Geoff Arnold

PT@Somerville

A good show by Porcupine Tree. The band was really tight, though Steven Wilson's voice was a bit weak at times, as if he was getting over a cold. Fortunately John Wesley's harmonies filled out the vocals nicely. They did a number of songs from the new album "Deadwing", of course, but mixed in plenty of older stuff. Last time I saw them (at the Berklee in Boston) the best number of the evening - most energy, most inventive solos - was "Russia on Ice". This time it was "Hate Song": absolutely stunning. Both of those are from the "Lightbulb Sun" album, which is one of their strongest collections. And I was delighted by another oldie: a lovely performance of "Even Less", which is a personal favourite.

[UPDATE] The opening act was Tunnels, English, electronic vibes/bass/drums, fusion instrumentals, vaguely Soft Machine-ish. Not bad, not where my head was at. The PT setlist was: Deadwing // Sound of Muzak // Lazurus // Shallow // A Smart kid // Hatesong // Arriving somewhere but not here // Fadeaway // Halo // The start of something beautiful // Blackest Eyes // Even Less // ENCORE: Shesmovedon // Trains