All Hail The Tree

Ok, I know it ain't cool that the last time I posted anything was a month ago about the last concert I went to. We're in a real busy time at work right now... and then, you know, some new TV started up.

Anyway, Rich and I saw Porcupine Tree with special guests The Tony Levin Band on Wednesday night at the House of Blues in Hollywood. To say the least it was amazing! It was a real treat to see Levin. If I heard his intro correctly, three of the five guys up there were part of Peter Gabriel's first solo band. The real highlight of their set was a cover of "Back in NYC" (the 2nd or 3rd best song from Genesis' "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" depending on how much you like the title track). That song has never sounded so huge and epic as it did here.

Porcupine Tree was doing something really cool. The first half of the concert was all new material, not yet recorded. And... wow. The 12-minute song referred to by singer Steve Wilson as "The Beast" (a nickname given to it on the band's web forum) was unbelievable! I can't wait for the new album slated for next spring. The second half of the show was filled with familiar material, mostly from the last two studio albums (and one or two older cuts). There was none of the showmanship and theatrics that I described in the previous post about Butch Walker. These guys were all about just playing the music and playing it well. That's not to say that Wilson is lifeless on stage. He's engaging enough. The band's stage presence is not lacking at all with music this good.

If you haven't heard Porcupine Tree yet or you're on the fence about them, I really encourage you to give them a fair listen. Try their 2002 album "In Absentia", one of the greatest albums in all of rock history. Seriously.