Pelican/Opeth @ White Rabbit, San Antonio (10.22.2005)

So I headed 80 miles down I-35 from Austin to San Antonio last night for the Pelican/Opeth show. I was a bit disappointed that the tour didn't just come to Austin (both bands have always come to Austin in the past), but hey 80 miles is no biggie.

First Pelican. I've seen Pelican several times before, and they've always rocked the house pretty damn well. This show was no exception, energy was good and the setlist was killer. The show was a little bit shorter than I expected, they only played for 45 minutes, which resulted in 4 songs. I thought they would get more like an hour or so, since they were really pumping up this Pelican/Opeth combo. But, I can't really complain much, because the 4 songs they did get to play were the 4 that I personally think are their best, so they represented well there. The only REAL complaint about the show last night is that the sound was a bit screwed up. Everything seemed cranked up just a little too much, and the result is that a lot of the higher guitar work was lost. You could hear the guitars very well during the slower, more melodic parts. But during the heavier moments, most of the higher guitar laid over it was drowned out. I could kinda hear it, since I knew exactly what to listen for, so I still had a great time. But those who may have been a bit unfamiliar with Pelican probably missed a good deal of it. Ah well, it happens. I still thought it was a great set, and they proved to me once again that "March To The Sea" is one of the greatest live songs I've ever heard.

The setlist:
01. March To The Sea
02. Autum Into Summer
03. NightEndDay
04. Last Day Of Winter

Ok, then Opeth, yee-haw! Happily, the sound was much better for Mikael et al, with the only exception being that Peter Lindgren's guitar was COMPLETELY inaudible during the first song. (Strangely enough, I saw Opeth in Austin in July, and the exact same thing happened. Weird). Anyway, they sorted that out, with many apologies from the band, and the rest was glorious. As always, Akerfeldt's voice was overwhelmingly perfect. Every growl was earth-rumbling and the mellow stuff was gorgeous. Technically, the band was tight as always and everything was executed with intense perfection. The setlist was solid, and featured at least one song from every album except Orchid and Morningrise. They did a great job of thoroughly representing all their different styles over the years, variety was definitely the name of the game. The highlight of the night for me was a chilling version of "When". At the point in the song where the it launches from mellow guitar picking to the ass-kicking climax and Akerfeldt sings "And I cried!", I honestly thought the roof was gonna blow off the place. The pleasant surprise of the night was a great rendition of "Face Of Melinda", which I did not expect at all. I think the song is decent, its not one of my favorites, but live Akerfeldt's vocals were much more clear and strong than on the album, and there was additional guitar solo'ish stuff going on at the end of the song. It was very cool, and the crowd suprisingly went bananas over it. I only have two complaints about the setlist, but neither one is really a surprise. First, I was bummed that they didn't play anything from their first two albums. I know, its well documented that Akerfeldt really burned himself out on the style used in those albums, and he really does not like to play any of those songs anymore. But c'mon, those albums kick ass, couldn't they work ONE song in for all the fans that love those albums? (Hell, I feel damn lucky that I actually got to see them play "Advent" from Mornigrise a couple years ago. And oh my did it ever rule). The second complaint is that its no secret that "Demon Of The Fall" will be the closing tune. I love that song, it is an amazing song and yes it is a perfect closing song. But in the four times I've seen Opeth, it has been the closer every time, and its been the closer in every setlist I've ever seen too. I'd like to see them mix it up a little bit. Anyway, those are the only two minor complaints I have, and they don't change the fact that it was an incredible, flawlessy executed show.

The setlist:
01. The Baying Of The Hounds
02. When
03. Bleak
04. In Our Time Of Need
05. The Grand Conjuration
06. Face Of Melinda
07. Deliverance
08. Blackwater Park
09. Demon Of The Fall

(*** Notes: unless he severely bleached and straightened his hair out, Martin Lopez was NOT the man minding the drums for Opeth last night. I know that this past summer he had some medical issues, and subsequently was temporarily replaced by Strapping Young Lad's Gene Hoglan for the summer tour. Does anyone have any additional info about this? Also, Akerfeldt mentioned that Opeth will be coming back through the U.S. again around next February, so mark that down in your calendars.)