Porcupine Tree- San Francisco 10/21

[3-LockBox]

I can't figure out why this band doesn't just explode...but then again...there are so few 'new' rock stations around that have the same broad age-range that this band has. Most older guys will eschew the hipper, youth oriented rock stations and the crusty old classic rock stations are just now 'stretching' into the early '80s for music. There is a huge gap of great music not being played on the radio anymore. As far as radio format programmers and some fans are concerned, the early '80s is about New Wave, the late '80s is about Hairy Metal, and the early '90s is about Grunge, and those are the formats everyone follows. But there is a lot of great music that falls in between. Same with today. You never hear Wilco, or Andrew Bird on any radio stations up here.

Radio just isn't ''where its at'' anymore for music. I know some people who work in radio who grouse about how the internet is taking away their audience, but that's what they get for being so mired in such super narrow formats. You'd think that a station that plays classic rock would like to play newer material that was evocative of that genre, but no, its the same group of songs over and over again. For example, a radio station in nearby Bellingham, WA had a >'70s Saturday Night<, which was supposed to be a 6 hour marathon. A bunch of us friends got together and played games that night, and I knew that my wife would like the set-list that this station was going to be playing, so I set up our VCR to record off the radio. The set list that the radio actually played was repeated as much as 4 times in the few hours that I monitored it. And these guys complain about losing business? This isn't radio worth saving if this is their mentallity. There is now a trend in FM that former classic rock and adult-contemporary formated station are turning into "talk oriented" formats. See, these guys can't figure out why no one wants to hear the same Cars, Police, Eagles, Styx or Fleetwood Mac songs decades over. Idiots.

Our favorite music will never become mainstream until there is a major shake-up in radio or, unfortunately, MTV starts picking up on these unknown and unheralded bands. But then again, maybe that's why we like them so much. Thank God I found RaveRecs.

[BarryL]

I can't figure out why this band doesn't just explode...

At least that is according to Classic Rock magazine as reported by the Dutch Progressive Rock Page this week. They're still on the way up, as I see it. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, they'll be everywhere. Surely Wilson, today, stands on the precipice as artist, producer, guitar player, songwriter, and general all 'round musical maverick.

It's kinda like Radiohead selling out Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto (about 18,000 people) on their OK Computer tour, even though nobody knew who they were. And yet they must have been getting big exposure somewhere outside the mainstream.

[Dave_G]

I betcha they stay obscure for ever and ever.

But I love 'em, except Voyage 34, which is a piece of crap.

Dave

[Dusty Chalk]

I betcha they neither explode nor stay obscure forever. I betcha they build a following slow and steady, and somewhere along the line, we realize that they are already mainstream.

Perhaps Phish is a good comparison (in terms of how their popularity grew)?

[C-Z]

Thanks for the review, Troy. I agree with everything except the earplugs in certain instances. If the show is extremely loud, I'll take 'em out only for my fav tunes, or for softer numbers, but won't risk permanent damage, which will occur if it is screaming. Their SD show a few months ago was so loud that the speakers were distorting (it actually hurt and was not at all enjoyable naked). I'll bet your show was better sonically than that. Yep - plugs mess up the sound, so I prefer without, but unfortunately I think most sound people running the system are deaf and can't properly set up a show.

I'm going to see them in San Diego tonight. I am very jealous of the kids you saw at your shows. I wanted badly to take mine (ages 7, 11, 17) who love PT, but I can't because it is over 21 only.

I think that ambient in small doses like you described, as breaks or atmosphere table setting can be very effective.

CZ

[Davey]

It's kinda like Radiohead selling out Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto (about 18,000 people) on their OK Computer tour, even though nobody knew who they were. And yet they must have been getting big exposure somewhere outside the mainstream.

Hehehe, you forget that Radiohead had a huge international surprize hit song in "Creep" from their first album, and then they got a lot of critical acclaim on the Bends, and then got lots of initial MTV play with "Karma Police" and "Paranoid Android" when OK Computer came out. PT hasn't gotten any of that afaik. It would probably be tough to have a serious rock hit nowadays with most of the "modern rock" stations either gone or neutered in the extreme.

[3-LockBox]

Hehehe, you forget that Radiohead had a huge international surprize hit song in "Creep" from their first album, and then they got a lot of critical acclaim on the Bends, and then got lots of initial MTV play with "Karma Police" and "Paranoid Android" when OK Computer came out. PT hasn't gotten any of that afaik.

AFAIK, PT is 'big' in Europe, and recieve lots of critical acclaim, but yer right, Radiohead didn't take off until MTV started playing their videos, and I don't know if PT makes videos.

It would probably be tough to have a serious rock hit nowadays with most of the "modern rock" stations either gone or neutered in the extreme.

My point exactly...who's gonna play this kind of music, when it isn't "country" and it isn't "dance". Maybe some college radio station will pick up on it.


Where's Arsenio Hall when you need him!