This is the review I wrote for the PT show in
Toronto last night.


Last night a tornado returned to Toronto. To most
people, this was a performance of the progressive band
Porcupine Tree at the Mod Club on College Street, but
to those who witnessed this magnificent exhibition of
subtlety followed by raw power, it was anything but an
ordinary performance.
This was their third time in Toronto, and their best
performance here yet. All the band members seemed
relaxed, and the crowd was large and very receptive.
All the elements were in place for a great night, and
what a night it was. They opened with ‘Deadwing’, the
title track from their latest work, and did it well.
I fully expected a show made up of more recent works,
but they surprised the crowd by including a few
numbers for the die-hards of old. Most notable of
these were a personal favorite, ‘Even Less’ from the
‘Stupid Dream’ album, and ‘Fadeaway’, from ‘Up The
Downstair’, sung remarkably well by John Wesley.
They played ‘Shesmovedon’ for an encore, but this is
both an old and new song, as a newer version appears
on the deluxe edition of ‘Deadwing’. The original was
on the excellent ‘Lightbulb Sun’.
Being a progressive band (although they seem to be
moving away from that category), they feature both
keyboards and guitars. Despite this, I found the
keyboards rather subdued in the sound mix. The one
exception was the beautiful ‘Lazarus’, the next single
from ’Deadwing’. A lovely and enchanting melody,
beautifully played and sung by leader Steve Wilson.
The highlight, though, had to be the guitar playing
of Steve Wilson. To those not familiar with PT, they
might have wondered why the great guitar solos were
not highlighted by spotlights, but this is often the
case with them. Steve Wilson is not overly fond of
spotlights. It made absolutely no difference
whatsoever. There was never any doubt when he cut
loose that the stream of electric power was coming
from his fingertips. To watch Steve Wilson play a
guitar is to watch a master in action. The powerful
chords blew away even the most jaded heavy metal fan,
and by the end of the evening, they had won the crowd
heart, mind and soul. The tornado left nothing
standing. Each and every person had been blown away.
Afterwards, the crowd was buzzing with the
excitement. For those of us who knew of this band
for years, there was a kind of smug ‘we knew about
this before anyone else’ attitude. For everyone else,
there was the feeling that they had just witnessed the
arrival of a band that is just beginning to show what
they are capable of. For those who have flown on the
high winds of Porcupine Tree, we know this storm
isn’t even close to dissipating In fact, it’s barely
begun. The storm is coming, and it may be the most
powerful musical storm to hit in years. Doug LeBlanc




Doug LeBlanc
Canadian Progressive Music Society
http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/canprog/
A heart that takes is soon to break
A heart that is giving will give forever
Dave Lambert of the Strawbs

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