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Porcupine Tree with Three
House of Blues, Dallas, Texas
Oct. 28, 2007
By A. Lee Graham
Nothing keeps Steven Wilson from taking the stage.
Much to fans' delight, the Porcupine Tree leader's rumored
illness neither crippled nor canceled the band's Dallas debut.
Germs be damned; these guys summoned the spirits and delivered.
From "Lazarus" to "Blackest Eyes" — even "Halo" — every tune had
fans eating out of Wilson's outstretched palm.
Until recently, Porcupine Tree seldom played Texas. Last year's
Houston appearance changed things and proved the quartet's
growing popularity. "Tree heads" hit the highway for something
of a stellar alignment. Rarely did Porcupine Tree venture
outside San Francisco, New York or other major markets, and the
Houston gig would earn legendary status.
A year later, Porcupine Tree's Dallas spectacle confirmed that
gig was no fluke. Almost 1,000 music heads packed a blues joint
by name, eclectic music haven in practice.
Warming things up was Three, whose already impressive oeuvre
reached epic proportions in a live setting. Joey Eppard exuded
humor and charm, extolling music's positive potential while
leading a band whose mission seemed to combine Crimsonesque prog,
folk — even flamenco — with vocals sharing more in common with
Tripping Daisy (R.I.P.) and New York homies Coheed and Cambria
than King Crimson or Yes.
Anchored by drum duo Joe Stote and Chris Gartmann, the band's
theatrics lay in music, not the light show. There's so much
happening on stage, focusing on one element seems impossible:
Eppard's slap-style guitar playing, Stote and Gartmann's
percussive acrobatics, the outright eccentricity that defines
the music. When Stote leaped up to pound otherworldly vocals out
of Eppard, a new subgenre seemed born. Ready for "chiropractic
prog?"
Definitely a band to follow.
While new sets of fans snapped up CDs and T-shirts at the merch
table, Porcupine Tree readied a multi-media treat. By the time
"Fear Of A Blank Planet" filled eyes and ears, the audience
stood transfixed. Anchoring the show was a giant video screen
suspended behind Wilson, keyboardist Richard Barbieri, bassist
Colin Edwin and drummer Gavin Harrison. In stark images, today's
disturbingly detached youth popped pills, pointed guns to their
heads and mainlined the latest technological gadgets.
Disturbing, to say the least. As subject matter for relevant
prog music? Stunning.
Promising a diverse set list, the quartet's bespectacled
mastermind did not disappoint. Sure, Stupid Dream took a back
seat to Deadwing, In Absentia and the latest, Fear of a Blank
Planet. And occasional shout-outs for Up The Downstair proved
futile, as the band's post-show rush to Atlanta — not to mention
Wilson's reported bacterial battle — required quick work focused
on newer stuff.
Still, fans enjoyed a diverse selection, including "Half Light,"
"Anesthetize" and "Dark Matter" before "Trains, "Even Less" and
"Halo" capped a stunning encore set. Genuinely moved by the
packed house and fans often singing along to every lyrics,
Wilson seems likely to place Dallas on regular tour rotation.
Let's hope more cities enjoy that designation as Porcupine Tree
leaves its trail of apple seeds across America.
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