The first opener was a band called Tombs. They came out and played 4 songs or so, about 30 minutes worth. Pretty typical thrashy metal stuff, screaming vocals, a little bit of funky progression. Overall not that impressive, songs weren't that interesting and it was pretty sloppy execution. To give them credit, they were definitely......I suppose enthusiastic is the word. Especially the drummer, he was all over the place. But it was nothing I'd ever follow up on.
Pelican came out next. Here is the set:
01. Bliss In Concrete
02. Ephemeral
03. Embedding The Moss
04. Far From Fields
05. Geometry Of Murder
06. Australasia
The sound was pretty good. Both guitars could be heard clearly, which is most commonly their problem. During the heavier parts, often their guitar work can get lost in the noise, so I was happy to hear that this was not the case for this show. The bass came through pretty cleanly, but I thought it was a bit low. There were parts where you would expect a bass line to be coming through, and you could kind of hear it, but you couldn't feel it much. No problems with the drums, they were setup nicely.
As for the setlist, I thought it was decent, not stellar but not bad. I'm more than a bit surprised that they played NOTHING from The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw. As I've said before, "March To The Sea" is one of the best live songs I've ever seen, and any Pelican show where it is NOT played is a tragedy. Also, "Far From Fields" was tucked in there, and they closed with "Australasia", neither of which I would have chosen from their respective albums. But, that being said, the set was fun enough, and well executed. Opening with "Bliss In Concrete" is a good choice, it is easily my favorite track from City Of Echoes, and it got the crowd in a good rocking mood. The really interesting part was the middle of the set, where they moved into new material from the Ephemeral EP, which was new for me. The songs had a little bit of a heavier feel than the City Of Echoes material, which I was happy to hear. I was particularly impressed with "Ephemeral", which was a somewhat short song for them at about 5 minutes or so, but it had some nice grooves and riffs that flowed together well, and the end of the song really packed a nice punch. "Geometry Of Murder" is another song from the EP, which is apparently an Earth cover. It was a bit more repetitive than the others, but again had a nice heavy grindy feel that went over well.
Overall, it was an interesting enough and well-executed set. I was able to talk to Trevor de Brauw for a few minutes before and after the show, and as the guys from Pelican always seem to be, he was very friendly and appreciative of the support.
Isis came on after that. Here is the set:
01. Hall Of The Dead
02. 20 Minutes/40 Years
03. Dulcinea
04. Threshold Of Transformation
05. Ghost Key
06. In Fiction
07. Hand Of The Host
08. Carry
(break)
09. Celestial (The Tower/Signal Fills The Void)
This was an EXCELLENT set! All but one song from Wavering Radiant was represented, as was one song from each of their four previous LP's. "Ghost Key" and "20 Minutes/40 Years" in my opinion are the weakest tracks from the new album, so I'd have been perfectly happy to trade those out for a couple more older songs. But overall they played my favorite track from each album, so I really can't complain.
As far as the sound goes, it was tip-top. For a band like Isis, with the dynamic elements they put forward, I would imagine that getting everything properly balanced is a bit tricky. I've seen Isis several times, and on many occasions everything kind of bled together into a wall of indiscernible noise. This appears to be turning around. I believe the last Isis show I reviewed, I stated that the sound was the best I'd ever heard from them. Well, I'm happy to report that this seems to have stuck. The heavy guitar riffage was crunchy and powerful, but gave way to the lighter guitar work and rich and vibrant electronic textures when necessary. Aaron Turner's mic was finally exactly where it should be, down a bit in the mix. The rough vocals were clear enough to pack a punch without being a distraction, and the cleaner vocal melodies felt nicely folded into the mix, such that they seemed to eminate from all around. Atmospherically, the vocals for this show were by far the most effective of any Isis show I've seen to date. As always, the bass and drums came through clearly, and really provided the basis holding everything together.
As for highlights, its difficult to say. Outside of the 2 slightly weaker tracks I mentioned above (which still were executed to perfection and very enjoyable), every song for me was a highlight. The new material from Wavering Radiant was superb, I was particularly excited that they played "Threshold Of Transformation", which is my favorite track from the album. And opening the show with the album opener "Hall Of The Dead" was a great choice, the steady plodding beginning of that song was a great intro to draw the crowd in. The classic slow-builders "In Fiction", and "Carry" were nicely sandwiched around the spectacular "Hand Of The Host", and provided a well-needed moment for the crowd to relax and catch our collective breath. And of course, polishing the whole set off with the full extended version of "Celestial" sent the crowd, which had been pretty rough all night, into one final peak of bludgeoning approval. As the latter half of the closer melted away into its soothing electronic textures, everything just felt right, like the whole set had been brought full circle.
Spectacular performance, one of the best Isis shows yet. Whenever they come back, I'll be there.
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