[ATTENDED: September 9, 2019] Mastodon
This was my third time seeing Mastodon. I have enjoyed them each time but I didn’t think I’d be seeing them again. So it was a treat that they opened for Ghost.
I hadn’t really listened to their new album that much, so I didn’t really know what to expect. Plus, in an opening slot, they wouldn’t get that many songs. And I see that each show has their sets getting shorter and shorter.
The biggest surprise was the addition of a keyboard player. Joao Noguiera stood on the same riser as the drums and had a lot of hair and a top hat (yes, like Slash). He added a lot of atmospherics and sounds while the other guys were tuning. But Mastodon is such a force, I’m not sure he was needed.
So they played five songs from the new album. And then six songs that I’d seen them play before. Most of those they’ve played at each show.
There were great visuals behind them–a huge screen showing videos.
“Pain with an Anchor” was sung by drummer Brann Dailor, who has the most melodic delivery of the band. He and singer Troy Sanders share a lot of lead vocal duties on the new album. And I love Dailor’s colorful drum set.
Like last time, I was in front of guitarist Brent Hinds. During their classic “Megalodon,” Hinds took an extended soo during one of the killer riffs in the song.
Their other guitarist, Bill Kelliher, stood at the far side of the stage. I couldn’t see him very well, but he tends to walk out to the middle of the stage a bit more (the stage had a runway component that went into the crowd).
“Teardrinker” is a soaring beast of a song with fantastic vocals from Sanders and Dailor. There was some cool laser work in this song too,
They seem to always play Bladecatcher and Black Tongue together. “Bladecatcher” is a fantastic instrumental with multiple parts that showcase the massive chops this band has in speed, heaviness and even melody. It segues into the heavy “Black Tongue” which affords a few moments of Brent and Bill to stand out near the audience and do some serious jamming together.
They followed that with one of my favorite songs of theirs “The Czar” (and not just because it’s an 11 minute epic) which features some of Troy’s most beguiling vocals.
After two more new songs, they ended with a song from their debut, the thundering “Motherpuncher.”
They played for about an hour, a no-nonsense set that the crowd seemed to really enjoy. I feel like the stage setup didn’t really lend itself to a mosh pit which Mastodon certainly warrants. But even so, in a bigger venue like this, they certainly made an impression.
| Trenton, September 2022 | Asbury Park, June 2018 | Electric Factory, May 2016 |
| Pain With an Anchor & | Sultan’s Curse € | Tread Lightly Ø |
| Crystal Skull ß (3) | Divinations © | Once More ‘Round the Sun Ø |
| Megalodon £ (3) | Crystal Skull ß (2) | Blasteroid ♠ |
| The Crux & | Ancient Kingdom € | Oblivion © |
| Teardrinker & | Bladecatcher ß (2) | The Motherload Ø |
| Bladecatcher ß (3) | Black Tongue ♠ (2) | Chimes at Midnight Ø |
| Black Tongue ♠ (3) | Ember City Ø (2) | High Road Ø |
| The Czar © (2) | Megalodon £ (2) | Aqua Dementia £ |
| Pushing the Tides & | Andromeda € | Iron Tusk £ |
| More Than I Could Chew & | Toe to Toes ¶ | Mother Puncher ® |
| Mother Puncher ® (3) | Sleeping Giant ß | Halloween Ø |
| Show Yourself € | Bladecatcher ß | |
| Precious Stones € | Black Tongue ♠ | |
| Roots Remain € | Ember City Ø | |
| Ghost of Karelia © | Megalodon £ | |
| Mother Puncher ® (2) | Crystal Skull ß | |
| Steambreather € | encore | |
| The Czar © | ||
| Blood and Thunder £ |
Leave a Reply