I will start off by saying , the whole Maynard doing drag pretty much a non issue, and even after going to the press to say he was not doing it as a protest ,but just something he sometimes does, yet certain publications want to run with it for the clicks. This is sensationalizing something that was a non-factor, unless you were in the front row, I was standing by the soundboard and Maynard just looked like a shadow against the video screen for the first hour of the set , which is all I could stand . It was the most boring performance of the day. It reminded me of why I don't like the new album as they were half way into "Pneuma" when I realized they were not playing a reworked version of "Schism" . So this is the bad news first, that once the wonderment of the Pink Floyd visuals wore off and the band blew their load with "Forty Six & 2" they would prove to be the most tedious disappointment of the day, and I am saying that after being logistically forced to watch some bands that I am not into.
Now with that out of the way, let's look at the high lights. The first band we caught was Holy Wars. Having only heard a few of their songs, I thought I would take the chance and brave the heat for them. This is a much larger stage than the Los Angeles pop act normally command, but front woman Kat Leon proved to be a highly entertaining performer. She shifted through rapping, singing and screaming with ease, there was more menace to be found than the more sterilized pop nature to their studio work thus far. They are band that is better live, as it forces them to embrace a more organic element, and brings the guitars to the forefront. Leon's live persona has a dominant sexual energy that gives the songs a heavier feel.
After "Holy Wars" we has some time to kill so caught Capital Theater, as the next band we wanted to see was Deafheaven, but that was three hours away. Capital Theater are middle of the rock, that draws from both early 2000s emo and Jeff Buckley in equal measure, while having prog rock ambitions that are never fully realized. Then we wandered over to another stage for Filter. The years have not been kind to Richard Patrick. It was like someone's dad came in from a game of golf to fill in on Filter cover tunes. Patrick is the sole member of this band with a trio of hired guns backing him. What he had going for him were strong songs left over from back in the day, that held up no matter which way they beat them.
Then we caught Attila. There is metal core, then there is whatever you want to call the Juggalo flavored rock this Atlanta band plays. It sounds like the more trailer infested suburbs further out of the city limits, rather than the kind of bands the city normally spawns. People were having fun, though it was interesting to see this subset of the attendees who not only also attend the Gathering but looked to have a taste for harder drugs than weed. It was weird for Deafheaven to follow this sort of thing. Having seen Deafheaven four times previous, this was not their normally performance as they were out of their element, and not playing to their base. George Clarke, was forced to be more engaging and extroverted. Either way they came out and kicked ass hard with an intense set , that showed the crowd that metal was more than their Sirrus XM mainstream fodder. They did this with a great balance of their blasting beaten blitz and the dreamy post-rock at the other end of their polarity.
At some point we caught a little of Senses Fail, which sounding like motivational emo for fraternity brothers. Then Incubus who we were forced to listen to while waiting for Deftones. Incubus are professional and pulls their shit off, but they have a long history now of writing bland radio muzak. Boyd looked like he is slowly becoming Steven Tyler, and their new bassist looked like she was from Haim at first. Then Deftones took the stage, the last time I saw them live was likely 20 years ago. Things have changed. They do have a bigger production, with movies playing in the background, but with their 'bi" lighting comes a mellower vibe where they are more about simmering in mood with just enough rock to remind you who they are. Their studio material has been moving in this direction for sometime.
I have searched for this online and with all the press backing tracks are getting, perhaps it is being surprised, but I know for a fact, there was a dude with long hair who was coming out to a microphone stand that was behind the bass player and handling a good deal of the harsher screams. Chino did a few if it was a single scream he sustained , but none of the more rapid punchy screamed sections which were handled as a call and response by this long haired stranger. I am of the mind a single singer should do both , but the overall performance was enjoyable, there was some energy to hit so not a case of them totally showing up and punching the time clock to get paid, but more in that direction than when I saw them earlier in their career.
When Tool... I have already talked about their performance, which if you take into consideration the higher energy artists that played for them, aside from the stage spectacle provided by the lights and video projections, the ponderous songs seemed heavier on the pretense, no matter what era they came from. Granted I was inspired to leave before the final two songs, but it is unlikely they would have changed my mind as Maynard's voice was not getting any better as the night went one. It was so drenched in effects it was hard to find the tone of his actual voice. Danny Carey was on point, as was the rest of the band, no one is going to deny they are a caliber of musician that is head above the rest. That does not mean they are also going to be a fully engaged entertainer, as they could have been balancing their checks books in the heads as they played.
Overall it was a fun day. To get me back out into a crowd of 170000 people again they are going to need to bring the heat with a performer I really care about like that the only ones that come to my mind who could get me back out would be Iron Maiden, King Diamond, Metallica or Ozzy, any body else I am into at that level, would not likely be booked though Killing Joke is a maybe, but not likely. It was not as hot as I feared though standing up all day was rough, the prices of sodas not outrageous for concert pricing, and the overall layout and guest experience was well done, so maybe see ya there again?
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