Steven Wilson "Home Invasion - In Concert at the Royal Albert Hall" (BR+2CD, DVD+2CD) Oct 26/18

The rehearsals might have been edited and mastered SD/480p DVD spec. Not sure why - maybe to fit on the disc? Looks decent, but definitely jaggies.

 

Only thing I didn't like was the truncated version of "Even Less." It went nowhere for me (and was never a favorite from Stupid Dream, anyway).

 

Yeah, SW usually places his CD/DVD-a like from early Porcupine Tree Albums(not the recent Remastered Versions though), 'Hand Cannot Erase' Mini Deluxe Set and actually also for the recent release of 'Arriving Here.....' that was finally put out on BluRay in a Nice Hardback Book CD Size Packaging that is sturdy.

 

Hello,
This is my first post. I'm a great SW and PT fan and I've seen this show for 3 times and in February once again. This Blu-ray is awesome.

I have one problem with the surround Sound: it's only 4.1; my center speaker is noiseless. The Same behaviour as then BR 'Arriving some where. ..'. Has anyone else this Problem?

Greetings from Duisburg, Germany

 

Hi! Actually I think the center is used but not very much. Initially I thought it might be 4.1, but a few things came through - pretty sure the guitar solo from ‘The Creator Has a Mastertape’ comes through the center.

 

I have to say while I enjoy production, visuals, and of course the always stellar 5.1 and 2.0 audio mix, It's hard for me to get fully immersed in the music, most of it has to do with the musicians, specifically Craig Blundell's drumming, while a drummer myself I'm not doubting his talent, He's just not the best fit for Steven's band. Don't get me wrong, he's an incredible drummer! I just think his style fits more in the line of a maybe more pop based like a Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga. He's too busy with most of the songs, and doesn't give them the space or groove they deserve, granted Gavin and Marco are also "busy" drummers they are much more creative in the busyness. Haha! I also think they bring much more groove too the songs, especially Gavin. It's a shame that an Artist who has played with many incredible artist throughout their studio albums and goes on tour it's going to be hard to capture that "studio vibe" with different personal in the band. It would be killer to have PT play their own material live, as well as Marco and Guthrie join in for the albums they recorded.

Anyways, I've only listened half way...the performance is starting to grow on me. (Minus Craig) \,,/

 

Definitely a more "stereo" mix up front, were as "Anesthetize" had a more LCR feel, with the vocals were mixed in the center, much like Steven and PT studio 5.1 albums. I prefer the LCR feel, but also enjoy the mix of "Home Invasion" just not as much. I think "Anesthetize" is my favorite live 5.1 mix ever produced, it's without a doubt reference quality.

 

Wilson was always going have a bit of a "change/letdown" when the super band would start to fade away. I could not imagine Guthrie Govan staying for years if he were not made a more integral partner, but some of the parts he put down over two albums were just unbelievably superb. As good as his current guitarist is, it's just different.

I somewhat agree in regard to Blundell, but again, clearly Marco Minnemann has his own musical and songwriting ambitions so this wasn't going to be a long term fit unless it were extremely lucrative. Oddly, the guy who probably brought the most groove and sense of space to Steven's music was Chris Maitland (the first guy). I like them all, though, and think that Blundell is more than adequate. The idea of him being more of a pop drummer I think comes from some of the material. Steven has a great band, and I'm encouraged that he still makes room for fresh material in the sets (like Rush did for years). He's got enough great material to fill a 6 hour set (or more). But he hasn't yet yielded to doing a sort of greatest hits set. Instead, he rotates in past glories with sets that are heavy on his current music. Each tour you get something pretty different. Despite being in his 50s, I'd say this qualifies him for still being a current and relevant artist. Amazing that he's been at it for almost 30 years. Think about that relative to someone like The Rolling Stones. That's equivalent to about the Steel Wheels time, which was already long past their glory years and into large revue-like concerts heavy on the classics.

And it's not like Wilson ever went away during those 30 years. He's had some kind of new music just about every year, and sometimes more than one album's worth. It's a pretty remarkable career. Maybe it's good that he's never had a massive pop breakthrough because at this level he seems to be free to do almost anything he likes.

I really admire the guy. Met him once, and he's a nice person, too. Not nearly as dark as he comes across in the lyrics.

 

I knew this but I forgot, stupidly. Should have just bought the BR, I have no use for the CDs...

 

I sometimes work with video and this looks like 720 to me. I could be wrong. It's of course encoded as 1080 on the disc. Jaggies =/ encoding. You can smooth them, upscale or not. The bitrate of the encoding is similar to that of the main program. It's a rehearsal so of course same cameras, and originally filmed in 1080; my guess is they probably saved them in lower resolution not knowing they would be used on the final product. It's not a problem IMO.

 

Girlfriend and I watched the Blu-Ray last night and it was a lot of fun. I've only gotten in to Steven's music over the last two years but it clicked immediately with me. So I still don't know all of the deep Porcupine Tree cuts, or some of the more obscure b-sides, but I'm adding more titles and CD singles to my collection all the time. I'll definitely be watching this again soon, it was a great show.

 

Well said.

 

I would also say that "Hand. Cannot. Erase." Is may favorite all time record. It's a complete masterpiece in every aspect.

 

I'm also, for the first time going to see Steven and band live on November 17th for the first time. to say I'm excited! would be an understatement

 

Congrats, you will certainly enjoy the show.

I've seen PT & SW on nearly ever tour that has come through SoCal since In Absentia. Skipped The Incident and a conflict for To The Bone when it came through town last May. Your post made me look at the practicality of Spokane as I have a friend who recently moved to the Pacific NW and I should pay him a visit soon. Alas, Spokane is a good 5+ hours from Wilsonville, OR. Too bad.

 

I just purchase the Blu Ray and extract the 24bit 96khz 2-channel audio and build my own files for my DAP and media player at home. I don't feel it necessary to purchase to different mediums (Blu-Ray & Digital download) If the Blu Ray contains the same stream that I can extract. Although sometimes, in the case of "Hand. Cannot. Erase." having the box set was a necessity for me.

 

Same here.

I also love HCE. Listening with the book on hand moved me to tears.

 

And at that time of year, you have to factor in that the Columbia Gorge is not always safe driving. Is usually OK in November, though, and it's really Dec/Jan/Feb when you have to be very careful (and NEVER be in a hurry). Flying is probably he best way to make that trip in winter.

 

Ok, so it's no Bug it's a Feature and my Hardware has no defect.
I agree with you opinion to "Anesthetize". That's my live 5.1 reference too.

 

It sure is a pleasure to see Steven enjoying himself these days on stage.

 

Just FYI, the Blu-Ray stereo and the digital download stereo audio are not the same. The digital download was mixed and edited for the CD release (though can be purchased at 96/24), and it's made for stereo listening. The Blu-Ray stereo audio is mixed and edited differently and made for viewing with the video.

 

Interesting. Is the mix really different or is it just a matter of editing?

 

The track lengths and DR are different. I haven't done a direct A/B yet, but the download is not just a rip of the blu-ray audio.

 

Here's the DR from the 2-channel Blu-Ray rip: Album details - Dynamic Range Database

And here's my 96/24 purchase from HDTracks:

 

Appreciate the details, excellent advice but I will most certainly NOT be making the trip. Had the tour went to Portland, it'd have been a no brainer for me to catch a flight up there for the weekend.