Steven Wilson and his band visited Massey Hall on March 1, making a night of horrible weather into a night of great music for the crowd. It is likely the poor weather caused a few empty seats, but nevertheless, the crowd remained at 2000-plus, and was the largest Ontario crowd Steven Wilson has performed to. It is certainly a far cry from his performance in 2003 at the Danforth Hall as leader of the band Porcupine Tree. This show was a double-headliner with Opeth, but apparently most of the crowd members were there to see Opeth. The venue was sold out, but after Opeth’s set, at least fifty percent of the crowd left, leaving only a few hundred to see the Tree.
Wilson’s show at Massey was divided into two sets (outlined below). The first consisted of his 2015 album Hand. Cannot. Erase performed in its entirety. Ninet Tayeb, the female guest-vocalist on the album, has been touring with Wilson’s band in North America, performing her parts as on the release. She also guested on one of the encores, a cover of David Bowie’s Space Oddity.
The show also included a handful of Porcupine Tree favorites, some going back 20 years (Dark Matter and Don’t Hate Me). While his recent statements (see our exclusive interview) confirm that he has moved on from writing and performing with his old band mates, he still considers this music an important part of career. Crowd response at the show indicated that so do his current fans.
There is no timeline as to when Steven will return to Canada, but his current momentum indicates that his Ontario fans can expect to see him frequently in the coming years.
Set 1:
Hand. Cannot. Erase (Steven Wilson album)
Set 2:
Dark Matter (Porcupine Tree) Harmony Korine
My Book of Regrets
Index (remix version) Lazarus (Porcupine Tree)
Don’t Hate Me (Porcupine Tree – new arrangement with Ninet Tayeb)
Vermillioncore
Sleep Together (Porcupine Tree)
Encore:
Space Oddity (David Bowie cover w/Ninet Tayeb) The Sound of Muzak (Porcupine Tree)
Steven’s Band:
Steven Wilson – Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards, Bass
Nick Beggs – Bass and Chapman Stick, Backing Vocals
Craig Blundell – Drums
Adam Holzman – Keyboards
Dave Kilminster – Guitar
Ninet Tayeb – Vocals
** Review by Kevin Barrie **
RELATED STORY: Interview: One on One with UK guitarist Steven Wilson
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All photos by Paul Barrie
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Steve Wilson:
Ninet Tayeb:
