| Porcupine Tree - Offenbach, Germany (Thommi master) |
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| Notes |
| Recorded at the Capitol, Offenbach, Germany. Great audience recording. From the info file: Porcupine Tree 2007-06-30 Capitol Offenbach, Germany Taper: Thommi Location: ~25 meters away from stage, gallery (about 1 meter above the floor), behind the soundboard, center/right Source: Dynamic Audio Cardioids > DA-120F > Sony MZ-NH700 (mic in) Transfer: Digital - Sony MZ-NH700 (Hi-SP) > USB > SonicStage 3.2 > .wav > WaveLab 4.0/SoundForge 6.0 (normalizing, slight EQ, fades) > CD Wave (tracking) > FLAC Frontend 1.7.1 (level 8) > .flac CD version: CD1 -> Tracks 1-8; CD2 -> Tracks 9-18 FLAC version: 01 - Intro - 2:02 02 - Fear Of A Blank Planet - 7:35 03 - My Ashes - 5:49 04 - Anesthetize - 17:18 05 - Sentimental - 5:10 06 - Way Out Of Here - 7:41 07 - Sleep Together - 7:42 08 - interval decays - 5:58 09 - Lightbulb Sun - 6:02 10 - Open Car - 5:00 11 - Mellotron Scratch - 8:42 12 - Drown With Me - 5:30 13 - Blackest Eyes - 4:42 14 - Half Light - 5:44 15 - Sever - 5:15 16 - Even Less / encore break - 8:40 17 - Mother And Child Divided - 5:12 18 - Halo - 6:58 Total time: 121:00 Notes: I was really looking forward to my sixth Porcupine Tree concert and my first of the FoaBP tour. I drove to Offenbach (near Frankfurt/Main) with Heiko, a buddy of mine, and Dagobert - another taper - whom I picked up near the city of Wuerzburg. When we arrived at the Capitol, there were already lots of people waiting in the queue. The security guards were searching everyone, so it took us a while to finally get inside the venue. Dagobert sneaked in two rigs and was searched by three (!) guards, but they couldn't find anything in the end and let him in as well, though they somehow looked distrustful. Before the start of the show I met my fellow 'mastertape creator' kabi225, who was already standing near the right stacks, whereas he had originally planned to record from another spot. Details about this mystery can be read in his review! I decided to tape from the gallery, which is about one meter above the floor. To my surprise this place was already very packed, so I was a bit worried not to get a good taping position anymore. But then I spotted CT (greetings!) - one of the (at least) seven tapers this night - at the barrier behind the soundboard. This place is almost perfect for taping as you are above the audience and therefore get the direct sound and don't have any close/disturbing crowd noise *in front* of you. The support band Pure Reason Revolution began on time. I enjoyed some of their songs, but I would have much more if the sound had been better; especially the bass drowned out the other instruments. Furthermore, people close-by were talking a lot during their set, but the recording conditions got better for Porcupine Tree - CT on my left, Dagobert behind me and an older man who wasn't really saying a word, let alone clapping or cheering, on my right. The crowd in general was pretty quiet and respectful throughout, unlike other crowds who often can't shut up - specifically during ambient parts - and don't seem to go to a concert to primarily listen to the music. Anyway, I was lucky this time and it was probably the most relaxed and enjoyable taping job and concert in my 'career'. An almost perfect PA sound and a flawless performance by the band made this evening so much more special and unforgettable. It was also interesting to see Ian Bond doing his work and realize that he had everything under control. The setlist was no surprise, but I was pleased to hear the new album as a whole and 'Mellotron Scratch', a favourite song of mine, in the second half. I have the feeling that the band keeps getting better every time I see them - and every time you think they have reached their peak, they 'surprise' their audience with an even more powerful and breathtaking performance. My recording can be categorized as my best ever (besides Munich 2005). It is crystal clear on the high-end frequencies with in-your-face vocals and has a crisp low-end, though some people would most likely prefer more bass - well, turn it up then! After the concert I had a little chat with kabi225 (again) and a few other people and drove home with the certainty that this trip to Offenbach was worth every second and cent. It was also nice to meet Dagobert, who had never seen the band before and didn't know much of their material, but calls himself a PT fan now... Thommi - 'Creators of the Mastertapes - A Porcupine Tree Live Recording History' -< Do NOT encode to MP3 or any other lossy format!!! >- -< Do NOT equalize and/or torrent without permission!!! >- |