Concert Review: Machine Head-- Boston, MA-- February 10th, 2018

Lineup: Machine Head ("An Evening with Machine Head"/Catharsis World Tour)
Venue: Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA
Date: February 10th, 2018

Machine Head: My excitement level for this show slipped a little bit over the past month. Their new LP Catharsis is a pretty suspect effort that put an abrupt stop to a four album run of brilliance for the  Bay Area groove metal stalwarts and since I'm a cynical asshole, I was concerned the general lack of inspiration that surrounded this record was going to bleed into their live show. However, the fact that they are currently touring on an underwhelming record didn't prevent their latest run of "An Evening with Machine Head" from being yet another powerful showcase for their substantial gifts as performers.

The beauty of these "An Evening With" shows is that you get to see Machine Head play an extended headlining set in a setting that is tailor-made for their strengths as a band. Getting to spend over two hours with them in a rowdy venue that accentuates the power of their signature chug riffs and places every audience member within 20-30 feet of the stage is a dream scenario for any fan of theirs.

The consistent effectiveness of Machine Head's live shows starts with the efforts of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Robb Flynn. While there's no denying that he's a cornball that dispenses some of the most cringe-inducing, angst-ridden banter to ever come out of a human being's mouth, Flynn is an exceptional frontman that tears down every stage he steps foot on. He's a maestro at working crowds into a constant state of chaos and at almost 51 years old, his vocals are (remarkably) still pristine. As long as Flynn continues to deliver at this level in a live setting, I'm willing to overlook all of the douchey shit that flies out of his mouth.

Per usual, the high quality of Machine Head's set was solidified by some terrific song selections. This setlist was so well-assembled that not even the presence of Catharsis' two biggest stinkers ("Bastards" and "Is Anybody Out There?") could halt the momentum. The majestic 10-minute epic "Clenching the Fists of Dissent" from 2007's The Blackening was a beautiful surprise opener to the show, the long-time staples ("Davidian", "Imperium", "Ten Ton Hammer", "Bulldozer") were perfectly distributed throughout the set and fan favorite "Halo" remained in the coveted finale spot that it rightfully deserves. A little more variety in terms of the old songs they play (more rarely-played tunes like "None but My Own" from Burn My Eyes would be dope) wouldn't kill them, but that's a relatively small/borderline petty complaint for an otherwise spectacular set.

In short, this was about as satisfying as an over two hour-performance can possibly be. The crowd was consistently into it, every member of the band was spot-on technically and above all, I was completely immersed in the show the entire time they were on stage (except for when they were playing the aforementioned poopfests from their new record). While it's probably not realistic considering the ever-changing landscape of the music industry, I'm completely on-board with Machine Head doing these support-free, career-spanning performances in intimate venues for the rest of their career.

Score:

Machine Head 9.5/10

Setlist:

Clenching the Fists of Dissent 

Volatile 

Now We Die

Beautiful Mourning

The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears

Imperium

Phil Demmel Guitar Solo

Darkness Within

Catharsis

From This Day

Ten Ton Hammer

Is There Anybody Out There?

Locust

Bastards

Drum Solo

Bulldozer

Killers & Kings

Davidian

Behind a Mask

None but My Own 

Aesthetics of Hate

Game Over

Old

Halo

Concert Review: Machine Head-- Allston, MA-- January 31st, 2015

Last night marked an incredibly rare opportunity as metal icons Machine Head played an intimate "An Evening With" show at the Brighton Music Hall in Allston, Massachusetts. As is the case with most special event shows, "An Evening with Machine Head" ended up being one for the annals.

As a reference point, the last time I saw Machine Head headline in February 2012 was at the 2000-capcity Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, so seeing them in a 500-person venue was almost unfathomable to me. When this show got announced in November, I was in sheer disbelief that they were playing at such a tiny venue. It honestly didn't even hit me until I walked into the venue last night that it was really happening.

Machine Head took the stage promptly at 8:00 and launched into their longtime set opener "Imperium" from their 2003 record Through the Ashes of  Empires. Right away, the sold-out crowd launched into an all-out frenzy. The tiny, densely packed space made the trademark whirlwind energy of Machine Head shows even more electric than usual. The energy and vibe Machine Head shows have are always amazing, but the most impressive aspect of their shows is how great they sound. Vocalist/rhythm guitarist Robb Flynn gets a lot of criticism for his off-stage persona and frequent nonsensical, expletive-filled online ramblings, but there's no denying that he is a top-notch performer. There's only a handful of frontmen in all of metal that work a crowd as well as him and he still sounds amazing vocally at age 47. 20+ years of performing hasn't wore down Flynn in the slightest and I'd be surprised if he suddenly started failing to deliver the goods anytime soon. Flynn is backed up by the highly underrated guitar/drum duo of Phil Demmel and Dave McClain. How Demmel and McClain aren't brought up in the greatest modern metal musicians conversation is just ridiculous to me. Watching these guys own their respective instruments is one of the greatest pleasures of seeing Machine Head live. The only small complaint I have is the setlist mostly lacked the rarities Flynn promised when the tour was announced. Outside of "Bite the Bullet", "Now I Lay Thee Down" and the four tracks from their new album Bloodstone & Diamonds, all of the material they played is typically in their setlist. I can't complain too much though because they played for two hours and the set still contained a lot of the best material from their 2007 masterpiece The Blackening ("Halo" is still one of the most epic live songs of all-time,) and a few of their essential '90s classics such as "Davidian" and "Ten Ton Hammer". Machine Head put on a phenomenal performance that is a near-lock to be one of the best I see in 2015.

Score:
Machine Head 9.5/10

Setlist:
Imperium
Beautiful Mourning
Now We Die
Bite the Bullet
Locust
From This Day
Ten Ton Hammer
Darkness Within
Bulldozer
Killers & Kings
Davidian
Sail Into the Black
Now I Lay Thee Down
Aesthetics of Hate
Game Over
Old
Halo