Porcupine Tree
„We Lost The Skyline“
Digipack, Live CD. 2008.

And another review of an album by my declared favorite band. The live performance discussed here at the Park Avenue CDs Store, Orlando, is atypical for Porcupine Tree, which is better known for perfect productions. Because the whole band didn't fit on the stage, Steven Wilson played half of the 33-minute recording alone, and his live guitarist John Wesley supported him on the rest. "Critics" criticize that the songs would sound unusually thin without the whole band. That the songs are also different and, above all, shorter. You can find out why I see it completely differently here.

Steven Wilson: Vocals, E-Guitar, Accoustic-Guitar.
John Wesley: Backing Vocals, E-Guitar.

Steven Wilson was and is said to appear distant from the audience during live performances. On the one hand, Steven says that the concerts are timed to ensure inner consistency and quality. It's about the music. This performance shows that Steven Wilson can do something different. He performs the eight songs with a relaxed, joking demeanor. Accompanied by himself and later by John Wesley, only electric and acoustic guitar. The eight songs, from "The Sky Moves Sideways", "Stars Die", "Drown with Me" to the closer "Trains", are wonderfully reduced, some with different riffs and shorter. The songs prove their quality precisely because they sound rawer and more improvised. The quality is still high. And songs like the beautiful "Stars Die" sound completely different acoustically. Suddenly Steven Wilson's lyrics really come into their own. So my conclusion is short: Porcupine Tree reduced to the private, homely atmosphere of 200 listeners, reduced to vocals, guitars and lyrics. A contrast to the otherwise more timed, large live performances. One of my favorite Porcupine Tree albums.

Signify 1996
In Absentia 2002
Deadwing 2005
Fear Of A Blank Planet 2007
The Incident 2009
Anesthetize – Live In Tilburg 2008
We Lost The Skyline Live 2008
Octane Twisted Live 2012
Closure/Continuation Live 2022

The photos are all from my CD. The rights to all motifs, logos, texts and fonts that can be seen in the photos are of course owned by the copyright holder.