March 12, 2005 Grape Street Pub, Philadelphia

We left Baltimore at around 2:30pm and headed on up to Philly. We didn't hit much traffic because it was a Sunday. We made it to the Grape Street Pub on the other side of Philadelphia by around 4:30pm. The staff at the pub were cool, and they let us hang out and listen to the soundcheck which was nice because the band played "Scars" which they had not played on this tour yet. (And they never did.). I ran into a few people who were also waiting. One guy named George was one half of an incredible duo called Science Friction that makes soundtrack music. Another person I ran into was Geoff Kieffer who ran the US street team. He was putting up Blackfield posters and gave me one.


They finally let us in and I got my usual spot by the stage and started talking to some folks that came down for the show from upstate New York. I also saw Joe Del Tufo from Studio M who was there to film this evening's show for a possible DVD release like the "Piss Up In A Brewery" DVD they did for Marillion.
He also tipped me off that Porcupine Tree would be back around in May at the Trocodero in Philly.

The show began and Steven Wilson came out. This time with no shoes which seemed much more normal. There were a few jokers in the crowd with signs and call outs for requests Linton Samuel Dawson. Steven seemed slightly amused, but he knew that wasn't on tonight's agenda. Instead, he played the opening song, "Even Less," on electric guitar. Then, after that, he debuted a brand new song called "Christenings" which I remember being on the list of songs that Porcupine Tree had just recorded during their Deadwing sessions. The song was beautiful to my ears. "I met you in a record store..." After it was over, Steve switched to keyboards for two songs, the latter being "Lullaby," one of the songs from the Blackfield album that had not shown up yet on this tour. Then, he closed his set with the haunting "The Day Before You Came" on acoustic guitar.


Then, a few minutes later, the whole band came out and it was a count, 1,2,3,4, and we were back in the Blackfield again. The trio continued playing the songs from the album as well as "Cover Version I" and the two new songs "Epidemic" and "Miss U." The setlist order was similar to what they had been playing at the other shows with the exception of bringing "Feel So Low" back into the main set and only encoring with "Pain (Again)" this time with an even longer and spacey intro by Jordan Rudess. The whole time, during both sets, the studio M guys had been filming away with two cameras up close next to the stage and a few cameras back behind the crowd.


After the show, the guys all came out and greeted the crowd and very kindly signed the many different things that people had brought along with them. And, they graciously posed for a few pictures with some folks. (Like me!) I got my newly acquired poster signed by Aviv and SW. (Thanks Geoff!) It's now in a frame hanging on my dining room wall. Jason also took a few pictures at this show since the staff was so relaxed about it. There were quite a few photographers at that show if I remember correctly. There were also lots of photos of Steven Wilson playing guitar, but this tour was the first time I ever saw him playing keyboards and it was nice to have that memory.

SET LIST

STEVEN WILSON SET
Even Less
Christenings (debut)
How Is Your Life Today?
Lullaby
The Day Before You Came

BLACKFIELD SET
Blackfield
Glow
The Hole In Me
Pain
Summer
Thank You
Epidemic
Miss U
Cloudy Now
Feel So Low
Hello

ENCORE
Pain (again) (With an extended spacey keyboard intro by Jordan Rudess)

March 10, 2005 Canal Room, New York City

We got into New York City at about 3:30pm. I was still buzzing from last night, having seen SW play "The Day Before You Came" just inches from my face. We checked into our hotel and then scouted out where The Canal Room was located. It is not very well marked, but I saw Aviv walking around, talking on his cell phone, so we figured that we were close. We finally found where it was, then we went to get a bite to eat before the long, cold wait outside.

Unlike at the Middle East Club the previous night, we did have to wait outside in the cold for a while. (The early bird gets the best spot!) It didn't seem so awful though. This was the first time that I met Moonloop and her husband who was waiting in the cold while she stayed warm in the car in a prime parking space in front of the club. We all talked as the time went by and a crowd developed behind us. I also remember talking to a woman who was there from Aviv's fan base. She told us that she was going to leave her boyfriend for him because he was the sexiest man in the world. She described him as being perceived as more of a radical like Marilyn Manson in his own country.

Finally, they let us in which was good because the front of the line really had to use the facilities, and we were cold. We grabbed our precious up-close-to-the-front places and took turns finding the restrooms in this posh, little club. I think someone said it's the kind of place where P-Diddy has an elegant posse get-together in. I remember Moonloop telling me her first verbal encounter with SW was to ask him where the restroom was.


The show started and SW came out wearing shoes again. I think that there was a walk to the stage from the downstairs, backstage area. He then proceeded to play his solo set taking a lengthy pause to explain to the crowd that anything you need to know about writing good pop music you can learn from listening to The Beatles, The Beach Boys and ABBA. This caused some laughter from the crowd. I still love my Abba Gold CD though and I believe SW. The songs are melodically infectious. After SW's set and a short break, Aviv and Jordan Rudess joined him when he returned to the stage and with those first few piano notes from Jordan we were off again into the Blackfield.


The set list was similar to the Cambridge show. They played most of the Blackfield album with a few new songs and "Cover Version I." Just as it had been at the Middle East Club the night before, the crowd was split between Aviv's fan base and SW's. There were also a lot of women at both shows, not the usual crowd of Prog Nerd Disciples that usually follow Mr. Wilson around. We did note that some of the drunk girls were hitting on the Prog Nerds who, like myself, were fixated on SW and couldn‘t be bothered. I was right in front of him, listening to that Bad Cat purr and I really was getting a feel for the new Blackfield songs after only just two listens, especially "Epidemic." For this show, they did the most rocking version of "Feel So Low" I have ever heard during in the encore along with "Pain (Again)" which had an extended keyboard intro from Jordan this time.


Thinking that after the encore, SW and Aviv would get out fast and enjoy NYC, we took off shortly after the show ended. I did manage to get the set list though, which gave me the new song titles and made a great souvenir from that magical evening. Unfortunately, I found out later that they all came out and greeted the fans that stuck around and they even signed stuff. I think that Moonloop might have a picture or two from that meet and greet. It wasn't a big deal. I would get to see them in Philadelphia again two days later.

The Canal Room had a very relaxed policy on picture taking, so my traveling companion took the opportunity to capture this moment in Blackfield history (their 1st NYC gig) for posterity purposes.



SET LIST

STEVEN WILSON SET
Even Less
Smart Kid
How Is Your Life Today?
Moment I Lost
The Day Before You Came

BLACKFIELD SET
Blackfield
Glow
The Hole In Me
Pain
Summer
Thank You
Epidemic
Miss U
Cloudy Now
Hello

ENCORE
Feel So Low
Pain (again) (With an extended keyboard intro by Jordan Rudess)

March 9, 2005 Middle East Club, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Baltimore, Maryland - Early 2005

The time was early 2005. I'd already had an import version of the first Blackfield CD for a while now even though an American version was only just now being released. To promote the release of the CD in America, the band scheduled a few U.S. shows with Steven Wilson as the opening act. Being from Baltimore, I had already planned to see the Philadelphia and D.C. area shows. When the dates were announced, however, and I realized that the Boston area show was the day after my 38th birthday, I decided to throw caution to the wind and spend my birthday week In The Blackfield. Wouldn't you?

So, tickets were purchased, hotels were booked and I crossed my fingers that there wouldn't be a huge snowstorm like the kind that can happen in that area of the country around early March.

Then, the announcement came that due to problems obtaining visas, not all of the Blackfield band members were going to be able to get into the U.S. Instead, it would be more of an acoustic evening with special guest keyboardist, Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess, joining Steven Wilson and Aviv Geffen. This didn't really negatively affect our plans. I thought it all sounded even more intimate and special. The day of the show finally arrived. The weather was cold, but there was no snow. We made our six hour journey up north into even cold lands.

Cambridge Massachusetts - March 9, 2005


We got there and checked into our hotel and got some information about where the Middle East Club was located. After a short rest and some food, we made our way into downtown Cambridge where the streets aren't well marked and it is incredibly difficult to find a parking space. How we did it I'll never know, but we found a place to park and made it to the club.


The Middle East Club is one of those places where you can have a band playing upstairs and a band playing down in the basement at the same time. I liked it, because they were nice enough to let us Blackfielders, who showed up early to get a good spot for the show, wait inside out of the freezing cold. There were a few folks already waiting when we showed up. We began chatting with them as we waited for the doors to the basement stage to open. We didn't realize it at the time, but we would end up seeing some of these same fine folks every time that we traveled up here to see Porcupine Tree time in the future.

One of these guys was the drummer for a local Progressive Rock band called Time And Tide whose name was also Steve. And, there was also a street teamer there named Cyndi. She was with her significant other named Steve and with her son named, you guessed it, Steve. I had to laugh as I told them my name was Steve as well and that we were all waiting to see Steve. Cyndi was handing out Blackfield stickers to the crowd which was really nice of her. There was also a guy there from Montreal who had traveled about as many hours South for this show as we had traveled North. I didn't get his name though.


As we waited, the band was downstairs trying to get things together having just teamed up with Jordan Rudess around 4pm that afternoon. From behind the closed doors, we heard them run through "The Hole In Me" and "Blackfield."

Finally, the music stopped and the doors opened and they started letting the sizeable crowd that had gathered into the basement of the Middle East Club. We were one of the first few let down and we gathered right in front of the stage. In fact, most of the whole front row was made up of Steves with the exception of Cyndi .

I did make a stop by the merchandise table where I picked up one of the few remaining Blackfield T-shirts from the European tour. They went fast and then there were none left for the rest of the US tour. We waited patiently until finally, a door opened on the left side of the stage and out walked Steven Wilson in a sharp looking sport coat and shoes?!? This was one of the few times I have ever seen SW play in shoes. I've never seen him wear shoes at a Porcupine Tree show. The stage was kind of scary though. A few old cigarette butts and maybe even a few sharp pieces of trash. SW greeted the enthusiastic crowd and prepared his guitar for his first chords back on US soil. But, as he started to play the opening of Even Less, before he could even sing a note, a guitar string broke. He apologized and since he hadn't really even started yet, he retreated back through the door he had entered from to restring his guitar.

He came out again five minutes later and this time, things went much better as he played through a few Porcupine Tree tunes and a Cover Versions A-side and a B-side. He switched instruments as he played, starting with electric guitar and then over to Aviv's side of the stage for some keyboards (the first time I had ever seen him do that) and then to acoustic guitar for the forever haunting "The Day Before You Came" for which I was directly in front of him. I can still feel chills when I listen to it remembering that evening. Then, he ended his set and he told the crowd that Blackfield would be out momentarily.

A few moments later, Steven, Aviv Geffen and Jordan Rudess came onstage to our happy applause. Things quieted down as Jordan played the opening notes to the first song, "Blackfield." As SW and Aviv gently strummed their first magical guitar chords, we were off into that special melancholic place we call the Blackfield. The band continued playing songs from the debut album with SW playing electric guitar and singing while Aviv switched between acoustic guitar, keyboards and vocals. They played most of the Blackfield album, "Cover Version I", the PT song ,"Feel So Low" and a few new songs including "Epidemic" and "Miss U." SW made a few comments about the tuning of Aviv's guitar and even did an impromptu tuning for him. Aviv's attitude was "this is rock and roll, and we are here to rock, not stay in tune." This was very humorous to the crowd considering his band mate's reputation for high quality music. The show ended all too quickly. There is only one album of material, after all. They encored with a longer, more rocking version of "Pain" which had been played earlier in the set. I called this version "Pain (Again)."

After the show, we waited around to see if Steve or Aviv would hang out and sing autographs and chat. Aviv, with a woman at his side, exited pretty quickly. I never saw SW though. It had been a long day and I still had three more shows to go on this tour. I figured that SW didn't really want to or have to do any fan favors tonight. Why should he have to? His job is to play music, and he did that. Now, go home or back to the hotel in our case. So, I gathered some e-mail addresses from my new friends and did just that.

SET LIST

STEVEN WILSON SET
Even Less
Smart Kid
How Is Your Life Today?
Moment I Lost
The Day Before You Came

BLACKFIELD SET
Blackfield
Glow
The Hole In Me
Pain
Summer
Thank You
Epidemic
Miss U
Cloudy Now
Feel So Low
Hello

ENCORE
Pain (again)

In The Blackfield

I got into all of the different musical projects of Steven Wilson in the 1990’s through listening to Porcupine Tree. You can read about P-Tree on my Adventures Under The Porcupine Tree blog although it’s still a work in progress. I have seen Porcupine Tree in concert 23 times now, so it seems like a little lofty of an ambition to try to transcribe written notes and memories for all of that, but I’m trying.

Blackfield, on the other hand, I have seen only 6 times so far. That seems a little more manageable. And, with another handful of live dates coming up, I thought I should get things down before I forget.

My name is Steve, and my traveling companion is Jason. We go to all of these shows because we LOVE the music. I write the blogs to preserve the memories and to share with those who weren’t there.

For Absent Friends...