PSMS - BB King’s, NYC, 11.18.12
by Michael Sherer
Posted: Nov 2012
(2268) Page Views
Tony MacAlpine - photo by Michael Sherer
On occasion, a group of musicians from various bands, which may include a solo artist or two, join together and form what’s often called a “super group.” The common denominator should be musicianship that’s off the charts, but often big egos match it, which can cause issues. If things go right though, there’s no stopping a colossal force like many such experiments turn out. PSMS most certainly are everything a progressive, heavy rock fan could hope for, and are such a super group.
The initials stand for Mike Portnoy, Billy Sheehan, Tony MacAlpine and Derek Sherinian. These are all crack musicians that are at the top of their game. Drummer Portnoy, 45, was a founding member of Dream Theater 25 years ago, and left the group in ’10. Bassist Sheehan, 59, was a founding member of Talas in the ‘70’s, as well as Mr. Big in the late ‘80’s. They’re still together, and are especially popular in Japan. MacAlpine, 52, has been a solo artist since the mid ‘80’s. Sherinian, 45, has been a professional session and touring man since the late ‘80’s. They’ve all been heavy, progressive rock players in their own right, and together they continue in that genre, with enviable ferocity and combined skill level. Their cohesive abilities push each other even higher than usual, and they clearly love playing together. This show concluded what I trust was an exhausting 22 date tour of Europe, Israel, Russia and Asia. It was their only U.S. gig.
Portnoy is the spear head, and does the talking to the crowd. He has his Tama drum kit facing the others, stage right, rather than the typical set up of being behind everyone. This allows a more circular, close knit dynamic. Portnoy is a double bass expert, employing a double bass pedal on one kick drum. His muscular calfs are covered in tattoos, including the three rings that was the late John Bonham’s symbol. Bonham is one of his heroes, and is so often regarded as the greatest all around rock drummer that’s ever been known. Portnoy had a drum solo that rocked the house, which displayed all of the man’s prowess and what has earned him accolades of awards from Modern Drummer polls, etc,. Being a drummer myself, I was all ears and loved it.
Sheehan, who’s very tall and thin, stuck with one bass, a light blue custom Yamaha with his name on it. Like Eddie Van Halen on guitar, Sheehan is all over the neck to get many sounds and effects, naturally. His two-handed tapping, right-hand “three-finger picking” technique, as well as controlled feedback, are all hallmarks of his. Sheehan was also the only member to do any singing, as Portnoy announced early in the set that they don’t have a singer. The encore was “Shy Boy,” a Sheehan composition that he composed while in Talas, for which he sung. It’s hard enough to do what Sheehan does with his playing, but then to sing at the same time, well that’s just plain tough. Sheehan had a bass solo, and pulled out all the stops with his signature tricks.
MacAlpine mostly stayed toward the back of the stage, focusing very much on his very challenging playing. He switched guitars a few times, but they were all Ibanez. The necks on his guitars were wider than standard, and one guitar was a recently acquired and rare to see 8 string version. As expected, MacAlpine also had a solo, which brought him to the front of the stage. Like Sheehan’s, it was blistering and furious, clearly indicating that he’s a top flight player.
Sherinian added another layer to the sound. Portnoy said that he and Sherinian go way back, as Sherinian was a member of Dream Theater from ’94 through ’99. Some of Sherinian’s compositions were included in the set. He also had a solo, which allowed the audience to hear the rich, multi layered sounds and dexterity of this talented musician.
The entire set comprised the following songs:
• A Change of Seasons: I The Crimson Sunrise
(Dream Theater cover)
• Acid Rain
(Liquid Tension Experiment cover)
• The Stranger
(Tony MacAlpine cover)
• Stratus
(Billy Cobham cover)
• Atlantis, Part 1: Apocalypse 1470 B.C.
(Derek Sherinian cover)
• Guitar Solo
• Been Here Before
(Derek Sherinian cover)
• Birds of Prey (Billy’s Boogie)
(Tony MacAlpine cover)
• Bass Solo
• The Farandole
(Talas cover)
• The Pump
(Jeff Beck cover)
• Drum Solo
• Nightmare Cinema
(Derek Sherinian cover)
• Hell’s Kitchen
(Dream Theater cover)
• Keyboard Solo
• Lines in the Sand
(Dream Theater cover) (abridged)
• Encore:
• Shy Boy
(Talas cover) (Billy Sheehan on lead vocals)
My overall impression is simple and straight forward. These guys are all about the music, and are highly dedicated to making it all they can be. They especially thrive as the four headed monster that they are together. They came to kick some serious ass, and did just that, plus.