By Cam LindsayWord of advice for any artist struggling with ticket sales: hold off on touring for 13 years. This was the action taken by trip-hop pioneers Portishead, who rolled into Toronto for two sold-out nights at the 3,200-capacity Sound Academy. Of course, not every artist can afford to take a sabbatical and pick and choose when they perform live, but the Bristol crew definitely received a hero's welcome upon hitting the stage.
Accompanied with three extra players, Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons and Adrian Utley made up for not touring 2008's Third with a set that definitely favoured their latest LP like it was a new release. Walking on to that album's opening track, the six-piece settled in without addressing the crowd, and let the swirling psychedelia and giant "P" speak for them.
Almost immediately, the visuals began to steal the show: the live cameras captured the band using effects that did everything from multiplying and oversizing members to presenting a collage and scribbling over top of them. But performing with mostly live instrumentation, Portishead wasted little time demonstrating why they're still such a hot ticket.
Gibbons's otherworldly voice is unlike any other, and on stage, she has remarkable control of it. Jumping from the timid ("The Rip") to the impassioned soul ("Mysteron") to the seductive temptress ("Glory Box"), she made all of the transitions while keeping her laid-back charm intact.
Much like Gibbons, the band didn't break a sweat moving back and forth between their catalogue, despite 1994's Dummy sounding like day to Third's ominous night. No moment better exemplified this then their devolution from "Machine Gun" to "Glory Box." Fittingly squeezing Portishead's "Over" in between, "Machine Gun" confounded the sound system with its growling bass and titular beats, while the way they brought back the beat after Gibbons's climactic "forever and ever" cry in "Glory Box" was just chest-crushing.
An encore of the heart-wrenching "Roads" and the motorik pulsations of "We Carry On" brought the night to a dizzying and emotional close. For a band as triumphant, poignant and exhilarating on stage as Portishead, it's a shame they don't do this touring thing more often. But then, that's what makes moments like this so memorable. And there's no way anyone will forget night like this.
Posted by Nameless Poseur On 2011-10-11 13:26:57An amazing show indeed. Great set-list and brilliantly performed. At one point I wondered if I would ever have the chance to see them live and I was thrilled when I heard they would be stopping into TO.
The only thing I can't figure out is why bands like (ex: Massive Attack) this keep getting brought to this awful venue. The sound isn't great (I actually thought Beth's voice was drowned out at times), and the sight lines are terrible. You either move towards the back and enjoy the show with a bad view, or move up to the front and deal with neanderthals knocking into you to walk past or barge in front of you.
Posted by CamLindsay On 2011-10-11 14:14:31If I could have written 300 words just about how much I hate the Sound Academy I would have. My mind was going back and forth about how amazing Portishead were and how awful that venue is. Thankfully, the band won out in the end and put on what I think is one of the best shows I've ever seen.
Posted by Nameless Poseur On 2011-10-11 16:18:31Totally, I had the same thoughts throughout.
I walked out before Massive Attack ended when I saw them at Sound Academy last year. 2 weak opening acts which resulted in *ridiculously* long stage-reconfigurations, and a huge hour long delay before MA even took the stage, I was ready to leave before they even started. By the time they came on, even more sweaty ignorant people managed to forcefully jam themselves in front of me; right then I was ready to write off the venue forever. It took Portishead, along with the rarity of their tours, to get me back in that crap hole.
Posted by Nameless Poseur On 2011-10-11 16:48:07I agree with everyone else thus far about how disgraceful the sound was to the calibre of these artists. I got knocked over and shoved so many times, my peers hit and shoved into the crowd. Ridiculous. Portishead was the only reason I returned back to such an awful venue.
Posted by Nameless Poseur On 2011-10-11 17:43:45Yeah, not only is the sound academy inconvenient, its straight up not a nice venue. I stood by the front of house in hopes of good sound. It was passible, but not great.
I was talking to the band after the show and they felt weird about playing this venue(because they'd heard so much negative feedback about it), and apparently they were looking for something bigger and better but there wasn't a suitable venue available when the tour was being booked. Where do you put a band that can bring 6000-10000 people though?
Posted by Nameless Poseur On 2011-10-11 18:27:04http://www.youtube.com/wa... Posted by Nameless Poseur On 2011-10-12 17:49:30They should have played at Massey Hall
Posted by Nameless Poseur On 2011-10-12 22:43:43Massey Hall is smaller capacity than Sound Academy. They'd have to had played a multi-night stint at Massey Hall (probably at least 3 nights) just to accommodate the demand for tickets.
Michael
For the records
http://mligon08.blogspot....ps. a bit of self promotion, but I was lucky enough to get a photo pass for the show...check out my photos
http://www.flickr.com/pho... Posted by Nameless Poseur On 2011-10-13 14:40:56Great performance, but oh how I despise Sound Academy. Massey Hall would have been FAR superior.
Posted by Nameless Poseur On 2011-10-13 14:40:59Great performance, but oh how I despise Sound Academy. Massey Hall would have been FAR superior.
CONCERT: Buck 65 - Venue, Vancouver BC May 18
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