Thank god for my black sweatshirt.
When I walked into the Orpheum Thursday night to see Mastodon with my slim-fitting olive pants, brightly-colored Packers snapback and noticeable lack of a beard, I was afraid I’d be turned away because I was not adhering to the unspoken dress code.
But that’s when I remembered my saving grace: the black sweatshirt I had on. With it, I looked — at least a little — like I fit in with the audience. An audience composed mostly of younger middle-aged men with thick beards and of course, black clothing.
Beyond their monochrome attire, they had something else in common. They were gathered there to see Mastodon, a southern group who played an interesting mix of hard rock and metal with some other small influences thrown in.
Although their recorded material garners a lot of praise, it didn’t translate into a show deserving the same accolades. Mastodon played a 75-minute set that was largely uninspired and frankly, just not entertaining.
It’s pretty clear why the show fell so flat. While many things were very well executed, the band simply lacked the stage presence and in-show variety that really make any concert fun. This is especially a shame because Mastodon had so many things going for them, but they just couldn’t do the little things that would make their positive aspects shine even brighter.
The opener, French band Gojira, showed up the headlining acts a hundred times over as far as stage presence is concerned.
Among the things that were done well, guitars and drums were the foremost. Playing technically-challenging and complex riffs, both Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher were on their game. Whether playing their rehearsed parts of the song or doing improvised solos, both absolutely shredded.
Behind the drums, Brann Dailor held his own as well. A lot of the appeal of Mastodon (like most other metal bands) comes from the drums, and Dailor played his progressive drum parts very well.
One other plus was the visual aspect of the show. The backdrop for the band was strangely psychedelic, with an apparent skeleton wiping his tears amongst lots of other visual noise. Also, the light show was several degrees better than could be expected for a hard rock band.
But all else fell flat. In terms of technical problems, two-thirds of the mics were far too quiet, which threw off the balance of the music, and the show just didn’t feel right.
The band also shunned banter, opting instead for a track of nonsensical voice samples to fill in the gaps between songs. It contributed to the feeling of disconnectedness to the audience.
To expound on these problems, only one of the three guitarists (bassist and front man Troy Sanders) really got into it at all. The whole show Hinds and Kelliher were pretty static, and they could have just as likely been statues. This is a little more understandable given the complexity of material they play, but still, they could have thrashed their heads once or twice.
The highlight of the set was definitely a song from the group’s latest Once More ‘Round the Sun, “The Motherload.” While everything before and after it just blended together, this track stood out as energetic and — for a hard rock song — pretty catchy.
However, Mastodon definitely wins an award for most ridiculous/funny merchandise. Amongst the usual t-shirts, sweatshirts and CDs were a pair of short shorts with “Asstodon” printed on the back.
Overall, with the disconnectedness and lack of stage presence paired with the well-played guitar and drums, Mastodon has cemented itself as more of a studio band rather than a must-see live act.
