PHOTOGRAPHED FOR VANDALA MAGAZINE
What better way to spend a beautiful Sunday evening, than catching the almighty Mastodon, and the gritty melodies of Clutch, as they rock Edmonton on The Missing Link tour.
Eager fans lined the halls of the Edmonton Expo Centre on the evening of April 19th, preparing themselves for a night of radical music and fun.
I have been to the Edmonton Expo Centre many times for a variety of different events, but seeing a concert here? Not totally sure what to expect, I made my way into Hall E of the Expo, and to my surprise, a huge stage with a killer lighting rig was in place; I couldn't wait to conquer it.
Opening the show was Big Business, an incredibly interesting band, consisting of just a drummer and bassist. Ironically, Big Business meant business, this unusual two-piece band delivered an impressive sound with charming vocals accompanied by booming bass.
Co-headliner Clutch was up to bat, and I could feel the energy rising within the room. As this bluesy-rock group filed on stage, the sound of gritty southern guitar twang came pouring through the speakers. It immediately had my foot tapping and feeling the groove. As Clutch rolled through their set, more and more people in the audience were bobbing their heads and singing along, myself included.
Finally, the time has come for Atlanta's own Mastodon to hit the stage. It's been 4 years since I first saw Mastodon do their thing in Edmonton, and back then, I wasn't the biggest fan. But this time around, and now that I have a new appreciation for their music, I've been dying to see Mastodon, especially since the release of their newest album, Once More 'Round The Sun (2014). My excitement was at an all time high when the 4 progressive metallers took their places on stage. Mastodon played a variety of songs that truly demonstrated the dynamic of this wicked band, Groovy guitar riffs complimented by beautiful kick-you-in-the-feelings vocal harmonies, Mastodon had the Expo Centre headbanging and singing along to just about every song they played. There's just something about being in the crowd at a concert, when you can hear a vast majority of the crowd singing along to your favorite song that really starts a fire in your heart. Well, at least it does for me! I give this concert a solid 11/10 on the epic scale, Mastodon has once again rocked Edmonton, putting on a solid performance that won't soon be forgotten.
