Starting off with Monument, a surprise band I'd never heard or seen before. Although the sound was a bit muddy, but their musical intentions were definitely there and I'll be checking them out some more.
Let's talk about Animals as Leaders. I've been listening to AAL since their debut album. This was the first album I've ever had in my life cause me to turn off the lights and sit in a dark room and not move until the album was over. It's that powerful. With the release of the Waves of Babies single and their two subsequent albums I've watched Tosin evolve this project into a creative storm. It's an amazing group, that I had no idea what to expect with a live show. Their music would be hard to mosh to? Will it be powerful with all of the eclectic influences? There are no lyrics or chants to get the crowd involved in? Can the drummer handle the reproduction of the drum machines from the debut album?
Guess what? AAL is one of the most powerful bands I've ever seen. They blew me away. They're heavier live, their technicality somehow undiminished and yet still striking, power ridden chords dropping my jaw. Nothing short of amazing. If you can, go see them. It's an awe inspiring performance.
DEVIN TOWNSEND. This guy. THIS GUY. I'm a relative new comer to DT. I had heard some of the Strapping Young Lad stuff and liked some, disliked others, loved The New Black, etc. His Devin Townsend Project material, especially Deconstruction and Kai, are forever favorites. But his live show started off with tracks from his projects as far back as 1998 that I'd have never even heard before but were just as strong as anything he's released to date. One of the beautiful things about Devin is his ability to properly convey anything he wants to. Jazz? Metal? Comedy? Ambient? Progressive? Swing? Rock? Acoustic? Pop? Doesn't matter, Devin's got you covered, and it's all gonna be great. You can listen to Strapping Young Lad to get amped up before the show, watch his powerful Ziltoid littered space operatic show and get headaches from the screaming you've been doing during the show, and then listen to Ghost on the way home to calm yourself down.
But I expected this from DT. How, with such a catalog of music and years of touring under his belt, could he not be an amazing show? Of course he will be. But what really blew me away was him. His compassion, his dedication to his music, to his show, and especially to his fans. Here's an amazing example as to what these stars can and who they should be. He had his audience, myself included to the point of tears with his powerful statements of emotion and love and fear and life. He is a real person, he shares so much, he is us. Devin Townsend is not just a great performer, but a great conveyer of real human emotion.
Go see Devin. Go see Animals As Leaders. Go see Monument. None will disappoint.