Portishead, 1st Bank Center, October 27, 2011
by Allison Diekhoff/Photo by Rob Lee
There’s something you should know before you read any further … I am a longtime Portishead fan (so I am about to rant and rave about the prodigious “epicness” of seeing Portishead, live). I know, epicness isn’t a word, but if you saw them, live, I think you’d agree that it should be. Portishead is one of those UK bands that rarely tours. In the past fourteen years they have only played two shows in the United States (one in 1997 at the Roseland Ballroom, and one at the Coachella Festival in 2008), so you can only imagine my excitement upon learning of their 2011 tour.
While Portishead can be pounding and incessant like a mildly controlled panic attack, they are also soft and hauntingly sweet. The albums sound even better, live, which is rare indeed. From the first notes of “Silence” through the end of their final song “We Carry On,” I was hypnotized by Beth Gibbons’ whisper-like crooning. Over half of the set list was from Third, Portishead’s most experimental and electronic album, but they also played a few Portishead staples including “Mysterons,” which had the whole crowd sultrily swaying, “Sour Times,” “Glory Box,” “Cowboys,” which is a personal favorite with its scratchy samples and guitar pangs, “Roads,” “Over,” and an acoustic version of “Wandering Star” that was emotionally gripping.
The black and white video backdrop impressed me as well, marrying perfectly with the unnerving dissonance of each song as it shifted, shook, and paused erratically, and eventually synced with the rhythm of the music. I felt as though I was wading through a slow-motion bad dream where I was walking down an old dusty hallway with no end. I watched it for a few minutes before I finally wrapped my head around the concept that the shots of the band on the screen were actually live.
The entire show felt like being in a trance as Portishead made excellent use of the 1st Bank Center’s amazing new sound system. Especially noteworthy was “Machine Gun,” as a collective gasp burst from the crowd when the face-melting bass bombarded our eardrums in a most delicious way.
Portishead played to an incredibly diverse (and polite) crowd as everyone seemed to be there for one common reason: to revisit a profound soundtrack from their pasts. Extra special thanks goes out to the extremely tall person who generously moved out of my way, and to his girlfriend whose excited jumping up and down at the start of each song warmed my heart because “I love Portishead, too!” If I had to offer criticism, it would be the absence of “Only You” and “All Mine” from the set list. Regardless, this fan is pleased, pleased, pleased.
Category: Planet Buzz
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