It may only be March and the second show I've attended in 2013, but the Coheed and Cambria/Between the Buried and Me/Russian Circles show at the House of Blues last night is an early contender for show of the year.
Instrumental post-rock/sludge metal act Russian Circles opened up the night. I was skeptical as to how well they would fit in on a bill with Coheed and Cambria, but I was definitely mistaken as they set a nice tone for the evening. It took them a little bit to win the crowd over, but once they did everyone got pretty into it. These guys are just great musicians and their music has a lot of power in a live setting (especially set closer "Death Rides a Horse") Despite only being a casual fan of their studio work, I enjoyed Russian Circles's set quite a bit and I wouldn't mind seeing them again.
Between the Buried and Me was up next and per usual they killed it. There is a damn good reason I've seen them live more (Last night marked my eighth time seeing them) than any other band, their live show never ceases to astonish me. Their music just hits it's full potential in a live setting and leaves even more of a lasting impression than their records do. The setlist was absolutely outstanding. The Parallax II material is immense live ("Lay Your Ghosts to Rest" is up there with the best live songs in their discography) and the presence of older stuff they don't play very often like "Ants of the Sky", "Prequel to the Sequel" and of course, "Selkies: The Endless Obsession" was badass. I was particularly happy about "Prequel to the Sequel" and "Selkies" being in the set. I hadn't heard "Prequel to the Sequel" live since the first time I saw BTBAM in 2008 and "Selkies" is honestly the best live song I've ever heard and the solo at the end is so strikingly beautiful that it never fails to give me chills. The biggest surprise of the set for me though was how well they went over with the Coheed crowd. With the heavy parts of their music being so abrasive, I expected a lukewarm reception, but it was quite the opposite with a majority of the crowd singing along and enjoying the hell out of the set. This was one of the best performances I've seen from Between the Buried and Me and I will continue to see them every possible chance I get.
Coheed and Cambria closed out the night in spectacular fashion. Much like they did when I saw them in Worcester in September, they put on an energetic, infectious and memorable performance. I'm in still awe that this is the same band I saw in 2006 that looked like they would rather be any place but the stage. The Coheed and Cambria of the present day is almost like a new incarnation of the band with their enormous stage presence. Also like the last time I saw them, the setlist was great. The set was mainly focused on material from last year's The Afterman: Ascension, which was awesome since they since only played two songs from that record the last time I saw them and it's my favorite album of theirs since From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. Much like the studio album, The entire "Key Entity Extraction" series was the highlight of the set. "Vic the Butcher" was way more intense live and "Evagira the Faithful" was really atmospheric and trippy live. The old set staples like "A Favor House Atlantic", "Welcome Home" and the epic "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3" were awesome as always and even songs I'm not too fond of on record like "Here We Are Juggernaut" and "Dark Side of Me" were excellent live. My only complaints are having an acoustic song in "Wake Up" start the encore and swapping out "The Crowing" for "Delirium Trigger" (Don't get me wrong, "Delirium Trigger" is a great song, but "The Crowing" is one of my top 5 favorite Coheed songs) Other than those miniscule complaints, Coheed and Cambria put on an outstanding performance and their pairing with another one of my all-time favorite bands, Between the Buried and Me, made for one of the most memorable concerts I've ever been to.
Scores:
Russian Circles 7.5/10
Between the Buried and Me 10/10
Coheed and Cambria 9/10
Setlists:
Russian Circles:
Harper Lewis
Geneva
Mladek
Death Rides a Horse
Between the Buried and Me:
Astral Body
Lay Your Ghosts to Rest
Ants of the Sky
Prequel to the Sequel
Selkies: The Endless Obsession
Coheed and Cambria:
Pretelethal
Key Entity Extraction V: Sentry the Defiant
Key Entity Extraction II: Holly Wood the Cracked
A Favor House Atlantic
Delirium Trigger
No World for Tomorrow
Key Entity Extraction III: Vic the Butcher
Key Entity Extraction IV: Evagira the Faithful
The Afterman
Here We Are Juggernaut
Dark Side of Me
In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
Encore:
Wake Up
Key Entity Extraction I: Domino the Destitute
Welcome Home
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