A Porcupine Tree Chrestomathy
After more than 12 years, the British band Porcupine Tree presented the public in Laval with a 3-hour show that showcased their latest album in its entirety along with a selection of songs from their past ones too.
Most of the public arrived on time, couples, older men, groups of friends and, like in my case, with kids. Within the river of people inside the venue, shirts from Gojira, King Crimson, Stick Men, Opeth, Pineapple Thief, Marillion and Steven Wilson tours were worn with pride like scouts showcasing their badges. Beer cans in many hands and smiles of anticipation were felt all around, and from the early reviews coming out of the first night in Toronto, we were in for a great treat.
The lines were longer for the merchandise table than for the concession stands; the people seemed excited and almost incredulous as to what was about to happen, a reunion of sorts and a phenomenon that just one year ago was unimaginable since everyone gave for dissolved and dead the musical project of Wilson, Harrison, Barbieri and Edwin.
Everywhere inside the arena we were reminded that this was a phone-free show, something that definitely added to the enjoyment of the concert and a rule that I wish more bands would impose. It’s tiring and distracting trying to get a good view just to be distracted and interrupted by bright screens of shaky phones from people trying to capture with crappy audio a moment they would never revisit and that would probably be used for boasting online for the 30 or so followers people that would press like. And this I say also about myself. We need to be able to disconnect and be present in the moment, making real memories and relying less on our phones to recall our lives.
The first song started on time with a blast and a flash, scaring my daughter in the process but shocking her enough that she wouldn’t take her eyes and ears off the stage for the rest of the evening. For her, the show served as an introduction to the band, with a great selection of songs and visuals to definitely make a core memory in her musical life.
Of all the arenas named after telephone companies, the one in Laval is the best one in terms of audio quality. Crystal clear most of the time and pleasant to the ear even at higher volumes.
After a couple of songs Steven Wilson spoke for a while and set the tone for the night; with humour, bare feet and wit, he told us what we should be expecting and somewhat disappointed, he asked who had checked out the setlist for the previous night, a half-serious and half-jokingly told us that those of us who did so had ruined the experience somewhat.
I agree; just as spoilers, sometimes looking at the setlist beforehand takes away a bit of the magic of not knowing what is next and leaving the surprise to the first couple of notes and first frames of the visuals to let us know which song is up next.
So I won’t be telling you what they played, if you wish you can look it up yourself, instead I’ll make some reflections about what I experienced and what the show made me think about. Also, who do we write these reviews for? For people who missed the show so that they can increase their FOMO? For people who assisted the show so they can relive the experience? Or for people who will be spectating future shows? Anyhow, here is an organized brain dump of what has been one of the best concerts I’ve witnessed in my life.
Theseus’ Band
“The ship of Theseus” is a thought experiment that goes something like this: “Theseus owned a ship and the ship was entirely made of wood. Every time a piece of the ship needed replacing, it was replaced with a new wooden part. This went on for several years until eventually the original wood was replaced.”. The question that arises is then: Is the new ship the same ship as the original ship of Theseus?
With music, I’ve had a similar question to this one many times over the last 10 years or so: When is a band no longer a band? And just as important to that one: What makes a band a band?
The phrasing has varied every time I’ve asked it: Is it only a band when the original members are there? Is it only when the frontman is present? Or is it when the majority of its original members are performing? What happens after some leave or die?
Several examples come to mind: with Yes, when I saw them almost a decade ago, and neither Anderson nor Wakeman were present, then again with King Crimson during their last iteration, when only Fripp remained.
Porcupine Tree has “existed” in one form or another since 1987, either as an elaborate hoax project, a real band or a secret project while it was (or as everyone thought) dissolved, but it has never been the same band during these 35 years, the only constant has been Wilson.
The band that played in Laval this week was Wilson, Harrison, and Barbieri plus the newest addition with guitarist Randy McStine and bassist Nate Navarro, but no Colin. Now, that’s very close to the band that made Porcupine Tree known the world around, but how many more members need to leave before it is no longer Porcupine Tree?
Revelation according to Steven John Wilson
Before the concert, I hadn’t heard about 30% of the songs that were played during the 3-hour concert, especially the much older compositions, but as I listened closely to the lyrics of Anesthetize, a new-to-me 17-minute song about living in a world as a teenager where meaning has been lost as all was consumed by entertainment and indifference, I started to notice more and more how throughout the last couple of decades, Steven Wilson, through his lyrics has been showing us, as a mirror would, our modern illnesses, problems and illusions.
He correctly diagnoses what many of us felt during our adolescence and what we see now as adults everywhere, violence, delusions, abuse of power and apathy. But it seems his revelation, his expounding of what’s wrong with our world lacks, at many times, a solution or at the very least presents us with a glimpse of little hope for our future, as such, after singing along and banging your head to polyrhythms, you might be left with a sense of doom and gloom hanging over you. But maybe that is the purpose for the music so that you yourself go out and be the solution because the issues seem to be collective, so maybe the solution is too.
If someone were to make a caricature of Pro Rockers, he could take the way-too-long-for-the-radio songs, the brainy lyrics, the rhythmic conflicts, the long solos and the ethereal keyboard lines from that warm night in Laval and find them all there. But even so, as absurd as it may appear to those outside or to the newcomers, it is what makes it also so enjoyable.
In the end, on our way back home, my daughter declared that this was now her favourite band, and the next day, she started memorizing some of the lyrics, and in my book, that is a success. I wish I could also discover afresh some of the bands, the feeling and sounds that she is about to run into.
Review – Ricardo D Flores
Photos – Kieron Yates
