The Fripp Tree

[progdirjim(Admin)]

Last night I met my brother at the fairly recently opened House Of Blues in San Diego, for Porcupine Tree warmed up by none other than Mr. Fripp.

Fripp played 4 longish Frippertronic soundscapes. I enjoyed it, though I have to admit after the third piece there was a sameness to the sound. The crowd was clearly there for P-Tree, as there was lots of talking, and clapping and whistling at inappropriate times during Fripp's performance. The other factor was that there are NO seats in the House of Blues, so the mood isn't as conducive to the introspective soundscapes Fripp was laying down. I'm glad I got to see Fripp solo, as I'd seen him with Crimson, but never alone.

Porcupine Tree definitely rocked. They were very tight, and the sound was pretty good. The kick drum was overamplified, so the low end sounds were a bit muddled; however Steve Wilson's guitar, the vox, and keys were all crystal clear. They featured mostly songs from In Absentia and of course Deadwing. I know these albums least well, so I can't name too many songs, except Lazarus from Deadwing, and Blackest Eyes & The Creator Has a Mastertape from In Absentia. Steve apologized early on for not being able to play everyone's favorite songs - this apparently was their first show ever in San Diego. With such a supportive crowd I expect they'll be back.

What I like about PTree, and was in evidence last night, was how easily they slip between styles, whilst maintaining a cohesive "sound." From Floydian spacey soundscapes, to fairly hard rock, to melodic pop, they showed a mastery of all.

Highlight for me was "Even Less"; the title track from "Signify" was also well done. A video/photo multimedia montage was displayed during most songs, and was mostly interesting rather than distracting; kind of creepy at times but it seemed to fit the music pretty well.

Also of note was how much John Wesley was featured on guitar and vox. I didn't realize how good he was. He wasn't even with them when I saw them at Nearfest 2001. I think that's it. See them if you get the chance.

[Rick and Roll]

Do tell...

[progdirjim(Admin)]

Originally posted by Rick and Roll
Do tell...

I train in Martial Arts regularly, so the new avatar is a bit of homage to Bruce Lee. And no, I can't do a flying side kick like that.

[Yesspaz]

Originally posted by progdirjim
I train in Martial Arts regularly.

Cool. What discipline? I had a green belt in Sho-da-kan before I broke my leg.

[progdirjim(Admin)]

Shaolin Kung-fu, both northern and southern styles. Tai-chi to round it out. Our black belt is done in 7 sections - I'm currently 5th section, so next belt is 6th section, then black belt.

I've got a Black Belt in Origame.

I can make a Swan out of a Napkin in 30 seconds flat.

[teermin8r]

I can make a crumpled napkin flat in less than 30 seconds

[Yesspaz]

Originally posted by progdirjim
Shaolin Kung-fu, both northern and southern styles. Tai-chi to round it out. Our black belt is done in 7 sections - I'm currently 5th section, so next belt is 6th section, then black belt.

My uncle is a 2nd or 3rd black in Akido (sp?) of Hopkido (whichever one is the on Seagal knows - the one where you break people's bones) and teaches it.

[mossy]

We saw Porcupine Tree last night at the House of Blues in Las Vegas. Jim's review was helpful as I knew we could look forward to some of the old songs. We stood behind the soundboard the whole time, so got an excellent view as it's a fairly small venue. Only about 300 in the crowd, same as for the Musical Box but a much younger crowd. Whilst I love the small numbers, it makes me wonder if they'll ever come back, so a double edge thingy going on. First off, I haven't heard Deadwing yet. It was clear that a lot of the crowd were there for that (S. Wilson saying "we've actually been around for 12 years") but there was a small group of attendees who knew and appreciated the older tunes. About half to two thirds of the way into the concert, Steven said "Sorry we're not playing enough of the old songs. The purpose of this tour is really to promote Deadwing, but we've done enough of that now and can play the older stuff". Lovely! So, we got songs off Signify, Lightbulb Sun (my fave), In Absentia, and a very old song off one of the archaic albums which I didn't know, beautifully sung by John Wesley. Agree with Jim, he was excellent. Great presence and added so much in vox and guitar. I believe they have two nights to go on this tour, but they say they will be back in the States in October, so will look forward to seeing where they end up playing. Oh, and Rick...my fave song of the night was the Hate Song as well, which surprised me as it's not my fave on the album. It was just very well put together and bloomed with the addition of J. Wesley. They played for more than two hours without a break, and did Trains off In Absentia as an encore. An excellent concert, and will look forward to October.

[Rick and Roll]

300 is actually a decent crowd. Save for festivals, the three times I've seen Roine and the boys 300 DOUBLES the combined attendance of the three shows!

It's the younger set that sees the Tree.

Amazing what these bands could do with decent marketing.