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.