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Rating: I had been eagerly waiting to see the band that, along with Dream Theater, introduced me to the progressive scene, turning me into a full-fledged progster; but equally strong was the fear that I wouldn't find anyone who had come with me to attend the event. So much so that buying the ticket was a matter of life or death for me, and it happened without first having clear information about who was coming and who wasn't. I thought, during the assessment phase, that it was better to let the unmissability of the event and the resulting possibility of regretting not having attended outweigh the possibility of meeting certain people I hadn't seen for a long time. But then I got the good news that the people who had attended with me the last Milanese concerts of Dream Theater and Transatlantic would be coming; exciting news since the idea of seeing a concert practically alone didn't excite me much.
We entered when the Beardfish, another Swedish progressive rock band supporting this tour, were already on stage; we immediately noticed the small size of the venue, which was actually a discotheque (which I never frequented with my company, because we were used to always going to the same disco) considered by many to be unsuitable for rock/metal concerts, as well as the still scant audience presence which would increase a little later, filling the place; in any case, I think a band like PoS deserves a much larger place and audience, but I am immediately convinced that the evening will impress everyone!
After enjoying the brief performance of Beardfish and taking advantage of the break for some photos (among ourselves, as well as of the stage and the set showing the image of the band present on the cover of "Road Salt")... here are the PoS climbing onto the stage and warming everyone up with an initial duo of tracks from "Remedy Lane": first the opener "Of Two Beginnings" and then the splendid "Ending Theme". This is the start of a setlist that we all knew by heart or almost, as it had undergone minimal variations during the various previous evenings. Right after that comes a classic from the band's historic first album "Entropia": it's "People Passing By", always performed brilliantly by the band.
And when it's time to play something from the new album, Daniel Gildenlow wants to draw the audience's attention to himself by shooting out some deliberately stupid phrases that incite laughter from those who understand, giving a couple of nods to the beginning of the next song and urging the audience to keep their arms folded, almost as if he were threatening not to continue the evening... this is a demonstration of how intimate the band's performances often give space to their more fun and joking side. But finally, after numerous hints, they decide to perform "Linoleum", from the latest controversial album "Road Salt", which had indeed faced its criticisms but from the public's behavior during the performance it didn't seem like that; the audience was actually very present and lively. And they are even more present during "Ashes", from the masterpiece "The Perfect Element Part. I", especially during the energetic chorus, which the band tends to perform with more emphasis and aggressiveness than on the album; one of the moments when I got the most excited; a moment that continues great with "Diffidentia", the only track in the setlist from the incredible album "BE", which shows the band and audience going wild and a very expressive Gildenlow in his movements; pure emotion then descends on the audience at the end. And I wonder why from "BE" they limit themselves to only playing this track despite the other excellent songs present in it; but it seems to be the track most suitable for being performed live.
Next comes more material from the first album "Entropia", first the short intro "Welcome To Entropia", entrusted to a tape, which prepares for "Winning A War" always with a modification of the break before the final surge, similarly to what happened in the acoustic live "12:5"
And now we dedicate some time to material from the latest album "Road Salt". First "No Way", then the delicate and intimate "Road Salt" performed splendidly by Daniel and the keyboardist Fredrik Hermansson (probably the least flashy and most reserved member on stage): soft lights and a few lighters in the wind for this moment of great sentimental impact.
"Of Dust" is instead entrusted to a tape; it's a shame because it could have resulted in another warm and welcoming performance similar to that of "Road Salt". This moment is taken advantage of to prepare something truly exceptional on stage: in fact, something that seems similar to a refrigerator but is actually a kind of pulpit, an altar, is placed at the center of the stage; and the sheets placed behind the positions of bassist Per Schelander and guitarist Johan Hallgren, as well as the one on the pulpit, are unrolled... forming the acronym RS1, with a character on each sheet, in lowercase, circled, thus forming the acronym of the title of the latest album. And on that altar, Gildenlow, well accompanied by the lights projected on him, climbs up to intone "Kingdom Of Loss", the only track in the setlist from the penultimate album "Scarsick".
And we're nearing the end. Daniel climbs the stairs and looks down from the balcony (the one that leads to the private area during the evenings, if I'm not wrong) and from there he performs, accompanied by Hermansson, "Falling", the short intermezzo inserted as the penultimate track of "The Perfect Element Part. I", and everyone turns to the left to watch from below the splendid execution of the solo, extended beyond four minutes (only 1:50 the original duration); it is the opening track, as on the album, to "The Perfect Element"; once again a performance of great emotional impact, one of the most moving moments of the evening for me, concluded by the pleasant percussion challenge that sees the various band members (except the keyboard player, if I remember correctly) in front of drummer Léo Margarit (debuting on the album "Road Salt" after Johan Langell's departure).
And it doesn't end here! A brief return to backstage and here they are back on stage for the encore, with Daniel who has changed, abandoning the girlish hairstyle he wore for most of the live and wearing the tour t-shirt, which he presents in what could easily be labeled as "3 minutes of Media Shopping - with Daniel Gildenlow" and which he then passes to guitarist Johan Hallgren (whom I gladly photographed due to his always suffering expressions during solos) who tears it. This return is characterized by the audience's chants loudly calling for "Undertow" (album: "Remedy Lane") so much so that the members look at each other in the face and decide to please us; the track is not planned in the setlist, someone fears that the performance may not live up to it and instead... they once again prove us wrong and give us another moment of great emotion; the track is also performed this time in a different key from the original one and they forgo the final heavy surge, but nonetheless it moved us the same.
The closing, fortunately, is not entrusted to "Hallelujah" as happened on many previous evenings (the friend next to me jokingly threatened to leave the place early if that happened) but to "Nightmist", from the first album "Entropia", where they do not fail to surprise again with reggae improvisation in the central instrumental part and with another blues-flavored one in the final.
And thus a great evening ends for us. PoS once again prove to be a great live band! Two hours of music and emotions in the company of musicians who may not be flashy from a technical point of view compared to other bands but are extremely exceptional, especially from an introspective point of view. Absolutely remarkable also the setlist, which gave space to the new tracks but also to tracks that have now become classics of the band; the only flaw in it could be found in not giving space to even a single track from "One Hour By The Concrete Lake", a notable album in the band's discography but which, as far as I can understand, they often leave out of setlists (as for example in the acoustic "12:5").
And we return home (after the last photos among friends and after buying the shirts) with great satisfaction but also with a series of questions (at least I, the others then I don't know): in front of an evening like this... what's the point of regretting the Festivalbar? What's the point of spending 80 euros for Lady Gaga? And how do sold-out shows for Gigi D'Alessio make sense?
A band like this does not deserve such a limited audience, where entire stadiums and arenas are filled they should be there, not the aforementioned ones! But in music, I know there will never be meritocracy, well-rounded artists will always be snubbed, and those more sold to the market always praised like saints. Luckily there are people like us who use their brains and recognize who really deserves attention and who is just the umpteenth stereotyped supermarket banality!
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