Blackfield - NYC (Live In New York City)
Performance
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Blackfield - NYC (Live In New York City)
Performance
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Blackfield is the side project of Porcupine Tree frontman Steve Wilson and Israeli pop star Aviv Geffen. The two struck up a friendship back in 2000 when Geffen invited Porcupine Tree to play some shows in Israel, and they have continued to work together ever since. In 2004, they released the results of these collaborations in the form of an extraordinary new album called Blackfield. Over the course of the last five years Porcupine Tree have steadily climbed to the top of my favorite band list. During this period they released three remarkable albums, a terrific concert DVD, and performed three of the most exhilarating concerts I have ever witnessed. So I started to get a little worried when Wilson began focusing most of his attention on this new band of his, instead of where it really belonged - with Porcupine Tree. But have no fear PT fans. Steve Wilson has plenty of talent and creativity to go around. Not only did he follow the debut Blackfield album with one of Porcupine Tree's finest albums and tours to date, Fear Of A Blank Planet, but in early 2007 he also released the follow-up Blackfield II album, which was even better than the first. On the heals of some overwhelming critical and fan acclaim for both Blackfield albums, the band embarked on a short European and U.S. tour to show off the goods. Blackfield Live In New York City was recorded during the Blackfield II tour, on March 16th, 2007, at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City. The touring version of the band features three talented Israeli musicians, Eran Mitelman (keyboards), Seffy Efrati (bass), and Tomer Z (drums), joining Geffen and Wilson onstage. The video cuts right to the chase, focusing in on Tomer Z, as he kicks off the opening drum riff to "Once". Being the only one onstage at this point, he extends the riff an extra minute while Wilson casually walks out onstage, straps on his Paul Reed Smith, and launches into the song's crunchy opening guitar riff. Moments later the rest of the band joins in on this intense opening number, and you immediately get the sense that this show is going to be something very special. Blackfield's music is a mellower, more melancholic, pop-rock version of Porcupine Tree. I am a bigger fan of PT's heavier, more progressive style, but each band satisfies a different itch. They are like the difference between Led Zeppelin and Robert Plant's solo material. Both have a familiar ring, but they are sonically world's apart. You are not likely to hear any Blackfield songs played at an NHL arena to pump up the home team. We'll leave that for AC/DC. Geffen shares songwriting credits nearly equally with Wilson, and his lyrics are notably darker, and often depressing. I am not the biggest fan of his vocals either, which are heavily accented and very dramatic. Of the songs he sings lead on, they really take some getting used to, but he and Wilson's vocals sound absolutely amazing when harmonized together, and that is what really gives Blackfield their unique sound. Geffen wears some garish, silver glitter, eye shadow throughout the show, and by the end of the set he had also stripped off his shirt to reveal a scrawny, pasty, torso that only his most dedicated fans could appreciate. I don't know what Geffen's normal trip is, but someone needs to tell him that he is in Blackfield now, not My Chemical F'ing Romance. The setlist covers all but four songs from the two Blackfield albums, and also features an unexpected cover of Alanis Morissette's "Thank You". Wilson sings this one accompanied only by Geffen on piano, and his vocals were some of the most poignant and powerful I have heard out of him. He truly makes the song his own, and it ends up being a surprising highlight of the show. The set alternates effectively between rockers like "Once", "Epidemic", and "Open Mind", and some of the most gorgeous ballads you will ever hear, a few of my favorites being "Someday", "1,000 People", and "My Gift Of Silence". In a rather strange move, they reprised the open number, "Once", during the encore, before closing the show with a stunning "Cloudy Now". I guess it was cool for those who showed up late - or really, really, like the song. The songs sound heavier and slightly less refined live, but still maintain all of the delicate nuances and lush harmonies that you experience on the albums. I found most of these performances to sound better than the original album versions, which is also often the case with Porcupine Tree. When I heard that Lasse Hoile was handed editorial control of this DVD, I immediately started to get worried. For the unfamiliar, Hoile does most of the album artwork and videos for Porcupine Tree, and he was also given creative latitude on the band's Arriving Somewhere... concert DVD. His unique style can be both gorgeous and bizarre, often simultaneously, but he nearly ruined Arriving Somewhere... with his over editing of that otherwise outstanding video. Fortunately for us, he did no such thing with this superbly filmed and edited Blackfield video. Thanks for the payback Lasse - just make sure you do the same for the next PT video. The DVD production quality was aces all around. I was already expecting a killer audio mix from Steve Wilson, and that is exactly what you get in the form of two dynamic DTS 5.1 surround and PCM stereo tracks. The video was clear and sharp as a razor, and the camera work could not have been handled better. The bonus material consists of the three promo videos, "Hello", "Pain", and "Blackfield", that were produced for the debut album, as well as a photo gallery. The DVD booklet also includes some color photos, but unfortunately that is all. A short write-up about the band would have been nice, or better yet, and interview with Steve and Aviv. The opening DVD menu may also shock some people in that it features a pre-9/11 NYC skyline with the WTC twin towers prominently on display. I say good for them. They should have already been rebuilt by now - even bigger! I highly recommend this new Blackfield DVD as well as the band's two albums. Look for it near the top of my Best of 2007 list. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - December 2007 |
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Running Time: 82 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - November 2007 |