Infamous alt-J has just announced a tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of their Mercury Prize-winning debut album, An Awesome Wave. The tour will be starting in March 2023 at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, and each show on the tour will feature a full performance of the album for the first time ever in the US.
“It’s been such a great year promoting both The Dream and An Awesome Wave’s 10th anniversary that we have decided to extend the party into 2023. We are delighted to announce a run of AAW anniversary shows in the US in March where we will play the album in full for the first time in America. We hope you can join us,” the band said in a statement.
The award-winning debut was followed two years later by their GRAMMY and BRIT Award-nominated number one album, This Is All Yours. Then in 2017, “RELAXER” flew straight into the top 10 of the UK album charts and garnered the band their second Mercury Prize nomination.
Alt-J also celebrated the 10th anniversary of An Awesome Wave with a new podcast series presented by music journalist and radio host Jenny Eliscu. Things Will Get Better – An alt-J Podcast. The podcast sees the critically acclaimed, chart-topping British band discussing their early days as university students, delving into how they came together and more.
“We were asked so often how we felt about the ten year anniversary of An Awesome Wave,” say alt-J, “and how we planned to celebrate it, that we realized we didn’t exactly know. So we made a podcast to find out. ‘Things Will Get Better’ is a journey from the formation of the band to the release of our debut album, and features us exploring our old haunts in Leeds, listening to long-lost demos and chatting to Gwil Sainsbury and our producer Charlie Andrew. We loved reminiscing about those days, sharing our individual memories and taking some time to reflect with gratitude on the album that changed our lives more than any other.”
Presale for tickets begins next Wednesday, December 7th at 10am and is concluding on Thursday, December 8th with general on-sale beginning Friday. December 9th at 10am local time.
To sign up for early access to tickets, click the link here.
Multi-platinum, four-time GRAMMY-nominated rock band Goo Goo Dolls have revealed the details for their The Big Night Out Tour with O.A.R. The massive summer 2023 tour will kick off on July 24th, 2023 and roll through major outdoor venues in New York including Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, SPAC and St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater.
On the upcoming tour, John Rzeznik shares, “I’m so proud to finally be able to announce our summer tour with a great band and our friends O.A.R. It’s going to be an amazing night of great music for everyone so BE THERE!!!”
O.A.R.’s Marc Roberge also added, “After working on separate albums in the same studio all last year, John and I realized pretty quickly how much fun we’d have on tour together. We’re all band guys, love being musicians, and started planning a special night that all our fans would enjoy.”
The first album of their career to be produced by frontman John Rzeznik, Chaos in Bloom finds the band continuing to evolve just as they have for nearly four decades together. Consisting of 10 tracks including singles “Yeah, I Like You” and “You Are The Answer”, Chaos in Bloom is an album of biting sarcasm, stadium-ready choruses, and the type of spear-sharp songwriting that’s led them to becoming one of the most influential alternative rock groups of all time.
Formed in Buffalo during 1986 by John Rzeznik and Robby Takac, their newer album Chaos in Bloom finds the band continuing to evolve just as they have for nearly four decades together. Currently, front-man John Rzeznik is gearing up to take the iHeartRadio Theater stage in Los Angeles on December 13th for a special acoustic performance. The show will stream at 7pm PT/10pm ET on YouTube.com/iHeartRadio and broadcasted on iHeartMedia’s Hot AC stations.
Along with this, lead vocalist and guitar to the Goo Goo Dolls, John Rzneik’s birthday was just this week on December 5th. Happy Birthday John!
The Big Night Out Summer 2023 Tour Dates
Jul 24 – Tampa, FL – Coachman Park
Jul 26 – Boca Raton, FL – Mizner Park Amphitheater
Jul 27 – Saint Augustine, FL – The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre
Jul 29 – Albertville, AL – Sand Mountain Park & Amphitheater
Jul 30 – Atlanta, GA – Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park
Aug 01 – Simpsonville, SC – CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park
Aug 02 – Greensboro, NC – White Oak Amphitheatre
Aug 04 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Aug 05 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Aug 06 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts – The Pavilion
Aug 08 – Saratoga Springs, NY – SPAC
Aug 09 – Bethlehem, PA – Musikfest
Aug 11 – Atlantic City, NJ – The Borgata
Aug 12 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug 13 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater
Aug 15 – Boston, MA – Leader Bank Pavilion
Aug 16 – Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater
Aug 18 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion
Aug 19 – Sterling Heights, MI – Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
Aug 20 – Cleveland, OH – Blossom Music Center
Aug 22 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
Aug 23 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
Aug 25 – Franklin, TN – FirstBank Amphitheater
Aug 26 – Maryland Heights, MO – Saint Louis Music Park
Aug 27 – Kansas City, MO – Starlight Theatre
Aug 30 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
Aug 31 – Sandy, UT – Sandy Amphitheater
Sep 02 – Seattle, WA – TBD
Sep 03 – Seattle, WA – TBD
Sep 04 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater
Sep 06 – Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre
Sep 07 – Highland, CA – Yaamava’ Theater *without O.A.R.
Tickets go on-sale Friday, December 9th at 10am local time. To purchase tickets, click the link HERE.
In May 2021, SunDub recorded their sophomore album, Spirits Eat Music, at Lydgate Sound in Kauai, HI. On the remote cacao farm where Lydgate’s studio is located the band found inspiration in the nature and culture of Hawaii.
At the same I was also in Hawaii, running from the pandemic, house-sitting my uncle’s bungalow on Maui. My uncle’s wood paneled Grand Wagoneer didn’t have an aux cord — or windows, or a roof for that matter — so I found myself listening to the Maui reggae station on every drive into town. The Pidgin-tongued commentators played underground reggae from smaller islands, like Kauai, old Bob Marley classics and the studio-produced contemporary songs you would hear at the Makena beach parties. All those influences are honored in Spirits Eat Music, though SunDub is made up of a diverse set of New Yorkers, working out of Brooklyn.
“The island and farm envelopes its visitors with lush nature and sweet sunshine, offering a beautiful kind of inspiration that can only come from being disconnected to our everyday lives and distractions,” said Joanna Teters, lead singer, about recording in Kauai. Teters sings lead vocals with her brother Ben, and Finn Singer on guitar, Josh T. Carter on bass and Eric “the General” Toussaint covers keys and vocals, to complete a perfectly consonant rhythm section to pair with Teters’ smoky-sweet voice.
Magic isn’t taboo in reggae; spiritualism is the status quo. The album’s title track sees music as food for the dead: “They want it juicy, you know they want it ripe / they want to feast on it, all through the night / They don’t want it all at once, they want to savor every bite.”
“Spirits Eat Music” evokes the ripe mangoes Hawaiians sell on the side of the road in spring; I remember peeling the skin off with my teeth, eating it one handed on my bike, ocean to my right, wind in my hair. If music is food, “Spirits Eat Music” sets the table for a feast as the first song on the album.
Lutan Fyah’s feature on the album’s most streamed song, “Jump and Dance,” makes for a true dance anthem. Fyah brings his intrinsic rhythm, message of love through sound and the deep reggae roots of his Jamaican upbringing to the song, a powerful co-sign for SunDub.
For SunDub, reggae isn’t just a rhythm or lyrical style, it permeates all aspects of live. In “Call on Me,” Teters sings: “If you’re ever feeling alone / If you ever find yourself lost, you’re wandering down a strange road / Come walk my way and show your face you know I’m always / Ready to give and show you love and share my space.”
It’s not an empty promise. SunDub’s members respect reggae tradition by doing work to give back to the community. They teach music lessons to NYC youth, collaborate with non-profits and have used their platform to raise over $1,000 for the NAACP Education and Legal Defense Fund.
SunDub released three songs over the summer, then released the full album on November 11. The album retains that sun-soaked, salty feel of the summer, a much needed reprieve for a cold New York winter. Listen to the full album here.
LL Cool J founded media platform, Rock The Bells, have announced their latest venture, “Rock The Bells Cruise: A Hip-Hop Experience” in partnership with Sixthman. The hip hop culture platform will team with the industry leading theme cruise charter company to offer fans of hip hop a new way to experience their favorite era of hip hop and immerse themselves in the mystique of the genre’s golden era.
Rock The Bells began as music festival in Queens and will now be going abroad
What is Rock The Bells?
With this intention, the brand is bringing its annual Rock The Bells Festival – a day-long celebration of hip hop curated by founder LL Cool J in his hometown of Queens, NY. Setting sail from Miami to the Bahamas from November 13 – November 17, 2023, the cruise will feature live performances by iconic artists. Not to mention, “Rock The Bells Cruise: A Hip-Hop Experience” is the first of its kind, offering an all-inclusive four-day, four-night Hip-Hop experience aboard the Norwegian Pearl. The cruise is one of many announcements the company has planned to honor and celebrate Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary and salute its icons.
The Norwegian Pearl will play host to “Rock The Bells Cruise: A Hip-Hop Experience.”
Events
Thus, the expedition kicks-off with a special “Welcome to Miami” performance by Miami hip hop legends Trick Daddy and Trina on the ship’s pool deck. Attendees that purchase their cabin before January 18, 2023, will be able to hang out with Trick Daddy and Trina at a private cocktail happy hour prior to setting sail. Moreover, guests that purchase before January 18, 2023 can also start a free 3-month subscription to SiriusXM and tune into into LL Cool J’s Rock The Bells Radio on Channel 43 and on the SXM App.
At Rock The Bells, we believe classic and timeless Hip-Hop deserves to be served on a silver platter and we can’t wait for Hip-Hop lovers across the globe to be immersed in the culture for five days, on five stages. We’re excited to partner with Sixthman, who bridges the gap between artists and fans, creating unforgettable guest experiences.
– Rock The Bell’s President James Cuthbert
The full cruise lineup will be announced at the top of the new year, but attendees can expect dozens of performances and intimate experiences from some of Hip-Hop’s classic MCs, DJs and producers. In effect, Rock The Bells will be taking over every corner of the ship with pool deck parties presented by world renowned DJ Kid Capri. Other fun endeavors will include MC and DJ battles, rap karaoke, interactive graffiti, live podcasts, roller skating, open mic nights, movie screenings, masterclasses, art galleries, custom grillz, tattoos, basketball and The Trill Mealz Food Court.
More Information
Pricing ranges from $1,099 to $5,199. Attendees can book now for themselves or as a gift to others. More detailed information can be found on the Rock The Bells cruise website.
Broadway’s beloved Phantom of the Opera is delaying its closing show date after seeing a spike in sales, seeing capacities jumping to over 100 percent. The final performance date will now be April 16, 2023.
Ben Crawford as The Phantom on Jan. 26 in New York City.
The show is the longest-running show in Broadway history and will commemorate its 35 anniversary in January. Phantom has become a staple in Broadway history, however, due to the pandemic it has grossed a lot less money since the reopening of the theatre.
Producer Cameron Mackintosh said the show is delaying its closure due to a spike in sales sparked after the closing announcement. The Phantom of the Operahas grossed $1.78 million in the week ended Nov. 20, the most recent week of public grosses.
We are all thrilled that not only the show’s wonderful fans have been snapping up the remaining tickets, but also that a new, younger audience is equally eager to see this legendary production before it disappears. Such is the demand for tickets that we are delighted to announce that The Shubert Organization has been able to arrange a final eight-week extension of the run at The Majestic Theatre.
Cameron Mackintosh
Phantom is a symbol of 1980s Broadway, created by three of the most legendary figures in musical theater history: composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Hal Prince and producer Cameron Mackintosh. The show is about a mask-wearing opera singer who frequents the Paris Opera House and falls for a young soprano, famous for the phantom’s mask as well as the chandelier that crashes on stage every night. On Broadway, the show has been seen by 19.8 million people and has grossed $1.3 billion since opening.
The Phantom of the Opera‘s new final performance date will be on April 16, 2023. There will still be production in London, as well as a brand new one in Australia. The first Mandarin language production is set to open in China next year, and a Spanish-language version is in the works. Tickets to see the final United States showings are on sale here.
On Friday, December 9, Rough Trade NYC will host revered indie rock guitarist Lee Ranaldo. The free night presented as part of The Birdsong Project will feature Ranaldo in concert and in conversation with project founder Randall Poster.
Lee Ranaldo, (pictured) best known for his work as lead guitarist of NYC indie rock act Sonic Youth.
Friday night will also mark the release and celebration of the project’s culmination. “The Birdsong Project Box Set” is a birdsong-inspired collection of music consisting of over 242 tracks with appearances from musicians, actors, Pulitzer Prize winners and more such as Olivia Wilde, Sean Penn, Robert Pattinson, Greta Gerwig, Mark Ronson, Nick Cave, Elvis Costello, Ad-Rock, Bette Midler, Danielle Haim, Florence Welch, as well as hundreds of other contributors.
All proceeds from the collection go towards The National Audubon Society, a non-profit dedicated to bird conservation.
Recent projects of Randall Poster (pictured) include music curation on the French Dispatch (2021) and the Queen’s Gambit. (2020)
Poster, a film soundtrack supervisor who has worked with Martin Scorcese and Wes Anderson, spawned the idea for The Birdsong Project after quarantining during the first year of the pandemic. Having been inspired by the “stillness of nature,” he gained a curiosity for birdsong and bird life.
Ranaldo’s Birdsong Project concert is set to begin at 8:30 p.m. while his conversation with Poster as well as David Ringer, the Chief Network Officer of the Audobon Society, is marked for 9. Doors open at 8 p.m.
Brooklyn Americana artist Ryan Luce has just released his newest illuminating record titled “Country House.” Ryan Luce explores the subtle nuance of everyday life and studies the inner dramas of fathers, sons, and daughters.
This Americana record was written throughout the pandemic where Ryan found love, lost his backing back, and honed his songwriting abilities. “I had to get back to writing, to what I know is the only thing I’m good at. Those songs became Country House,” stated Luce.
“Offers a blend of country-western Americana and Pacific Rock à la Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers to paint energetic narratives with lasting visual effect.”
-Rhythm & Boots NYC
Country House is a ten-song collection filled with heartbreaking lyrics and timeless melodies; Luce certainly pulled from classic country to modern day Americana throughout these releases.
“Before the pandemic I was pigeonholing myself in the themes I wrote about. I think I used songwriting as a projection on my own feelings of longing and escape and that limited my abilities,” says Luce. “Writing these songs allowed me to throw away the old ghosts and achieve a caliber of songwriting and production I’d been searching for.”
Unlike Luce’s 2019 debut EP California Gold, a loose collection of songs from hustling the New York scene, Country House is rather an artifact from his life frozen in time. “I always dreamed of making a record where the songs are from a distinct period, as a time capsule, I could dig up in 20 years and look back on someday.”
The world had taken a toll throughout the time of the pandemic, but lots of musicians found a muse throughout being stuck inside. “I think a collective forcefield was blocking artists from creating during the early days of the pandemic including myself.” His band had scattered to the wind as the pandemic began and now, stuck in his apartment, recording plans scrapped, he fought off Covid.
The album came together out of the motivation that Luce hadn’t written anything in months. “Something switched on, I had to get back on the horse and start writing songs again. I started playing in different keys and the first song I wrote was the title track.”
Listen to more of Country House and to check out more of Ryan Luce, click here.
Westside Gunn the self-pronounced FlyGod continues to impress with his curation of albums and music videos.
“Peppas” is the latest video off of Westside Gunn’s new album, 10 and features legendary hip hop duo, Black Star. Getting the seldom featured duo of Yaiin Bey and Talib Kweli on a track is a major coup for Westside. The legendary Brooklyn rhymers have made sure to not oversaturate their sound, going over two decades in-between albums. For the “Peppas” video, Westside bridges the gap between the “hood” and the glamors of the hip hop world. The visual of legendary hip hop figures returning to where it all began, just kicking it on the block adds a down-to-earth feel to the abstract sounding record. A juxtaposition that leans on the fact that most rappers earn their stripes in these communities, thus it’s all one big cycle.
Visual Breakdown
The record’s title itself is the name of a popular Jamaican restaurant in Bedford-Stuyvesant, one of Brooklyn’s more renowned neighborhoods. The Conducter Williams produced track features the typical ear catching soul samples that fans have come to expect from a Westside project. Additionally, Kweli, Bey, and their abstract and philosophical rhymes serve as the perfect foil to Westside Gunn’s in your face style.
Furthermore, each rapper’s verse conveys a similar message in their own way: their view of the world while subsequently letting you know how great they are. Concurrently, they gather with their homies on the block, enjoying the food and mingling with the restaurant staff. The entire record and video plays on the theme of the varying personalities and minds in the hood. Although a group of black males hanging around the block may be stylized as one, there are various personalities, ideologies and general life ethos at play within that group dynamic.
Best Lyrics
Matte-black dynamite, blast radials, black radio Core capability, flaco facility Fly guy, do or die, Bed-Stuy energy
Claimin’ La Costra Nostra, we in love with the coca They hit niggas with the R.I.C.O., white people put it in cola For generational wealth, they standin’ on they ancestor’s shoulders After burnin’ down Tulsa, Oklahoma
NYC’s Mortal Prophets have released five singles ahead of their album, Me and The Devil, which is set for release on December 9. The songs – all covers – teeter between Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave, and bring something completely new to the table.
“Pretty Girl In The Pines” is an adaptation of the folk classic by Lead Belly and a famous performance of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” was covered during Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged concert. In the Mortal Prophet’s version, it starts as an eerier version of Lead Belly’s, but drops into German electronica house, then introduces searing electric guitar. This amalgamation of genre electrifies, aptly, some of the oldest songs in our American folk canon.
The stirring bluesy sound in these singles feels alive, because it is. In making this debut EP, Mortal Prophets’ lead John Beckmann sent his rough tracks to William Declan Lucey, an Irish producer and multi-instrumentalist and member of Rubyhorse. Beckmann entrusted Lucey with the task of adding or subtracting tracks from Beckmann’s raw files to the album, and this collaboration between the two artists led to some of the more surprising and exciting moments — Dana Colley’s saxophone on “Baby Please Don’t Go,” for one, gives the song transformative capacity.
There’s anger that’s jutting out behind gritted teeth in “Grinning In Your Face.” Beckmann gets to the core of the legendary Son House original. “It’s really a song of betrayal, and back stabbing, yet the musician rises above it all, and laughs in their faces, and continues his life undeterred. I think we can all relate to that on some level,” Beckmann said about his cover.
“Crossroad Blues” feels most like a Nick Cave song, gothic and earnest. Music writers say things like, “John Beckmann’s vocals shine on this record,” but Beckmann’s voice doesn’t “shine.” It’s totally matte, deep and dark, but with low opacity, like he’s singing through fangs bared — a voice that can be brutal, ravenous, in “Grinning In Your Face,” but here it is ultimately deeply mournful, loathing, that masculine kind of somber, you know, blue.
In the middle of a 38-date tour of smaller venues across North America that kicked off November 3 in Fresno, California, thrash metal titans Machine Head played an intimate show to a raucous Saint Vitus audience in Brooklyn on Tuesday, November 29. A live extension of the band’s “Electric Happy Hour” online shows, which were streamed remotely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the first half of the tour has seen their diehard legion of fans thrilled by a free-form style set filled with deep cuts.
Nestled in its Greenpoint neighborhood, Saint Vitus opened in 2011 and has been known as the premier heavy metal hang spot ever since. On this weekday night, the bar would be taken over by the quartet hailing from Oakland, California who are touring in support of their tenth studio album Of Kingdom and Crown. A 13-track concept album that follows the stories of two main characters, Ares and Eros, was released via Nuclear Blast/Imperium Recordings this past August.
Arriving to the venue for my first time, I knew I was in the right place (despite the venue displaying no street signage as to its existence) when I spotted the band’s tractor trailer rig parked out front and a contingent of lucky VIP fans who were already making their way into the venue for soundcheck. The remaining fans, including myself, chatted and shivered together on the frigid evening as the general admission line steadily grew until it wrapped around the street corner.
At approximately 7:00 pm, security returned to escort us into the warm confines of the 250-capacity concert hall. After my media credential was confirmed by the stamped application of the bar’s skull logo to my right hand, I walked through the bar area and headed straight for the coveted rail position. With no area designated for pit photographers, I was glad to be as close as possible to the metal action that would unfold before our collective eyes in a little more than an hour.
Without any opening support and Ozzy Osbourne’s “Diary of a Madman” playing over the house PA, the stage lights suddenly dimmed and the chants from the fans began . . . “Machine-Fucking-Head,” “Machine-Fucking-Head,” “Machine-Fucking-Head,” “Machine-Fucking-Head.” For the next 2 hours and 15 minutes, Robb Flynn (vocals/guitar), the only remaining original member, Jared MacEachern (bass), Wacław Kiełtyka (lead guitar) and Matt Alston (drums) would deliver a heart-pounding, 21-song set that fully displayed the hard-hitting musicianship that made Machine Head one of America’s pioneering influences in new wave heavy metal.
Performing a set that included at least one song from each of their studio albums – spanning the course of nearly three decades – the San Francisco Bay Area metallers’ first offering was “Imperium,” from Through the Ashes of Empires (2003). With Flynn urging the crowd to “open up that circle pit,” he took us back to 1997 with the speed metal single “Ten Ton Hammer” (The More Things Change…). Reverting to their thrash metal roots, we lost our collective mind during “CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE,” taken from the aforementioned Of Kingdom and Crown and the first of three offerings that would be performed tonight from that 2022 release. The next trio of songs comprised two tracks from 2014’s Bloodstone & Diamonds (“Now We Die” and “Killers & Kings”), followed by “The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears” (The Burning Red, 1999). The night’s second contribution from Of Kingdom and Crown ensued, “UNHALLØWED,” an anthemic tune featuring dual-lead guitar lines and Flynn’s melodic vocals.
With Machine Head’s set approaching the one hour mark and his plastic cup of Guinness running low, Flynn summoned crew member Junior to the stage to remedy the problem. After a quick refill of the Irish-made suds and another toast to the fans for coming out and their support, a special guest appearance was made by Joey Zampella (better known as Joey Z), guitarist for the Brooklyn alternative metal band Life of Agony that Joey Z co-formed in 1989. Taking over axe duties for Kiełtyka, the first of three cover songs followed, Life of Agony’s “This Time.”
Over the next thirty minutes, Machine Head gave us “Old” (Burn My Eyes, 1994), “I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)” (Unto the Locust, 2011) and “Aesthetics of Hate” (The Blackening, 2007), with Flynn again urging his fans to form another circle pit that nearly engulfed the entire room. Following a brief pause in the action, Flynn reappeared, now armed with an acoustic guitar. Pulling his hair back and wiping the sweat from his eyes, Flynn addressed the steamy room of sweaty bodies:
The song that we’re going to do for you here is about mental health. It’s about religion. It’s about music, and it’s about depression. And, you know, for me, I wrote this song when I was in a pretty dark place in my life. I wasn’t raised with religion. I never prayed to a God upstairs to help me when times went tough. No, the thing that I always, always turned to throughout my life was music. It could be Black Sabbath or Pink Floyd or Metallica or Slayer or Hatebreed or Life of Agony. [There were] a million fucking bands [with] the power to reach down and pull me up out of that hole. It was never my music. It was someone else’s.
So, I tell you what. If you relate to the words that I’m talking about, I want you to feel free to sing them as loud, loud as you want to. Be louder than me if you want to. I don’t care Brooklyn, you’re in a Machine Head show, New York. You can do whatever the fuck you want. Get your flashlights way, way, way up in the sky [and] turn the lights on for all of you who have a little bit of darkness inside you. This song is called “Darkness Within.”
In accordance with the show’s career-spanning theme, a foursome of songs followed, comprised of “Catharsis” (2018’s self-titled track), “Bulldozer” (Supercharger, 2001), “From This Day” (The Burning Red, 1999) and “Davidian,” a pulverizing, groove metal number from their 1994 debut album (Burn My Eyes) about the Waco, Texas siege the year prior. Following a brief moment offstage to collect their breaths for the final push, Machine Head performed two back-to-back covers as part of their encore. The first, Alice in Chains’ “Man in the Box,” was spontaneously played in response to a request from the crowd. A blistering rendition of “Roots Bloody Roots,” released by Brazilian metalists Sepultura in 1996, was performed next.
The epic night of heavy metal ended with “Halo,” a second track played from 2007’s The Blackening, with Flynn addressing us for a final time: Brooklyn, New York, we love you fucking maniacs. You were absolutely incredible. Thank you for making us feel so good. We are Machine-Fucking-Head, good night! Before leaving the stage for the final time, all four Machine Head members took a long, gracious bow before Alston handed his sticks to a pair of blissfully stunned fans and handfuls of picks were handed out by Flynn, MacEachern and Kiełtyka. The metal festivities officially concluded with the exclusive Machine Head t-shirt award to the most worthy fan who raged the hardest, a young man I personally witnessed headbanging in the front row all night long, while screaming every lyric in unison with Flynn.
Machine Head will continue their string of U.S. tour dates until the tour finale at Ace of Spades in Sacramento on December 23. Additionally, on the heels of a recently postponed show in Portland, Maine due to “transportation issues,” that show has already been rescheduled for April 2023.
Machine Head Setlist: Imperium > Ten Ton Hammer > CHØKE ØN THE ASHES ØF YØUR HATE > Now We Die > Killers & Kings > The Blood, the Sweat, the Tears > UNHALLØWED > Locust > NØ GØDS, NØ MASTERS > This Time (Life of Agony cover) > Old > I Am Hell (Sonata in C#) > Aesthetics of Hate > Darkness Within > Catharsis > Bulldozer > From This Day > Davidian > Encore: Man in the Box (Alice in Chains cover) > Roots Bloody Roots (Sepultura cover) > Halo
