Concert Review: GHOST (Live at College Street Music Hall) 4-16-2016

Spirit....absent! GHOST brings their Grammy-winning act to New Haven, CT

[Ghost takes the stage in New Haven, CT]

     I don’t put much stock into awards that denote “good” or “quality” music. However I admit I was very excited when I heard that one of my favorite bands, August Burns Red, was nominated for the 2016 Grammy for Best Metal Performance (“Identity”.) Though I felt that ABR had a strong shot at the award I was not surprised that a bigger, more established band went home with the gold. Afterwards, as a sort of consolidation of grief, I decided to lend my ears to a few tracks from these Swedish metalers named Ghost- if only for fairness’s sake. What I found was an extremely polished sound- clean, melodic vocals and riffs that brought me back to the days of (what has now become) classic metal- in the vein of King Diamond and Judas Priest, yet with lyrics as blasphemous as I have ever heard before. 

     Ghost takes the masked appearance/costume idea to another level- complete anonymity. Though some speculation circles around who the members actually are and which of the instrumentalists are the main songwriters, it cannot be denied that Ghost’s use of hidden identities has reached a level unmatched by other bands and artists who have stabbed at the same device- such as Slipknot. Even a simple Wikipedia search confirms that the only members of the band are lead singer “Papa Emeritus III”, a bishop-like figure who has appeared in three different incarnations (each with a signature style of skeleton face paint), who leads his hoard of “Nameless Ghouls”-instrumentalists-who have all been assigned an element (Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Ether) and are only identifiable by a patch sown in identical position on each member’s jacket. Ghost’s demonic costumed image may have grabbed my attention, but it was their insanely catchy, moshy tunes that kept me coming back for more. After purchasing their first and latest albums and spending many a work commute belting along with songs like “Ritual,” “Stand by Him” and “From the Pinnacle to the Pit,” I was incredibly excited to learn that they were making a stop at College Street Music Hall, a young venue in my hometown of New Haven, CT. I let the anticipation build for well over a month before April 16th arrived. The night finally came and with my ticket bought and pentagrams in my head, there I was happily bound.

     Knowing that floor space would be very limited for this show, I arrived at College Street Music Hall early enough to get myself a good spot in the crowd- on the first tier of the standing room, stage left. Fortunately, I arrived with enough time to catch a good bit of the opening set from Tribulation- another Swedish group. Tribulation, defined loosely as "Black and Roll", played a blisteringly fast set of music clearly influenced by both black metal and classic rock. This interesting blend of styles may have left some listeners a bit genre-confused however this finely blended mix of blackened riffs and rhythmic drumming was extremely well received  by the New Haven crowd. Tribulation’s music carries much of the same dissonance, simplicity, and lyrical content of the black metal genre-staples that no corpse-panted band could be taken seriously without. Several members of the band have also grown enormous dreadlocks giving both guitarists a ragged, torn appearance that suits their stage show perfectly. Vocalist Johannes Andersson nasally growls out lyrics with a classic black metal drawl, but there exists a certain uniqueness to Tribulation’s sound which emanates from the drum set of Jakob Ljungberg, who substitutes blistering blast beats for a steadier, rhythmic rock tempo reminiscent of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham. During the set, I often found myself bobbing my head in tune, or suppressing the urge to clap in time with the drumming. As far as an opener goes, Tribulation was the perfect band to start this show and was well chosen by the promoters, who luckily snagged them one day after finishing a US tour with black metal icon ABBATH. Those in the crowd less suited to the heavier music scene may have been turned off by Tribulation’s blackened riffs and harsh vocals, but their melody and stage performance was an excellent precursor to the show to follow. By the end of their set, it was clear that the crowd- a curious mix of young moshers, vested metalheads, and trepidatious  “Yale-ies”-were warmed up and waiting for the entrance of Papa Emeritus III and his nameless Ghouls.

[Swedish rockers Tribulation open the show at College Street Music Hall]

     Ghost rips onto the stage with the lead track off of their latest album Meliora, called “Spirit”- a haunting tune complete with enough organ drone to be part of a Church sermon. I'm sure that, for many, the most entertaining part of the show was the stage theatrics and the visual performance given by the band. Papa Emeritus enters the scene and the house lights shine on him from behind creating an ominous silhouette which stands in sharp contrast against the elaborate stage curtain- a mock stained glass window. The shadow slowly floats down from the height of the drumkit and enters the light at center stage; he is dressed like some sort of Satanic Pope- complete with an ornately decorated black robe and a Bishop’s hat- each adorned accordingly with an upside down cross. Papa plays this black Pope role extremely well and appears almost prophetic like while performing, often extending his free hand towards the heavens while gripping the microphone with the other. The Nameless Ghouls must make way for him on stage as he floats from end to end belting out lyrics, his cavernous black robe dragging not far behind. The lighting system at College Street Music Hall deserves immense credit for the truly visual performance that this show presents. The intricate combination of spotlights, color lights and strobe lights flashing rapidly and scanning across the venue in sync with the music gives Ghost a truly eerie control over their music and the crowd itself. 

     About a third of the way through the show, the lights are dark for the first time as the haunting notes of “Circie”, Ghost’s Grammy winning single, ring out over the crowd. The band reclaims the stage, and Papa has made a wardrobe change. He now leads his Ghouls in a black doublet, trimmed with stark white lapels and upside down crosses, and has switched out the large hat for natural, slicked back black hair. This removes the lofty, elevated air surrounding the spectral frontman who shows more personality and involvement with both his bandmates and the crowd for the remainder of the show. I was perfectly positioned to enjoy the small mosh pit that erupts during Ghost’s heavier tracks – with “Absolution” and “Mummy Dust” back to back, I found myself tossed around like a ragdoll in a washing machine. I’m a relatively small guy (for the metal show crowd, that is) but those of us who love to mosh know that there is nothing worse than a bad pit. Fortunately, as the pit grew and shrank between verse and chorus, Ghost’s crowd stayed true to the unspoken codes of the metal scene- no fists flew, no fights erupted, and anyone who fell had more hands in their face to pick them up than they knew what to do with. This made for an incredible camaraderie between those I found myself colliding with song after song, and I can only assume by the cheers and horns in the air that the entire crowd was feeling similarly connected.

     As the show reaches over an hour in length, the lights are black again and three Nameless Ghouls enter the stage armed with acoustic guitars for an unplugged cover of Roky Erikson’s 1981 song “If You Have Ghosts.” During this break from the speed and intensity of the show, Papa takes time to explain the meaning of Ghost as a band, and to specifically introduce these three Nameless Ghouls - Alpha (formally “Fire”- a guitarist), Water ( the bass player, and according to Papa an extremely talented musician who likes to “show off” during practice sessions) and Omega (formally “Ether”), another guitarist. Each Nameless Ghoul is dressed exactly the same- a horned, silver mask and an all-black doublet- which creates a uniformity across all instrumentalists only interrupted by each member’s patch sewn onto the left breast. The audience is coaxed into applause by our demonic frontman after each introduction, lending a measure or two for each Ghoul to display a tiny lick of guitar individuality. 

[Papa Emeritus III introduces his Nameless Ghouls]

[Papa addresses the masses]

     Several times during the night, when I found myself taking a small break from the rhythmic brawl in the center crowd, I began to consider how difficult it was going to be to assess this concert. Typically, I like to begin an analysis of a band based on the skills and abilities I see showcased by individual performers. However after watching these introductions, it dawned on me that tonight, there are no individual performers- that is to say, no names and faces at least. As the three Ghouls strum away to the tune, Papa digresses into a lengthy explanation of why exactly Ghost uses these hidden identities and the way it helps an audience focus on the music as a whole, a fully composed end product, instead of separate elements created by individual skill. For me, Papa’s digression during the acoustic number was enlightening, especially considering my typical tactic for dissecting a band is to do the opposite- view what each individual member contributes to the sound by themselves. Upon further reflection I began to really believe that that Ghost’s music, with its film-score symphonics and demonic aura, is actually easier analyzed as a whole, just as Papa described. Some members of the crowd were not pleased with this lengthy dialogue about meaning. Several times during this foray into acoustics I heard calls from the crowd of “Play some music!” or “Stop talking and get on with it!” which is completely understandable. We are all here to hear music. However, a concert is, at heart, a performance. Papa’s speech during “If You Have Ghosts” was lengthy, but informative. I mean, he is the Pope, after all. What kind of leader would he be if he didn’t speak to the masses while on stage?


     Though some may be turned off, even isolated by Ghost’s demonic message, none can deny that it fits perfectly well with their eclectic stage performance. Their final song, live staple “Monstrance Clock”, was proceeded by a seethingly blasphemous dedication to the female orgasm, which even had Papa Emeritus cracking a smile on stage. For me, this satanic message works the same as suspension of disbelief in literature or a film- one must accept the lyrics and melodies for what they really are- music- and nothing more. If a random stranger had walked in just as Ghost was leaving the stage, they would have heard the crowd chanting along “Come together, together as one!” “Come together, for Lucifer’s son!”- impious words escaping the mouths of everyone in attendance. While we all sang along, the Namelees Ghouls file off of the stage and eventually the lights are back on. It is almost as if the world is back to normal and we are all safe again. This band has the ability to walk on stage, scare the hell out of everyone with a demonic message, yet leave to a crowd cheering after them to pray for the devil. In my opinion, this is a truly successful concert and a job well done.

[A Nameless Ghoul eyes the crowd at College St.]

     I am sure that anyone who had a poor opinion of a metal show, or had wary expectations of what went on at these strange gatherings, left New Haven that night with a completely different perspective of this environment. The crowd itself was one of the most diverse I’ve seen at a show in a long time, and, while I stood by the exit in my denim vest, I saw several flocks of confused 20-somethings in polo shirts leaving with perplexed looks and sideways glances at their similarly stunned friends - however there was not an unhappy face in the house. Papa Emeritus’s frontman abilities are demonic and vulgar enough to merit applause from even the most black-blooded metal head yet humorous and approachable enough to be enjoyed by a first-time concert goer. The Nameless Ghouls add excellent support and the music they create is at the same time haunting and inviting. At the end of the night, I left with an incredibly positive impression of the band, the venue, and the concert as a whole. Ghost’s excellent set, which mixed heavier riffs with some more catchy and classic-metal melodies, was amplified tenfold by the incredible audio and visual capabilities of College Street Music Hall. There was unity in the house on that April 16th- no matter who we were all worshiping.

[Ghost, AWESOME merch. An epic tee to add to my collection!]

*all photographs (unless mentioned otherwise) are property of the author and will be treated as such*

Concert Review: August Burns Red (Live at the Regency Ballroom) 3-21-2016

August Burns Red Live: A Fan's Review

[Jake Luhrs, lead singer of August Burns Red in San Francisco, CA]

When I discovered that August Burns Red, one of my all-time favorite bands, was playing a show in San Francisco during my brief stay there, it was a coincidence I could not deny - and there I was happily bound.

     August Burns Red - with their blend of intricate technicality, progressive melody and punishing heaviness- create music so unique the untrained ear struggles to pin them into one genre. Something tells me that this is all part of the plan. In the past decade, their music has evolved from a sound lost in the mass of early 2000’s metalcore to a polished brutality that leaves swarms of fans stuck somewhere between banging their heads and ballroom dancing. When it comes to performing live, even the untrained listener cannot deny the spectacle that is August Burns Red in concert. I found them on tour with Between the Buried and Me at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California, and I was not disappointed. In fact, I was satisfied beyond belief.

     Lead singer Jake Luhrs patrols the stage with an electrifying personality: a stage presence that blends the explosive intensity of a child on Christmas morning with the refined passion of a preacher at the pulpit. Fans truly react to this no-holds barred attitude: Luhrs does what he wishes, as he wishes, and is truly himself on stage. One of the most memorable aspects of his performance is always his unique choice of a corded microphone- which is used to its full potential. He whips his toy in gigantic, controlled circles feet in diameter, catching it just in time to make his next lyric without skipping a beat. This continuous catch and release is truly a stage spectacle, and I myself found my head following the microphone in its revolutions, mouth agape. Luhrs is so well trained at his feat that he knows just how far to move the stage guard before he begins. If this isn’t his favorite stage pastime, it is defiantly dancing.

     

     Jake’s acrobatics are only complimented and surpassed by the energy of his bandmates. Bearded bassist Dustin Davidson and barefoot lead guitarist JB Brubaker make their way around the stage during the show, each occasionally stepping onto one of three risers to deliver backing lyrics or their personal dosage of guitar madness (at one point, Davidson jumps from riser to riser to riser, covering the stage in three large bounds- all while playing.) Both are extremely talented musicians. Davidson and Brubaker have a sixth sense of who moves where and when - evidence of their near decade of collaboration together in ABR. For “Everlasting Ending,” a song written by Davidson, the two switch instruments, swapping bass for guitar, each handling the others with a dexterity that matches their own. That’s musicianship.

[Dustin Davidson gets down in San Francisco]

     
     Unlike many contemporary bands who rely on their live staples to get the crowd involved, ABR has a noticeable passion for their new music. During this show, they played five songs from their latest album “Found in Far Away Places,” including the Grammy-nominated “Identity.” FIFAP was a true resurrection of heaviness for the band. This is much thanks to guitarist Brent Rambler and drummer Matt Greiner, whose steady tempos drive the crushing breakdowns that the pit enjoys so much. As much as ABR’s music has become synonymous with JB’s sonic melodies, the head banging department is solely owned and operated by Rambler’s calculated chugging. He remains relatively silent throughout the show, but his contribution is all but unnoticed. Brent shreds effortlessly song after song, making sure that those in the crowd with their horns in the air have something to bang their heads to. Matt Greiner, one of the most accomplished drummers in the modern metal scene, is the band’s unspoken hero. I was disappointed that the lighting and my position in the crowd put Greiner in shadows for the duration of the show - he truly deserves a spotlight. Fortunately, he gets one towards the end: laying down an impressively long drum solo that runs the gamut from groovy jazz tapping to blistering blast beats. This versatility pervades ABR’s music- a ship which goes from traveling at breakneck speeds to lolling upon the waves at a second’s notice- with Greiner standing (or sitting for that matter) steadfast at the helm.

[Matt Greiner performs his drum solo]

     
     The versatility of this band is undeniable. In a second you may hear the group playing sections of music so melodious you could find them at a wedding or bar mitzvah, then rapidly switching to crowd-chanting choruses that unite the venue in song. At the end of the day, it’s energy. Energy. ABR brings energy to the stage at an unmatched level. It does not stop until the final song is over. They close out their night in San Francisco with fan (and my personal) favorite, “White Washed,” a song I have seen them open with several times. In my own personal experience, I have seen them use the same song to rip onto stage and close in memorable fashion. That’s musicianship.

[ABR in action]

   
      I was fortunate (or perhaps, just desperate) enough to meet up with Rambler, Luhrs, and Brubaker after the show near the tour bus where I waited patiently. I had the opportunity to speak at length with Brubaker and was able to delve into one of the minds behind the music I enjoy so much. We discussed what it meant to the band to be nominated for a Grammy award and why the nomination itself was perhaps more important than the win. “We were on tour in Kansas when my wife called me and told me were nominated. I called my mom, she was crying,” laughs Brubaker, “We basically found out the same way all of our fans did.” As far as the award ceremony itself goes, I gained the impression that it was somewhat of a whirlwind for five regular guys from Pennsylvania. “The Academy is a hard thing to parse through, especially for first time goers,” Brubaker said. I commented on the fact that they arrived there in style (driven by LAFD in a county firetruck) and asked about the award ceremony as a whole. “It was unbelievable to be there. It was an honor,” he noted, “but at the same time it is strange to have to pretend someone you’re not for hours on end…the suit and tie, you know?” And the closed-toed shoes, right JB?

     I was fortunate enough to meet Jake Luhrs as well and explain to him how important the music of his band is to me personally. Specifically, I mentioned the song “Beauty in Tragedy.” In early 2014, I lost my uncle (and namesake) Andrew Janz to pancreatic cancer. My father and his brother had been very close in their upbringing but had been feuding for decades, including my entire life, leading up to the decline of his health. In the final five or six months he was alive, my father stood by his brother’s side and helped him with everything from transportation to the hospital, to in-home care, to the eventual funeral arrangements. In my reality, which was very much removed from the pallor of mortality, his death was a strange and truly ethereal experience. A relative of mine was now gone, sure. But this was much different. I am named after this person, and in a way, I am this person incarnate. The only other Andrew Janz in the world has died, and for the first time in my life my own mortality was whispering in my ears. But what was it telling me? Am I meant to live up to this name, to fill these shoes? How is that possible if I have never known this person, but for stories and anecdotes? For a while I saw no direction, felt lost, and had no idea how to deal with this conflict within myself. I struggled mightily with these thoughts and for weeks they were all I could think about when my mind was idle. It was around this time that “Beauty in Tragedy,” and the lyrics written by Luhrs, began to take hold and grow true meaning within my heart. A spoken word section of the song:

“Tomorrow, the air will be a little colder. But I’ll be sure to breathe for the both of us.

And the nights may be a little darker. But I’ll be sure to carry the torch to warm the hearts that never got to feel yours.

I can’t hear your voice, I can’t hear your voice, but that’s okay. Cause I can feel you in my heart.”

     It slowly dawned on to me that there was no need, no pressure on me to fill shoes. I did not have to ‘live up’ to the name I was given and I should feel nothing but protection and admiration from the person who I know is watching me from beyond. The words in this song helped me brew coherency from confusion: I began to think with direction again. In life, the most positive thing I can possibly do is take the love and acceptance I’ve learned from others and pass it on to those closest to me. Carry the torch. Light the way for others who might be wrestling with themselves as well, because you are not alone. Though my uncle may not be here anymore his soul, spirit, and name will live on through my actions every day.

     When I explained this to Jake, he thanked me for sharing my story with him- a story about how the music of August Burns Red has helped me through an extremely difficult and perplexing time of my life. What I didn’t get the chance to say, in our brief conversation, was THANK YOU, Jake. Thank you, and your bandmates, for creating music that is positive and inspiring.

     Thank you all. Rest assured I’ll be seeing you all again soon. Catch me in the front row.

[Jake Luhrs and I on Van Ness Ave. (The Regency Ballroom in the background)]

*all photographs (unless mentioned otherwise) are property of the author and will be treated as such*