ANESTHETIZE

If you expect to watch this video and see Steven Wilson, Richard Barbieri, Colin Edwin, Gavin Harrison, and John Wesley dancing around, acting flamboyant, interacting with the crowd, or trying to dredge up excitement, just know that's not going to happen. If you expect to see tricky video enhancements or fancy camerawork, don't get your hopes up too high. This video and performance is all about the music, nothing distracting (except for a lot of shots of the audience). But, this is not necessary. These things are usually done (at least in most popular music) in recorded live performances, or even non-recorded, to either distract from the fact that the music is lacking. That's not to say it's the only time it is done, but on run of the mill pop music, it is a ploy to make you love the entertainer or the mediocre music, to get your excitement up for the experience. But many times, this distracts from what should be the real "star" of the show, and that is the music. Yes, it's fun to have all of that, and it's even great when the music is excellent. But on this particular video, it's about the music more than it is about the performers.

Other than the fact that there is not a lot of "action" in a Porcupine Tree performance, the actual performances are amazing, the music is excellent and there are no distractions. There are some nice changes here and there in this live performance , but for the most part, the music is pretty close to the originals. It's a nice experience to see the performers performing and that is the main reason for this. Wilson's vocals are top rate, but you can tell they are in a live setting without additional takes and studio polish, and I actually find that a good thing. It gives the experience that uniqueness and makes things just different enough to justify buying a live version. I also like the rawer sound of vocals in this type of setting.

Another thing that stands out here is Wesley's background vocals. He is an excellent singer and it's good to hear him stand out a little more here. His higher pitched singing is a nice touch added to support Wilson's vocals. And, of course, its amazing to watch this excellent music being performed. I usually don't write reviews on videos because I am not familiar with the workings of cinematography, camera work and etc. But I can say that I enjoy this immensely,

For some reason, the last paragraph of this review got cut off when I sent it. I just summed things up saying that it is enjoyable to watch musicianship of this high caliber. But, even after my lecture on distractions, I have to admit that I like seeing some of that in a concert, it adds to the experience, it's just annoying when it's done to cover up a lack of talent. Some surprises, interaction with the audience, and more uniqueness in the music would have made this a 5 star recording. Even with great music, it's okay to use distractions once in a while to help make an experience memorable. Just know that this particular recording is all about the music and even with that, it's still deserving of 4 stars.