Пятница 30 Апр 2010, 0:41
Miami Beach would be the second stop in my list of things to do whilst traveling Florida! We made it to our hotel with about an hour to spare, got food and queued up.
We were let into the music hall earlier than we should have been by error of someone on staff at the venue and happened upon Bigelf soundchecking. Front man Damon Fox welcomed us, telling us that they were the "new Porcupine Tree" jokingly and they carried on. Soon they left, and the rest of the people were flooding into the venue. I secured my spot at the rail, much farther left than I'd been in Orlando, having picked the wrong spot the previous night and was unable to have any decent vantage to Gavin or Richard.
The house music played - almost the same as even as far back as Cleveland last leg, which thrilled me. It's a joy to hear other favourites like Autechre whilst waiting for another favourite to hit the stage! After some clamouring, Bigelf came back out to rock, giving a hearty 'eff you' to everyone who says they play the same five songs every gig. The sound was absolutely incredible this time. The mix was perfect, and I was able to listen and enjoy their music this time around. I think I walked away from that one a fan!
After the epic pwnage they laid to the Miami crowd, Porcupine Tree came out to show us just what they were made of. Once again, they broke out the 55 minute The Incident with the stunning visuals playing in the background the whole way through. I can't stress enough just how quickly it seems to go by. Every time I've ever seen them, when it gets to Time Flies, I'm just left to go, "Aww man! It's almost over!". Perhaps I am a bit biased with my love for said album, however.
Steven Wilson stopped to ask how many folks were at their first Tree show. There was a large amount of applauding going on before he singled out those of us in the front with rainbows of The Incident wristbands going on, "Everyone except these guys? They've seen us 400 times now …". That got some laughs and roars of approval from both the newbies, and us seasoned Treeheads.
Once the intermission was over, they opened up with a similar second set to the first night, but with a few variances such as Strip The Soul segued with .3, as I had seen my very first time. I couldn't help myself going wild when I heard the first bars being played. They also gave us a bonus track since it was their first time playing Miami: Blackest Eyes. That particular track was given one healthy welcome by Miami concert-goers, and I was no exception.
There was an on stage marriage proposal between what I am assuming to be someone in with the band/management/crew and a fan, or just two really hardcore fans which was a real memorable moment. Wilson also made a few cracks regarding suntanning and his pasty British complexion.
Setlist:
The Incident (Disc One)
The Start of Something Beautiful
Russia On Ice (Part one)
Anesthetize (Part Two)
Lazarus
Strip The Soul
.3
Remember Me Lover
Blackest Eyes
The Sound of Muzak
Trains
I met both John Wesley and Richard Barbieri after the show, who were more than accommodating to the fans. I got to pay my respects to both talented artists and then it was off to Tampa! I left feeling absolutely blown away, and unsure how Tampa would compare.