The Mars Volta at The Forum
The Mars Volta
The Forum, 14 December 2009
You know how in the movies when someone goes to a rock concert they never queue up or stand there waiting for the opening act to finish, they just walk right in to a prime spot as the main act is playing? The only time that’s (almost) happened to me was last year in New York when I went to see the Drive-by Truckers. We walked up, bought our tickets and excitedly arrived in the venue as the Truckers were rocking the stage. It was a pretty magical moment.
Unfortunately not all gigs you’re late to start out like that. Although it was pretty cool to walk in and see the band playing opening number Inertiatic ESP to a striking, colourful back drop (it looked like a painted Native American face), packed to capacity, with most people seemingly standing on the upper level at the back, we had to wrestle our way through the crowd to get to the main floor in front of the stage, which turned out to be surprisingly spacious. I guess there a lot of cautious people afraid to take the full force of a Mars Volta gig close up and, to be fair every time I’ve seen them they really have been something to be reckoned with: energetic, intense and pretty crazy to watch.
There had been worries beforehand. Just weeks earlier a big row had erupted before a gig between the band and their amazing drummer Thomas Pridgen and he was promptly fired and the show cancelled. A lot of fans of the band were devastated as Pridgen had been quickly becoming one of the stars of the Volta (something I can imagine Cedric and Omar weren’t too pleased about). Egos aside, musically I can understand why they thought it was time for Pridgen to move on: technically brilliant, strong and full of tricks, sometimes I felt he over-powered the songs. There was no doubt he was amazing but it did seem like “less is more” wasn’t a phrase in his vocabulary. The new drummer, David Elitch, on the other hand was less showy but just as powerful and, most importantly, allowed the other instruments in the band more room to breathe. Also impressive is how easily he has blended into the band: if this had been my first Volta show I would have never known they were breaking in a new drummer.
I don’t know whether it was down to the new line-up or the fact it was the last show of the year for the band, but singer Cedric appeared in a particularly good mood, making jokes and band introductions and giving thanks to the crew. The set list was also great and much changed from the last time I saw them, this time focusing on songs from the first three albums. Probably not so great if you’re a more recent fan but perfect for those of us who have seen the band more than once this year, given that before this the last few albums were given precedence. The jams were also back in full force, Cicatrix ESP building into an extended jam and things getting very 70s when Elitch launched into a little drum solo and Viscera Eyes ending in a bass solo from Juan.
A fun show and the sound was surprisingly perfect for The Forum (is that venue slowly getting better and better?). Although not as intense as the ICA gig or as visually entertaining as Somerset House, it was definitely more proof that The Mars Volta are one of the best live bands going and a nice way to end my gig-going year.
There are some awesome photos by James Berry from the show on Gigwise. I especially love this one (a happy Cedric indeed!):
Unfortunately not all gigs you’re late to start out like that. Although it was pretty cool to walk in and see the band playing opening number Inertiatic ESP to a striking, colourful back drop (it looked like a painted Native American face), packed to capacity, with most people seemingly standing on the upper level at the back, we had to wrestle our way through the crowd to get to the main floor in front of the stage, which turned out to be surprisingly spacious. I guess there a lot of cautious people afraid to take the full force of a Mars Volta gig close up and, to be fair every time I’ve seen them they really have been something to be reckoned with: energetic, intense and pretty crazy to watch.
There had been worries beforehand. Just weeks earlier a big row had erupted before a gig between the band and their amazing drummer Thomas Pridgen and he was promptly fired and the show cancelled. A lot of fans of the band were devastated as Pridgen had been quickly becoming one of the stars of the Volta (something I can imagine Cedric and Omar weren’t too pleased about). Egos aside, musically I can understand why they thought it was time for Pridgen to move on: technically brilliant, strong and full of tricks, sometimes I felt he over-powered the songs. There was no doubt he was amazing but it did seem like “less is more” wasn’t a phrase in his vocabulary. The new drummer, David Elitch, on the other hand was less showy but just as powerful and, most importantly, allowed the other instruments in the band more room to breathe. Also impressive is how easily he has blended into the band: if this had been my first Volta show I would have never known they were breaking in a new drummer.
I don’t know whether it was down to the new line-up or the fact it was the last show of the year for the band, but singer Cedric appeared in a particularly good mood, making jokes and band introductions and giving thanks to the crew. The set list was also great and much changed from the last time I saw them, this time focusing on songs from the first three albums. Probably not so great if you’re a more recent fan but perfect for those of us who have seen the band more than once this year, given that before this the last few albums were given precedence. The jams were also back in full force, Cicatrix ESP building into an extended jam and things getting very 70s when Elitch launched into a little drum solo and Viscera Eyes ending in a bass solo from Juan.
A fun show and the sound was surprisingly perfect for The Forum (is that venue slowly getting better and better?). Although not as intense as the ICA gig or as visually entertaining as Somerset House, it was definitely more proof that The Mars Volta are one of the best live bands going and a nice way to end my gig-going year.
There are some awesome photos by James Berry from the show on Gigwise. I especially love this one (a happy Cedric indeed!):
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