Porcupine Tree - October 22, 2007

Late Sunday night, October 21st, the Cleveland Indians officially lost the chance to be in the 2007 World Series. Less than twenty-four hours later, all of the sorrow was washed away by a special event. One of our favorite bands put on another amazing show at one of our favorite venues. Porcupine Tree returned to the House of Blues for the second time this year simply because Cleveland rocks!

We haven’t missed a PT show since they came in with Opeth in the summer of 2003. Our twelve year old daughter has attended the last three shows with us – another avid fan of this excellent band.

Officially, Monday’s show was part of the second leg of the Fear of a Blank Planet Tour to support the album of the same name. PT has also released a mini-EP called ‘Nil Recurring’ that closely follows the musical style on ‘Fear.’ All but one of the four tracks on the EP were played, and roughly half of ‘Fear.’ The Cleveland show featured a good mix of tracks from the last few albums and some older tunes that went over very well with the crowd. We were treated to classics like ‘Dark Matter’, and a condensed/combined version of both phases of ‘The Sky Moves Sideways.’ One of my personal favorites, ‘Even Less,’ made its return this time around during the encore (which replaced a huge fan favorite – ‘Trains’).

Anyone that listens to or knows about Porcupine Tree should notice one thing straight away – the quality of the sound. PT is a band that really needs to be heard live to fully appreciate. Beginning with our first show in 2003, I’ve been immediately drawn to listen to the tunes played live long after the concert. Even though we’ve had ‘Nil Recurring’ for a few weeks, I hadn’t played it too often. Now that I’ve heard the tracks live, I can’t stop playing them in the car, at work, and at home. I find myself remembering how they sounded at the concert. Their presentation is professional and their musicianship is exceptional.

Many of their songs have a certain power and energy played live that simply can’t be experienced from the original recording. One of them in particular is ‘Sleep Together’. The backdrop of Richard Barbieri’s keyboard sound is so dark and foreboding; it simply overwhelms me with emotion, especially during the final few measures, at the climax of the performance. The epic, 17-minute masterpiece from the current album called ‘Anesthetize’ seems to have become a crowd favorite, and when played live, it’s easy to see why. They ended the show with another crowd pleaser called ‘Halo’, complete with over-the-top keyboard and vocal effects that give it a distinct edginess. It’s also one of my live favorites.

Porcupine Tree is: Steven Wilson – lead vocals, guitar; Gavin Harrison – drums; Colin Edwin – bass; Richard Barbieri – keyboards. During U.S tours, the excellent John Wesley also adds his vocal and guitar talent to the shows.

The set list was as follows:

What Happens Now?
Fear of a Blank Planet
The Sound of Muzak
Lazarus
Nil Recurring
Dark Matter
Anesthetize
Cheating the Polygraph
Open Car
A Smart Kid
Way Out of Here
Sleep Together

Encore:
The Sky Moves Sideways
Even Less
Halo

If you were at the Cleveland show, or any show for that matter, drop us a comment to share your experience with this awesome band!

Local Animal Shelter to Aid Rescue Efforts in Southern Ohio

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Photographed by Ferrets Unlimited Ferret Shelter.

Even though the shelter is crowded, understaffed and underfunded, the director of Northeastern Ohio's only ferret shelter is working to help a massive rescue effort in southern Ohio.

Ferrets Unlimited Ferret Shelter in Cleveland, Ohio has taken several truckloads of supplies down to Lynx, Ohio to assist the rescuers who took in over 700 ferrets from a breeder who was apparently unable to care for the animals properly. Various animal welfare groups and shelters have been trying to work with law enforcement to force this breeder to provide humane conditions for the animals, or cease operation.

Ferret's Dream House, a shelter in Lynx, Ohio agreed to take in over 700 neglected ferrets in an attempt to help them receive good homes around the country. This is a huge undertaking and caring for this large quantity of animals requires a large quantity of supplies.

If you are in the area and are interested in participating in this effort, Ferrets Unlimited is planning to take another truck down there on Wednesday, October 03, 2007 at 8:00 am.

They are gathering donations of heavy duty welding gloves, disposable rubber gloves, water (for volunteers), garden hoes, heavy duty push brooms, heavy duty garbage bags, energy bars (for the volunteers), cereal bars (for the volunteers), floor squeegees not wider than two feet, newspaper without the shiny ads, paper towels, laundry soap, bleach, Wal-Mart gift cards (Wal-Mart is the only store near the shelter) , pieces of fleece cut to about 8 x 18 (to cover the wire in the cage and a blanket), and trash bags.

Donations can be dropped off at Ferrets Unlimited, 4116 Bucyrus Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44109. Both shelters are 501c3 charities, so your donations are tax deductible.

It's so amazing to see the way that people in our area work together to help others in need, despite the fact that some of those that give the most, have their own hardships.