hope you keep your word and come again soon. It was an amazing experience that I won’t forget. I honestly have to say, my favourite concert of this year so far.

It’s so hard to give Porcupine Tree a rating since whenever I do, it’s 5/5, or I try not to give them 5/5 which is hard. And that’s what they’re getting for this concert. SO yes, Porcupine Tree, I give you 5/5 for this concert. Good job =)

Link to Last.fm Review

Anyone else see the show?  What’d you think?  C&C is always appreciated.