Mastodon is a must see
Mastodon formed in Atlanta, Georgia in 1999. Photo courtesy fair trade
When I was told that the heavy metal band Mastodon was coming to the Sokol Auditorium downtown, on May 15th, I immediately knew I had to put money aside so I could go to the concert. I did so for good reason. They put on a show unlike any I had seen. It was an experience that any heavy music lover would have died to be apart of.
Every group that played had an incredible performance, even the opening band, Valient Thorr, whose studio material I don’t particularly care for, played a great show. Nothing could stop them, not even starting 30 minutes early with a smaller crowd and less time for them to get pumped up.
My friends and I were all extremely surprised at the performance, and to show our gratitude, we all started up the crowd with the first mosh pit of the night.
The following band, Baroness, also played a phenomenal gig, despite not having the right spot in the line up. They were supposed to be the third band, but complications led them to play second.
They also had to play a few extra songs while the forthcoming band, Between the Buried and Me, solved their technical issues that were the cause of the line up change. But nonetheless they performed exceedingly well.
Between the Buried and Me are no doubt a talented band, but they were my least favorite performance for several reasons.
For one, I don’t particularly care for their type of music. The guitar style they play is called prog, which is short for progressive, a type of rock that is more centered around fast beats and not a lot of variety. A lot of bands’ use it these days, but I find it annoying.
And for that reason, BTBAM did not really fit in with the rest of the bands at the concert. Their music pertains to a exceptionally different genre than the other bands.
Then Mastodon emerged from behind the curtain, and the crowd exploded into an uproar almost as deafening as the music itself. They proved themselves worthy of a headlining spot on such a great line up. They brought the show to a close with a powerful surge of intensity that rocked everyone in the building.
They also did a good job of playing songs from every corner of their discography, even including songs from their oldest album, and my personal favorite, Remission. Singer/bassist Troy Sanders stole the show by getting the crowd extra excited by tributing songs to Omaha and all its great fans.
The Concert was no doubt worth the $28 dollars I payed for it. I certainly hope they pass through Omaha or the surrounding area again so I can experience it one more time.
Mastodon is still on their US headlining tour, but the closest place you can see them now would be Chicago, Illinois.
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