http://oregonmusicnews.com/blog/201...e-tour-alice-in-chains-deftones-and-mastodon/
My review of Alice In Chains in Portland on 10.9.10
Blackdiamondskye Tour: Alice In Chains, Deftones and Mastodon at the Coliseum
by Ruben Mosqueda on October 11, 2010
Mastodon at the Memorial Coliseum. Photos by Jon T. Cruz.
The Blackdiamondskye Tour stopped in Portland on October 9th, 2010 at the Memorial Coliseum, and the festivities kicked off at 7pm sharp with Mastodon who rumbled their way on stage with the subtlety of a herd of bulls in roomful of breakables.
The Atlanta quartet played a succession of prog rock meets psychedelic metal songs with disjointed time signatures. It was difficult to differentiate when a song began and where the other ended, but Mastodon isnt one of those bands that one can be a casual fan of. Judging by the less than enthusiastic audience for the most of their set, it was the norm. There was sign of life however towards the end of their set as they closed with Blood And Thunder.
From the opening note of Rocket Skates, the Deftones owned the stage and they had the audience in the palm of their hand. The Deftones delivered an electrifying, high energy set with singer Chino Moreno fronting. Chino has honed his skills over the years and has become a well-rounded performer. Moreno knows how to work a crowd into a frenzy and he was constantly on the move. The Deftones set was an intense, emotional roller coaster ride of music that ranged from hardcore to melancholy ballads to alternative metal. Moreno and crews performance took the audience to another level and by the end of 7 Words, you could tell the audience thought it was a shame that had come to an end so soon.
Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains
After a quick set change, the stage was widened with a huge white curtain draping the stage. A colorful set of lights aimed at the curtain were used to make the gigantic screen appear like a huge kaleidoscope. The bands silhouettes surfaced a few minutes later and then the Blackdiamondskye logo appeared as the curtain dropped and all hell broke loose. Alice In Chains opened with Them Bones, off of their sophomore record Dirt, followed by Damn That River and Rain When I Die. To say that William DuVall is a dead ringer for the late Layne Staley would be a gross understatement. If you closed your eyes, youd have sworn it was Staley on Saturday night. To be fair to DuVall, he brings a soulful vocal, higher register and a spectacular stage presence. DuVall moved across the stage effortlessly, sometimes shuffling around other times strutting and posing. Never overdoing it. DuValls addition to Alice In Chains has added new life to the band.
Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez and Sean Kinney were all smiles as they played a tight set that included Check My Head, Your Decision, Last Of My Kind, and Lesson Learned from their latest album Black Gives Way To Blue as well as material from their back catalog. Alice In Chains wrapped up their stellar 13 song performance with Rooster, which, of course, brought the house down. The band surfaced a few minutes later for the encore, which consisted of Nutshell and their signature songs Man In A Box and Would? The only thing that could have made this night any better would have been another 30 minutes of Alice In Chains.
My review of Alice In Chains in Portland on 10.9.10
Blackdiamondskye Tour: Alice In Chains, Deftones and Mastodon at the Coliseum
by Ruben Mosqueda on October 11, 2010
Mastodon at the Memorial Coliseum. Photos by Jon T. Cruz.The Blackdiamondskye Tour stopped in Portland on October 9th, 2010 at the Memorial Coliseum, and the festivities kicked off at 7pm sharp with Mastodon who rumbled their way on stage with the subtlety of a herd of bulls in roomful of breakables.
The Atlanta quartet played a succession of prog rock meets psychedelic metal songs with disjointed time signatures. It was difficult to differentiate when a song began and where the other ended, but Mastodon isnt one of those bands that one can be a casual fan of. Judging by the less than enthusiastic audience for the most of their set, it was the norm. There was sign of life however towards the end of their set as they closed with Blood And Thunder.
From the opening note of Rocket Skates, the Deftones owned the stage and they had the audience in the palm of their hand. The Deftones delivered an electrifying, high energy set with singer Chino Moreno fronting. Chino has honed his skills over the years and has become a well-rounded performer. Moreno knows how to work a crowd into a frenzy and he was constantly on the move. The Deftones set was an intense, emotional roller coaster ride of music that ranged from hardcore to melancholy ballads to alternative metal. Moreno and crews performance took the audience to another level and by the end of 7 Words, you could tell the audience thought it was a shame that had come to an end so soon.
After a quick set change, the stage was widened with a huge white curtain draping the stage. A colorful set of lights aimed at the curtain were used to make the gigantic screen appear like a huge kaleidoscope. The bands silhouettes surfaced a few minutes later and then the Blackdiamondskye logo appeared as the curtain dropped and all hell broke loose. Alice In Chains opened with Them Bones, off of their sophomore record Dirt, followed by Damn That River and Rain When I Die. To say that William DuVall is a dead ringer for the late Layne Staley would be a gross understatement. If you closed your eyes, youd have sworn it was Staley on Saturday night. To be fair to DuVall, he brings a soulful vocal, higher register and a spectacular stage presence. DuVall moved across the stage effortlessly, sometimes shuffling around other times strutting and posing. Never overdoing it. DuValls addition to Alice In Chains has added new life to the band.
Jerry Cantrell, Mike Inez and Sean Kinney were all smiles as they played a tight set that included Check My Head, Your Decision, Last Of My Kind, and Lesson Learned from their latest album Black Gives Way To Blue as well as material from their back catalog. Alice In Chains wrapped up their stellar 13 song performance with Rooster, which, of course, brought the house down. The band surfaced a few minutes later for the encore, which consisted of Nutshell and their signature songs Man In A Box and Would? The only thing that could have made this night any better would have been another 30 minutes of Alice In Chains.
