When one of the most important musicians in the world is about to perform in a country that is plagued by problems and misery the people’s attendance can only bring a sigh of relief, even if it’s for just three hours. If you add to that the hours of preparation the night seems to be unique.
Yes, Steven Wilson brought us in ecstasy for three hours in the amazing venue, Badminton theater, with an awesome display of music and image, not just on the visuals that were appearing on the screen at the back of the stage but also with great theatrics from himself and the five musicians that were playing with him.
The first eighty minutes were dedicated to his last year’s album “Hand.Cannot.Erase” during which the screen were portraying the life and loneliness of young people in modern day England. I still haven’t listened to the album, but that was what I received from my first contact with it.
After a 20-minute break the show went on with older material, mostly from Porcupine Tree, his latest album “4 1/2”, as well as Prince’s “Sign O The Times” as a tribute to the great artist that passed away recently. During a part of the show the band was playing behind a semi transparent veil that was raised in front of the screen where the light show was trully amazing.
Do I have to make any comment about Steven Wilson’s and his band’s technique? Was there a chance in a million not being impeccable? No, of course not in the case of musician’s of that caliber, all those are taken for granted. Wilson was quite talkative with the audience and showed, or at least tried to show that he was annoyed to be playing in front of a seated audience (at the same time when yours truly was enjoying it!) calling his music rock’n’roll.
In a nutshell, only the word “perfect” can describe Steven Wilson’s performance and I really don’t think that there is even one person from those that attended the show who can claim the opposite.
Dimitris Kazantzis
Setlist: First Regret, 3 Years Older, Hand Cannot Erase, Perfect Life, Routine, Home Invasion, Regret #9, Transience, Ancestral, Happy Returns, Ascendant Here On…, Dark Matter, Harmony Korine, My Book Of Regrets, Index, Lazarus, Don’t Hate Me, Vermilloncore, Sleep Together, Sign O The Times, The Sound Of Muzak, The Raven That Refused To Sign
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