Been listening to them since The Mantle but am unsure if they can pull off their music live. The first leg of their upcoming tour is hitting a local bar.
My biggest obstacle to going to an Agalloch show is that they tend to tour with really boring support bands. But that's just me; there's only so much art I can take.
This tour is the first one where I am excited about the whole touring package.
They have arranged their songs for the stage; that means the songs from the Mantle and otherwise that sound impossible to do live are impossible to do live. They just perform a live version of those songs. I love the band, so the two live performances I've seen from them were awesome in my opinion. When I saw them in Omaha, they did all of Faustian Echoes, which was heavy as all shit. So I think they know how to bring it. They keep playing shows, so I think they keep getting better as a live band.
I really enjoyed them the last time I saw them live. And my wife, who never listens to music like Agalloch on record, thoroughly enjoyed their live show. Regardless, I think it's important to support both your favorite bands and your local music scene. If you don't, and either disappears, you have only yourself to blame.