THE OBLIGATORY MASTODON CRACK THE SKYE LIVE SHOW WRAP
Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 1:59pm by Vince NeilsteinSo, Mastodon have been touring small venues in the U.S. playing Crack the Skye (recent recipient of 5-out-of-5 horns on MetalSucks!) in its entirety. The fact that they’re playing a full album is awesome in and of itself (who else does that nowadays??), but thankfully the execution lived up to the billing at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn last Sunday night. The band had a full HD screen with psychedelic video clips that roughly synched up to the storyline of the music; the band was tight as hell, the sound was crystalline, the audience beyond stoked. It was a fucking fantastic night, and if I hadn’t seen this show earlier that same week, it probably would’ve been my choice for #1 live show of ‘09 thus far.
Metal Injection (who were also in attendance… as fans, I might add) have posted a clip from CultureBully of the beginning of the show from the tour’s stop in Minneapolis. The clip captures everything perfectly, from what it looked and sounded like to what it felt like to be there, even though we saw the show in a completely different city on a completely different night. That’s just where Mastodon are in their game these days — completely on top of it, killing it every single night. Ten or twenty years from now you’ll be able to say “I saw them when…” the way people now speak fondly about seeing Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd in their prime. Mastodon are just that good.
Shout-out to our boys in Intronaut who sounded fantastic live in the opening slot.
-VN
The Visuals were done By Josh Graham (Neurosis/Red Sparowes/Storm of Light)
Fuck, 10 more months until a new episode of LOST!!!
did you not get Kylesa at that stop because, fuck, kylesa was incredible when i saw them in SF and they were the perfect lead in to Crack the Skye.
was at that MN show and it was AMAZING
I tried to get tickets… both NY shows sold out. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t even know they were playing the whole CTS. I hate my life for not knowing about this sooner…
BTW: mastodon ARE that good but the next album or so will show their longevity. They will never be held up to the standards of Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin. Well then again I never thought I’d hear them sound psychedelic on the level of CTS…
I think your call here is dead on. They really are that good, but their next album will make or break their longevity. I mean Leviathan was a masterpiece, and CTS is beyond what I expected. It’s an amazing amalgamation of styles… the same kind of amalgamation that gained PF and Led Zeppelin status as innovators. They fuse blues, psychedelic rock, jazz, blues, metal, and so much more…. and have the ability to replicate it live. I think that’s what will bode well for them in their longevity… their ability to replicate their music live.
I can’t wait to see them tonight in their hometown of Atlanta! The show should be excellent, and Kylesa and Intronaut should be pretty awesome as well.
I saw them in Portland, OR last month. Fucking great show. Although I was a let down when they piped in the Banjo and the beginning of Divinations. I was hoping they would do everything live.
The only thing that would have made it better would have been to have Baroness open for Mastodon. Kylesa was good, but they strike me as a less talented Baroness. The two drummer thing was interesting though.
All in all, definately don’t miss the show if you’ve got a chance to go. I doubt Mastodon will be playing such small venues next time around.
saw ‘em last night in asheville–sold out show–and it was AWESOME! best live show i’ve been to in a coupla years.
Please come to FLORIDA
im still holding out hope for a dvd of this to come out sometime after the tour….. god i hope.
Live on Letterman tonight..
oh seriously? i guess i gotta check that out.
i guess that means we have to start hating them soon…they’re getting too successful!
screw that, mastodon rules
If I ever see someone saying that for real, I’m flipping out.
Yup, that’s about as awesome as I remember it. The mix might have been even better in Brooklyn. I’d love to know what movie/movies made up the visuals; there was some pretty trippy stuff going on, even without the space stuff.
Seems like EVERYONE wants to be Tool these days. ;)
Seriously though, although I’m not a big Mastodon guy, I will say that the stage show/visuals look amazing.
Or Neurosis & many other bands.
This may be the album that wins me over. I was ruined seeing them two years ago in an arena setting with too many bands on the bill. I was burned out and they bored me that night. As a result, I was reluctant to revisit their music.
Great band, great show, great album, great collection of non-CTS songs rounding off the set, great openers. A great value for your entertainment dollar.
Outside Lands 2009, pretty much the only reason I’m going to be there.
I saw the show in Winnipeg, MB, Canada and it was fucking dope! Crowd was shit faced rowdy and moshing hard the entire night. Mastodon is really displaying their shit with a force rarely seen at many shows. But Vince, no mention of Intronaut??? Hope you didn’t miss them cause they were sublime; worth the admission price alone kind of good.
I thought they were only playing CTS, but after that they played a whole lot off of blood mountain and leviathan. finished with hearts alive. EPIC NIGHT! kylesa was cool too…
I still stand by the fact that Brent is a bit of a ropey live singer. Troy sounded pretty spot on though from that clip. I wish/hope they do the small venue circuit in the UK, i would love to see them again!
i was going to the show in Chicago but the show was sold out. I am pissed at myself for not knowing they were touring earlier and that they were playing at small venues.
The Irving Plaza show was completely insane. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Reviewed the concert here: http://atanamar.blogspot.com/2009/05/mastodon-kylesa-and-intronaut-may-9th.html
saw the show last night in atlanta. it was fucking phenomenal. I’m still wasted.
and I missed intronaut. damn. I couldnt believe they went on before kylesa. kylesa blows.
The show was great. The sound was terrible during the first set, though- did you hear that screeching?
yes. I also remember brent’s guitar cutting out on him a coule times.
Yeah, I remember that too.
Sorry… these vocals just sound like shit. Why even try to have clean vocals if you can’t pull it off?
I thought I was the only one who noticed, don’t get me wrong I LOVE their latest effort but man the vocals are awful. Specially the chorus of Oblivion, I love that chorus but they can’t pull it off live.
No shit, love the Don, but the vocals sound terrible. Credit where credit is due, but the same goes for criticism.
Ah so I’m not the only one after all – but for me personally the vocal issue is too much. And the reason they won’t be the Zeppelin or Floyd of our time. Just my opinion.
Pretty sure Between the Buried and me were playing Colors in it’s entirety last year.
I absolutely can’t wait for the Chariots new album to be old news. Holding my hand in front of their ad so I can watch the Mastodon clip is tiring.
I saw them in Carrboro NC and it was amazing! Best day of my life! I met Brann, Troy, Brent and Bill after the show. Also Kylesa and Intronaut were amazing! Also also where’s the picture of my car? Amazing!
Amazing!