1. 11/27 Isis, These Arms are Snakes, Pelican - Magic Stick (Detroit) I drove three hours to witness Hydrahead's 'touring Mecca.' Some might say that is a lot, but I had originally planned to travel six to Chicago before this show was announced. Pelican performed a total of four songs, two of them brand new, one being a 10+ minute piece that dropped my jaw to the floor. These Arms are Snakes provided a highly energetic set, performing material from throughout their entire discography. And Isis took a page from Gwen Stefani and blew my mind. The new material comes off even better live; my only complaint was them not playing for three hours like Neurosis does.
2. 4/09 Fantómas, Melt Banana, End - Agora Ballroom (Cleveland) Mike Patton conducts the orchestra that is Fantómas. The band performed material from all three releases, even finding ways to insert segments from Delirium Cordia, which was released as one track. In addition, they also found time to insert a few select covers, all of which was executed perfectly. Melt Banana is a band that I just don't get. Their music is chaotic noise and the vocals are extremely nauseating. I guess you need to have an Asian fetish to be into that band. End was merely a man and his laptop; his work was decent at times but for the most part he only delayed my viewing of Fantómas.
3. 06/19 Braid, Minus the Bear, Murder by Death - Grog Shop (Cleveland) I had seen Braid prior to their breakup, so I really had minimal interest in seeing them play again. Despite this being heralded as the 'Braid Reunion Tour,' it was Minus the Bear that stole the show. Minus the Bear is easily one of the most enjoyable bands to watch live. The music is fun, the lyrics are fun, and there is always a delightful aura surrounding their shows. Murder by Death tends to get a lot of flack, for what I'm not really sure, but I do enjoy them. Granted, they aren't the first band to use pianos and string instruments, but they put it together in a compelling manner.
4. 10/25 Converge, Cave In, Between the Buried and Me - The World (Pittsburgh) Holy time-machine Batman! Seeing Converge play 'Conduit' and Cave In perform 'Juggernaut' at the same show was like stumbling upon the secret to time travel so I could attend a totally chill hardcore show from back in the day. Converge played in typical fashion. Jacob preached about the goodness of the hardcore scene while Nate inserted with random jokes and humor. Oh and in between all this they played a solid set of tunes that culminated in an extended edition of 'Jane Doe.' Cave In showcased material from all their major releases and even demoed some of the new material as well, though I had heard it at a show earlier in the year.
5. 08/03 Life Long Tragedy, These Days, Problem Solver Revolver, Scraps and Heart Attacks - Symposium (Cleveland) The Northern California hardcore scene is booming, and two of their most promising acts hit the road this past summer. Life Long Tragedy and These Days put on remarkable sets that exceeded all my expectations. Scraps and Heart Attacks played fast-paced hardcore and Problem Solver Revolver rounded out a perfect evening of good friends and good times.
-Michael
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