Isis Tickets

I've had the pleasure of seeing Isis a few times before, but knowing that this was their last trek for a long time (if not ever) made this show and their performance all that much more unforgettable. Pulling from the majority of their 5-album catalogue, they performed with a vigor (and at a volume) that at times would have you convinced you were standing inside of an earthquake. I've always wanted to see the Melvins, and having the opportunity to check out King Buzzo & Co. mow the close-to-capacity crowd over with their 26-year strong homebrew of sludge rock at maximum decibels was a treat in itself. The glory of seeing the Melvins as they parade somewhere between avant garde crusty noise and a familiar construct that you know is responsible for a laundry list of legendary names' sounds (Nirvana anyone?) is an experience in itself. Openers Totimoshi, an LA-based Latino rock trio set the tone of weird open tunings and quirky, loud fun for the night. Incredible show; positive I won't be seeing a spectacle like that again for a long time.

I saw Isis at the Metro in Chicago in March of 2007. It was one of the best shows I've ever seen. This was on the tail end of their tour supporting their newest record at the time, "In the Absence of Truth", so many of the songs were featured from that record. They started with Wrists of Kings as they all slowly entered the stage. It was a great opening that set the tone for the rest of the show. Lighting was good, and the sound was phenomenal. They also played Not in Rivers, But in Drops, Dulcinea (my favorite, which was played flawlessly), 1000 Shards, and Holy Tears (all from the same album). Inbetween these they played a few others like False Light, Wills Dissolve, and All Out of Time, All into Space. The encore was Celestial (The Tower), and it was about as good as that song could be played without knocking my head off. Jesu and Zozobra opened that night. Jesu played some songs from their Silver EP, and Conqueror. They were all good. Zozobra was good as well.