Steven Wilson – Orpheum Theater – Minneapolis MN – September 16th 2025
Steven Wilson – Orpheum Theater – Minneapolis, MN – September 16th, 2025
Review and photos by Kate Klaus
Steven Wilson’s current tour, built around his 2025 album “The Overview”, brought two sprawling and enigmatic sets to the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis, MN for a nearly 3-hour journey through a cinematic and musically multidimensional performance that captivated the audience through entrancing music with a backdrop of mesmerizing visuals.
Wilson opened the show with “The Overview” in its entirety, starting with “Objects Outlive Us”, which built from rolling piano and vocal harmonies into a layered prog-rock cosmos paired with a dazzling planetary and celestial backdrop of light, and finishing with “The Overview” with a melodic and almost meditative feel. After a brief break, the second half began with a bolt of fervor and a haunting electric vibe with “King Ghost” off of his 2021 album, the future bites. The songs in this second half were less lengthy and showcased his polished and extremely talented band. Craig Blundell’s drumming was fiercely syncopated and powerful, adding intrigue to the musicality with the unconventional time signatures and cryptic beats. Nick Beggs shifted between electric bass, upright jazz bass, and a Chapman stick, adding deep velvety layers to the haunting tones. Keyboardist Adam Holzman entwined warmth with modular synth atmospherics and embellishments, and guitarist Randy McStine brought fresh fire with vibrant solos, experimental noise bursts, and a strong rapport with Wilson on playful dual-guitar moments.
Throughout the second half of the show, he drew on his broader catalog, including “Home Invasion”, “Regret #9”, “Pariah”, and included a Porcupine Tree staple, “Dislocated Day” mid-set. Complementing the range of songs, the live visuals were a hypnotizing backdrop. Haunting scenes of cosmic flyovers, distant planets, melancholy swamps and desolate scenes played behind the band, turning album concepts into immersive visuals and enhancing the atmosphere of the performance. This performance was not just a concert, but an immersive experience of ethereal reflections and a journey through space, humanity and music that was both an expansive performance and simultaneously an intimate journey with the spellbound audience.
You must be logged in to post a comment.