Astoria night, PT, Lem, more...

[Jon Jarrett]

On Fri, 12 Dec 2003, Henderson Keith wrote:

> So, looking forward to this 'holiday' vacation.  It comes at the end
> of a great run for concerts here in the central Europe area.  Two weeks
> ago, I caught Porcupine Tree in Olten, which I refer to as the Breezewood
> of Switzerland, which probably won't be understood to more than one or
> two listmembers, but hey.  Its train station is three times as large
> as it should be based on the city's population, but it lies precisely
> in the middle of a rectangle with Basel, Bern, Luzern, and Zuerich at the
> four corners.  Anyway, it was a good show...not quite as hot as the show
> in Zuerich four or five months ago, but that one was sizzling (in more
> ways than one).  The Olten show featured unusual tracks like Moon Touches
> Your Shoulder and Fadeaway, though the latter was rather disappointing
> as Wesley sang it in some falsetto voice that was really quite dreadful.
> And they wasted a lot of time on this boring Russia on Ice 'prog-opus'
> thing from Lightbulb Sun.  Actually, I'm happy that they focus mainly
> on stuff from the new album, as it's really quite good in its own way.

        I really like `Russia on Ice', I must admit but I haven't seen
they've since before it had come out and this may be why; it was by a long
way the most spell-binding thing they played that night. It's almost the
only time on either _Stupid Dream_ or _Lightbulb Sun_ where Steven
manages to sing about being upset without descending into really maudlin
sentiment because it's so allusive and flip-uncaring. But then I seem to
remember we disagree fundamentally about the merits of _Lightbulb Sun_
anyway...

        From what reviews I've seen, anyway, two songs from the Delerium
era is double what they're normally doing these days. I guess Wes must
just really like `Fadeaway'. It's a pity, because there's plenty of stuff
in that clutch of albums which would stand the new band's treatment. And I
still want to see them do `Burning Sky' dammit.

> They're really not much of a psychedelic band anymore (which is a little
> sad, though I feel less discouraged as now they seem to be a pretty
> decent 'prog-metallish' band without the predictability of 'prog-metal'
> such as Dream Theater and their ilk...which is in fact what Russia on
> Ice sounds like), so perhaps there's a good reason why they should
> jettison the 'classic' material (that most of the new fans don't even
> really know).  Sadly, they didn't play Tinto Brass this time, but still
> amazing things like Creater had a Mastertape were enough to give this
> show high marks.

        I think both of those in one set would start to show how much
material PT really have... Much like `Piano Lessons' and `How Is Your LIfe
Today?', `Baby Dream in Cellophane' and `Prodigal'... I could go on but I
won't.

        I should see them again, for all that. It sounds as if rather
than being as disappointed as I was the last few times, I might be
surprised instead. They won't do what I used to go and see them for,
though, this is the trouble. I can't get that anywhere any more.

        <snip>

> Last night was Motorhead in Zuerich...different club, but very nearly
> the same size, strangely enough on *their* very last show of a long world
> tour.  I had seen them way back at the outset of Phase 1, in a club in
> Basel.
> Then they'd at least done a few songs from the new album, but last night
> it was all 'oldies.'  Actually a really well-diversified selection of tunes
> covering about every phase of the band's existence...with the continued
> exception of Robbo stuff.  I don't know why, but Lem seems completely
> averse to playing *anything* from Another Perfect Day live.  I've seen them
> on just about every tour starting with Orgasmatron, and never have I heard
> a single track from that album.

        I wonder if it's actually that Phil doesn't like the stuff; he'd
be the one who'd have to learn a very different guitarist's parts.

> But last night, they ripped through the
> usual standards, including much of the No Sleep till Hammersmith set (where
> Metropolis is always a highlight for me).  But also Shoot you in the back,
> Iron Fist, Damage Case, Love Me Like a Reptile (the coolest choice...first
> time I can remember this one resurrected!).  And then from the post-Eddie
> days, Civil War, Over the top (another surprise choice), Dr. Rock (another
> highlight), Sacrifice, Going to Brazil, Ramones, We Are Motorhead, and
> God Save the Queen.  The crowd was more than packed, we were pretty
> 'friendly.'  Which is ok by me, except that for some reason, half the
> idiots feel like it's their god-given right to leave the floor in the
> middle of the show, go take a piss, grab another beer at the counter,
> and then fight their way back through the throngs of people to where
> their buddies were still holding fort.  That would still be ok, if they
> weren't so damn obnoxious about it, coming at you from behind completely
> unawares by slamming their fat sweaty bodies into your backside and elbowing
> you in the face without so much as a kind tap or nod of appreciation for
> you not thrusting their beer up into their nose and kneeing them
> simultaneously in the crotch.  Still, not even that and the horrid pall
> of cigarette stench, sticky floor, and still-ringing ears could persuade
> me that this wasn't another worthwhile show.  Despite Lem's best efforts,
> he still seems more than capable of performing just the same as 15 years
> ago.  Well, with a voice like that, how could you ruin it so easily?  :)
> Encore was Ace of Spades and extended Overkill, but then you already knew
> that, didn't you?  Opening act was some band from Berlin, with a crazy-
> haired female singer, that sounded much like AC/DC in every way.  I
> guess one of their tunes was actually written for them by Lemmy himself,
> and I think it was one of the better ones.

        At a guess, that would be Doro? Lemmy was on a couple of tracks on
her solo album in 1996 or thereabouts, of which was a cover of `Love Me
Forever' from _1916_. The other was called `Alone Alone' or something like
that, so if you saw that, that's probably who it was :-)

> So, tomorrow I head for Stuttgart to see Korai Öröm, and that should be
> really cool.  Next week is On Trial in Winterthur (not so far from
> Zuerich), and then Quimby on Sat., HW on Sunday.  Oh, yeah, more good
> shows coming next year already.  Including Fish in late March, Monster
> Magnet (nothing on their website, but it's going on sale here already)
> in early April, and the old German band Jane the next night.  And
> Guru Guru plays again in der Schweiz in late April.  I dunno...I don't
> see how I could ever move back to the states again, but as my job will
> (almost) certainly end next year December, I'm not sure how I'll be
> able to remain in Switzerland.

        Why didn't we get a review of On Trial, then, eh? :-)

> P.S.  On BBC TV, all I seem to see are silly shows about crack home-
> improvement 'teams' that makeover your house with wonderful results.
> Why is it then that England looks more run down and dumpy every time
> I visit?  No offens(c)e intended, just an observation.  :)

        More and more people priced out of the buyer's market, thus forced
to rent and unable to carry out such makeovers because of their tenancy
agreements? That's my theory until proven otherwise :-) Yours,
                                                             Jon (oh god--
economics!)

ObCD: Hangnail - _Ten Days Before Summer_
--
                Jonathan Jarrett, Birkbeck College, London
    jjarrett at chiark.greenend.org.uk/ejarr01 at students.bbk.ac.uk
  "As much as the vision of the blind man improves with the rising sun,
       So too does the intelligence of the fool after good advice."
       (Bishop Theodulf of Orleans, late-eight/early-ninth century)