PAT METHENY GROUP Vancouver Feb 25 2005 Q. E. Thtr

[StoneMtn]

This show was unbelievable. Although I went to see Pat Metheny, himself, this was truly the Pat Metheny Group. All seven musicians were among the most amazing to watch that I’ve ever seen.

The show started out with the band playing their entire new album, “The Way Up”. The album is more than an hour-long of jazzy, jammy fusion craziness, and they played it perfectly. There were a few technical problems that caused Pat’s guitar to mute at times, and that got his guitar-tech running on and off and around the stage. Pat laughed about it, but I think he was really displeased. As he put it, “These things happen, but did it have to happen during my huge guitar solo?” During the performance of “The Way Up”, Metheny’s guitar went from reminding me of Yngvie Malmsteen to Frank Zappa to Eddie Van Halen to Beethoven (if he played electrical guitar of course) to Steve Vai and the list goes on … and he did all of this while dressed like a glam-rocker from the late-‘80s, hair and all, which is of course his trademark look. Mind-blowing.

After they played their new album, the band broke down into smaller arrangements, invariably including Pat Metheny, usually including the drummer Antonio Sanchez, and almost as often including the keyboardist Lyle Mays. These smaller arrangements, and then eventually the whole band together again, played another hour and a half of incredible tunes, that I enjoyed more than the live version of “The Way Up”. That isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy the first half of the show; I just found the second half to be more upbeat and “kickin’”. I wish I could list the songs from the second half here, but I am a new Metheny fan, so I have no idea what they were. (Next time I see him I’ll do better; I promise.) There were further technical problems during the second set, and the show even ended with the band doing an encore that finished with a silent, wailing, electric guitar! (Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays both laughed their asses off at that one, and bowed to walk off for the night.)

The pianist/keyboardist/occasional-guitarist, Lyle Mays, is surreal to watch. He spins around from keyboard to keyboard (both piano and computer) creating ambient/trance-type sounds in and around rock/jazz/classical-esque jamming. On top of that, he joined Pat on guitar, toward the end. He also co-wrote “The Way Up”, with Pat Metheny, which is an unreal feat in itself.

Steve Rodby plays a mean double (acoustic) bass. Like any good bassist, he pretty much hides in the background of the stage, but his sound his huge! His bass can rumble with the best of them.

Antonio Sanchez is a drumming machine from Mexico. When he first came onstage, I thought, “Geez look at that guy’s arms; he must lift weights.” Nope; or at least not necessarily. Although the guy has a body like Kane Roberts* it could easily just be from his drumming. He and Pat both play their instruments at a million miles an hour, to the point that a normal human body just couldn’t do it. That guy has drummed himself into one huge muscle! His drumming was a thunderclap in my brain.

Their trumpeter, Cuong Vu, was trippy as hell! The sounds that came out of his horn sounded at times like a different instrument altogether. He also added really wild background-vocals, reminiscent of the freaky voice of Drew Barrymore coming from the walls of the house when she was sucked into another dimension in “Poltergeist”. Craziness.

Gregoire Maret, on harmonica and xylophone (the latter on which he and Vu did a duet at one point!) was AWESOME! He almost stole the show at times from way up high on the stage behind Pat, and barely visible. He tried to hide back there, but the music he made came through like a freight train. The sounds that came out of his harmonica were only comparable to John Popper, although still unique in their own right. He and Popper compare with each other only because Maret is now only the second harp player that I have ever seen with that kind of control over the instrument.

Nando Lauria backed up Pat on guitar. One would think that would be an intimidating position to be in, but Lauria was hardly a wallflower back there behind Metheny. Of course, his guitar never came out into the fore, but that wasn’t his role. His role was to fill in all that sound-space (what little was left) around Metheny’s guitar, and he carried that out unbelievably. Wow.

So, in case you haven’t gathered, I had a mind-blowing, awesome musical experience last night. This was among the best bands I have ever had the privilege of seeing. I think the rest of the audience agreed with me, as there were several standing ovations throughout the evening. If you ever get the chance; go. Don’t even think twice about spending sixty bucks. You are getting three uninterrupted hours of the most intricate, incredible, professional music you will ever hear; to the point that you almost can’t take it anymore!

Awesome.

Quote of the Evening: “Over the time we’ve been dating, all the shirts I own have become concert t-shirts.”

*Kane Roberts was a body-builder/guitarist who was drafted into Alice Cooper’s band when Alice saw him play a barroom show during which he punched out an audience member with one hand without interrupting the guitar solo he played with the other.

[StoneMtn]

I was just looking at a discussion board at patmethenygroup.com to see what "professional" PMG fans thought of last night's show.

I found two comments from people who were there:

Well, how can you put two and a half hours of intense musicianship into words? I dunno... I walked into the Queen Elizabeth theatre with an open mind- as I try to do with all things like this... I figure if you build something up too much, it could let you down but if you don't expect anything, the mediochre will be plentiful. Well, this show was in no way shape or form mediochre... hearing TWU for the first time and hearing it live was incredible. I was given a prep by a colleague as I was approaching my seat- he said it was like a lot of melodies all disjointedly strung together. Not so... there was this incredible thread that ran through it- a more matured man, team, theme... it was there none the less. Oh- and the mastery of the instruments was incredible. Time to go out and get the CD now. And the rest of the set was populated with the same era of music. Early Pat. Incredibly reworked after years of patience and introspection. I sat there and felt the waves of the music- real, live this time- not pumped out of my mothers stereo from an old "album" - and I was transported back about 20 years to when I first would listen to this master musicians creative pieces. After 2.5 hours of hammering away, it was time to go. And, as some people suggested- I tried to meet with him. The ushers didn't really want us hanging around inthe theatre, so a group collected out near the bus. It wasn't long before the man showed up... I looked at his face and although I had only one thing to say, I felt that it was too much- I just had him sign The New Chautauqua (Pat, circa 1979) and thanked him. It wa a hurried signage, so I didn't want to press any issues. I had what I wanted... I saw him play, and I saw him in person. I didn't want to hound him. That's it, that's all (for now). So- if anyone is sitting on the fence about going to see this tour- GO! Don't wait, do not pass go, do not collect 200$ JUST GO! Even if you havn't heard The Way Up yet- it's awesome. There is an energy that I almost forgot to mention- Pat's personal energy. I am guessing that he puts 120 or more into each show he does because every review I've read of his shows screams of it... but there is something that you can't put into words exactly and even pictures can't do him justice- seeing him, head down almost hunched over the guitar making it SING or standing, slightly askew, rocking slightly and then every ... just a little bit... he's jammin' and having a blast (or so it seemed to me, staring from my "elevated" vantage point). I almost forgot something extremely important- Lyle! Pat and Lyle work together- they are equally passionate about their music- I was hitchhiking for almost 10 years, had no money to get new music- so i was on sabbattical for a bit) was mirrored tonight. Well, this was way more disjointed than I had hoped, but the show did just end and there are a thousand thoughts swirling through my head this time.

...and the following succinct review:

Just got back from tonights show and was blown away! lo kicks in during The Way Up and then again at the end of t Antonio Sanchez was amazing, the man is the real deal. I won't ruin it for anyone by giving away the set list or anything but it was a great set! If you haven't seen this group live before please do. An unbelievable night of music!

Anyway, just go see this band if you ever get the chance.