Painkiller, ...execution ground...

Opening was Necrophiliac (Zorn/Frith/Patton). Great structures and “built improvisations” with Fred Frith doing interesting explorations with his prepared guitar, always looking for funny sounds with different tools on the mics and the strings.
Patton was not so yelling, making more sounds effects than voices shoutings, like with Fennesz.
Zorn was not particularly exceptionnal but always good in this kind of impro-technical exercices and researchs. Nevertheless, it is to note that Zorn and Patton have not the same easy telepathic participation than Zorn and Yamataka Eye. It took only half an hour.

Second part, Painkiller. Mick Harris is a good player but I don’t personnaly like the way he plays, not enough “aesthetic” at my opinion, too fat, not brutal but light as a bear. Even Lombardo has more style and kind of “elegance”. But the worst was Bill Laswell who seems to be very sick. He was completely out. Out from the show, out from the playing game, he was lost. He might have a disease
that eats his energy. He’s beginning to look and walk like a old man.
This concert show was a bad one. There was no place for real mystical climates or heavy ambient atmosphere. Quickly, Zorn asked Patton to come on the stage and, then, trying to give 2 second breath with vocal experimentations and nervous physical movements. Then, Fred Frith came back also. But shortly. For ending, a 30 seconds encore and "good bye everybody !".
Finally, I had the sensation that someone laughed at me.

I went to see Hemophiliac (Zorn/Frith/Patton) and Painkiller (Zorn/Laswell/Harris) last night. The place was pretty packed and the audience very enthusiastic. The first set was pretty short, I would say less than half an hour. The first piece was not very convincing, just noise without much sense of purpose; but it quickly got much better with the next two longer pieces which had much more dynamic and structure. In the end it was a very good performance, and Fred Frith was great as usual.

Painkiller on the other hand was a big letdown. Like many, I was hoping -- but without too much confidence -- that the come back of Mick Harris could mean that they would play the hardcore stuff from their first records, but unfortunately they went the boring, improv-rock way. Laswell was tolerable at best, but mostly just awful, and Harris is a very limited drummer especially in an improv context. Thankfully, the set was not too long; they were then joined by Mike Patton for a short blast of noise (nice!) then more meandering improv; finally Frith joined but he couldn't save the rest of the show. The encore was another great blast of noise so at least they left on a high note.

Does anybody noticed that Laswell looks a bit ill??
It worries me, he's mind wasn't there and he has lost a lot of weight.