Taking It Down a Notch

Last night, I went to see the band Portishead in concert. I was not at all familiar with their music before being asked a while back if I wanted to go. When I went and listened to one of their older albums, I found them a difficult band to categorize.

In some ways, I heard touches of Evanescence in the band. The voice of the lead singer, Beth Gibbons, definitely reminds me of Evanescence's Amy Lee. But the comparison basically ends there. The music itself it much more low key, perhaps brushing against new age as Evanescence brushes against "nu metal."

There's probably not much point in me "reviewing" the concert in the traditional sense, because if you want to see them yourself, you probably can't now (unless you live in Europe). The English band almost never tours on this side of the Atlantic, and last night's show was the final one in this particular American tour. But it was a very different concert experience that I did feel I had to comment on.

Basically, this was the most mellow concert experience I've ever had. (Admittedly, my concert experience isn't all that great, though -- so take that with a grain of salt.) I couldn't help but contrast it with my recent night out to see Primus. Primus is just three people, in many ways making as much music as they possibly can. Portishead had six musicians on stage, making maybe half the sound of Primus. It was a study in restraint; measured instrumentation, threadbare riffs, atmospheric vocals. This is not to say that the experience was "less," but markedly different.

Usually, when I go to a concert, my eyes are peeled the entire time. I want to take in every part of the spectacle, watch how the musicians play, watch for fun people in the crowds -- everything. With Portishead, I felt the goal was not just to entertain, but to transport. I found myself wanting to just close my eyes and let the music pour over me, to feel the sonic vibrations and see the play of the lights behind my eyelids. Hmmm. Describing it, I admit that might sound a bit drug trippy. But I find myself hard pressed to describe the experience well.

I do know that I enjoyed myself, though. It was great to have a concert experience that wasn't all high octane, pulse-pounding backbeats. A fun and refreshing change of pace.