Converge & Mastodon @ Hammerstein Ballroom 10.30.09

Converge (Photos by Brian C. Reilly)

Have you ever built something up in your head so much that you set yourself up for disappointment? Me too. But, isn’t it the best when that thing comes through and is as great as you thought it would be? Yeah, it is.

The latter applied to Friday’s show. I have wanted to see Converge for so long. I’d never seen them before but had considered myself to be a huge fan for some time. I’ve been excited for this show for at least a month now, and still with all that vying against them, Converge failed to disappoint me. They owned this show. I may be biased because of my love for them and personal distaste for Mastodon, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Converge were the best part of this show [Brandon Rabideau - Fazer]

Mastodon (Photos by Brian C. Reilly)

Mastodon is such a well-oiled live band, that it's hard to really pinpoint why each member is so vital. More specifically, it's too easy to take the quartet's complex parts for granted. Guitarist Brent Hinds, his unruly curly hair surrounding his face like a lion, his Lucite flying-V guitar held vertically at times, lost himself in the tangled interplay with guitarist Bill Kelliher. When he wasn't near the mic, Hinds hovered near drummer Brann Dailor, leaning back impressively, as if playing limbo. Dailor, meanwhile, pounded out his parts like it was nothing to follow gnarled textures and ten-minute songs. (Surprisingly, though, the drums sounded rather dry, and bassist Troy Sanders' parts weren't as eardrum-bursting as they've been in the past.) [Annie Zaleski - Riverfront Times]

Dethklok (Photos by Brian C. Reilly)

High on Fire (Photos by Brian C. Reilly)

Reviews are of recent shows on this tour.

More Photos Here

Comments

[Mr. Chips]

I listened to Mastodon when I was tripping on mushrooms once...