Porcupine Tree - Baltimore, May 22, 2007

[Rick and Roll]

A band that is on top of their game right now. It's as good as it gets in concert, I don't think they'll ever be better. It's rare that the same band with the same lineup goes year after year, but the pieces fit so well. Here's the set list:

Fear of A Blank Planet
Lightbulb Sun
My Ashes
Anesthetize
Open Car
Gravity Eyelids
Dream With Me
Sentimental
Blackest Eyes
Sever
Way Out of Here
Sleep Together
Even Less
Mother And Child Divided
Halo

A lot they used to play that was missing - Radioactive Toy, Deadwing, Hatesong. And my favorite, In Abstentia, only represented by Gravity Eyelids, which was worth the price of admission!

But no spliting hairs here. Was great to hear the whole new CD, really plays well in concert (as it did last year).

Every song had power...and a few light moments, when Steve Wilson finished Blackest Eyes with "I forgot the fucking words"....and he played the whole show barefoot.

Dream With Me was introduced as a song that didn't make it on In Abstentia..and I don't know the instrumental before Halo...but I've seen it as being mixed in with Halo, and there was indeed an instrumental.

Other than the new stuff and Gravity, the highlight for me was Lightbulb Sun. What a great track.

Oh, and the opener was terrific. They are "3". Like the Emerson Berry group. Had to go the PT soite to find them. Their singer plays a mean bass/guitar amd the 2nd drummer sometimes keyboardist is a lot of fun (I really liked the main drummer though). Heavy, but traces of a lot of influences and styles.

http://www.myspace.com/3

Ran into many friends, and one I haven't seen for 10 years...great time. And 4/5 of Iluvatar at various points...wish it wasn't a work week night, but what the hell. I'm still tired from The Tragically Hip on Saturday