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Concert Fri Oct 14 2011
Review: Portishead @ Aragon Ballroom, 10/12
There are some things in life that are worth the wait. Yes, I wish I would have seen Portishead before now and yes I wish they put out albums more frequently, but if that was the case, would I love and respect their work as much as I do? Clearly their craft is a labor of love, each album carefully worked on until they see perfection in their vision, and the same can be said for their live show. Production wise it was near perfect, from the lighting to the quality of the sound (amazing since the Aragon is usually plagued with horrible acoustics) to the spot on perfection of each musician's part all set to a background of a perfect mix of visuals.
From the first galloping drum beats and strained instrumentals of "Silence," the band set a dichotomy for the night of breathy sensual sound pushing and pulling against the unnerving sense of stress and vulnerability in their music. Everything about the night was dense and rich. This mood was perfectly encapsulated when they performed a stripped down version of "Wandering Star" that lead into the precise staccato of "Machine Gun." With "Wandering Star," Beth Gibbons voice bloomed over the silently stunned audience, total control over each note. As Geoff Barrow methodically plunked out the stark bass line, the entire room was entranced by this most simple arrangement. Before the room could digest it all, the band launched into the sonically assaulting "Machine Gun," a sense of urgent pressure rose with every note, as a static visual of a slow moving camera pans down a desolate hallway, moving closer with each beat towards a locked door. The whole performance of this track was a perfect blend of intensity and paranoia, a backdrop for a dystopian world. This isn't just a band playing a song, it is an art collective at it's finest, blending various mediums to create that "a-ha" moment for the audience.
Two crowd favorite followed, first the stark into sensual "Over" followed by the slow burn sexual charged "Glory Box." Gibbons clung to the microphone as she coo'd "I just want to be a woman" and every girl I saw around me was slowly moving their hips back and forth, knowing exactly what she meant. The sexual tension of this song is palatable, each hiccuped breathy lyric tumbles out like it's on the verge of a full force climax. By the time the song drops into the heavy bass beat, like the floor falling out from underneath you, it's one hell of a ride.
The band knows when to turn up the pace as they dove right in to the new wave friendly single "Chase the Tear," and kept the abrasive electronic vibe going with "Cowboys," one of the few tracks they played off their self titled album. The set mainly showcased Third, an album US audiences have never seen on tour, and classic favorites from Dummy. As the set ended with "Thread," Gibbons finally spoke, thanking the crowd and doing an adorably awkward bow.
After much stomping, the band returned and played "Roads" and closed the night with a rowdy version of "We Carry On" which found Gibbons leaping over to the soundboard and climbing down to run along the photo pit high fiving and shaking hands with the front row. The band spends so much of their set in such an intense concentration on their craft, it's nice to see them relax towards the end and really enjoy their rapt fan base. I hope it's not another decade before I can see Portishead again live, but at least I know for sure that the wait was indeed definitely worth it.
