Review by Andrew Bansal
[Photo by Taylor Younani]
September 15th 2014, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Hollywood CA: Atlanta, Georgia’s stoner/sludge/progressive metal heavyweights Mastodon released their sixth studio album ‘Once More ‘Round The Sun’ via Reprise Records/Warner Music last June, and following a European tour to coincide with the release, they embarked on a short run of US festival dates in Raleigh, Chicago and Sacramento and landed in Los Angeles yesterday for an appearance on ABC’s ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’, presenting material from this new album which debuted at #6 on the Billboard chart. Free tickets to this outdoor mini-concert were snagged up almost instantly when they were first made available two weeks ago, and fans lined up in searing heat to get a small taste of the Mastodon live experience and to witness the LA performance debut of their new material. There was a whole lot more to this gig than the mere two songs you saw on TV last night, so here’s a review with a more detailed glimpse into what transpired at this event.
Check-in was opened as early as 4:30 in the afternoon, and early birds braved the sun in order to attain the best possible vantage point for the concert. The heat got to some of them, as one female fan was seen collapsing onto the ground even before the start of the show. At 6:15, the four members of Mastodon nonchalantly arrived onto the stage amidst huge cheers and after host Jimmy Kimmel introduced them formally to the television audience, they began their set. Now, Mastodon is one band whose music I’ve more or less enjoyed (with the exception of their 2011 album ‘The Hunter’ which failed to impress), but every single one of their live shows left me incredibly underwhelmed and bored. There was simply no spark in any of those performances. But, this being a mini-concert, I decided to attend it, to find out whether I could tolerate them for a shorter duration, and going into the show it was very clear to me that if I disliked this one I would probably never listen to them or see them live again.
Usually, rock/metal bands playing Jimmy Kimmel Live outdoor gigs play at most four or five songs, two for TV and the rest for the live audience, but Mastodon turned out to be an exception to the norm as they went on to play a surprisingly hefty 40-minute set comprising 8 songs, including as many as five off of the new album. The TV crew recorded the first two songs ‘The Motherload’ and the ‘Once More ‘Round The Sun’ title track, and once the cameramen cleared the space in front of the stage, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds jumped off to get closer to the crowd, as one particular stoner dude who was blazing it big time throughout the duration of the concert blew giant clouds of smoke directly into Hinds’ face, but he played his solo undeterred. As a group, Mastodon sounded smoother and heavier than any of the four previous occasions I’d seen them and all four members were spot on in their respective roles on stage. Their talent was never in question, but in those previous gigs they simply didn’t seem mentally or physically committed to the performance, being either on auto-pilot or completely incoherent, but this was clearly a different Mastodon, a better one at that.
Check out the official JKL video footage of Mastodon performing ‘The Motherload’ at this show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grHWgUjbWKo
It was the first time I was able to appreciate the musicianship of Brent Hinds, Troy Sanders, Bill Kelliher and Brann Dailor, the Orange amplification fueled guitar sound coming through sweet and crystal clear, specially when Hinds and Kelliher harmonized and soloed. Sanders’ vocals added a lot of power to the band’s sonic personality, Hinds came through on vocals better than he’s ever done, but Brann Dailor in my opinion is the best vocalist in the band, and songs with him contributing lead vocals stood out as the highlights of this set. ‘High Road’ with its delightfully slow riffs right up my alley was the best of the five new songs, and hearing the eccentric 2006 tune ‘Bladecatcher’ was a special treat for this audience. They closed the set with the old gem ‘Blood And Thunder’, bringing an end to this unique Mastodon experience which might have turned this longtime critic of the band’s live act into a possible fan, although my complete Mastodon turnaround is still pending until I see them deliver an equally powerful show for a full 90-minute set, in an indoor setting.
That being said, they’re all set for a North American tour next month with support acts Gojira and Kvelertak, and on the strength of this new material, their headline set is something I can honestly recommend all fans of heavy music to go see.
Mastodon ‘High Road’ music video:
Mastodon links: website | facebook | twitter | instagram
Set List (thanks to Taylor Younani):
01. The Motherload
02. Once More ’Round the Sun
03. Tread Lightly
04. Chimes At Midnight
05. Oblivion
06. High Road
07. Bladecatcher
08. Blood and Thunder
Mastodon North American tour dates with Gojira & Kvelertak:
10/04 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life Festival *
10/15 – Boise, ID – Revolution Center
10/16 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Theater
10/17 – Pomona, CA – Fox Theater
10/18 – Phoenix, AZ – Marquee
10/20 – Austin, TX – Stubbs Amphitheater
10/21 – Dallas, TX – South Side Music Hall
10/22 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
10/24 – Detroit, MI – Fillmore
10/28 – Portland, ME – State Theater
10/29 – Montreal, QC – Metropolis
10/30 – Providence, RI – Lupos
10/31 – Long Island, NY – Paramount Theater
11/01 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland
11/02 – Stroudsburg, PA – Sherman
11/04 – Baltimore, MD – Ram’s Head Live
11/05 – Knoxville, TN – The International
11/06 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
11/07 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
* = Mastodon only