Concert recap (Halloween Edition) – MASTODON at The Civic

Bassist/Vocalist: Troy Sanders

It was a dark and stormy Halloween night. And while that may have frightened some, it did not stop the masses of ghouls, demons, clowns and metalheads from swarming to the Civic Theatre at midnight to behold an evening of murky brutality.

Guitarist/Vocalist: Brent Hinds

Embracing the Halloween spirit, the Atlanta four-piece emerged in full costume ranging from a clown to guitarist, Brent Hinds, in his best Slash getup, leather pants and all. Mastodon have always enjoyed costumes, even at the expense of not being recognized. The band is touring in support of their sixth and most recent album, Once More Round The Sun. The band plowed their way through a blend of new tunes including “The Motherload” and “High Road” before mixing seamlessly into fan favorites from their extensive catalogue.

(Left to right: Brent Hinds, Troy Sanders and Bill Kelliher.)

After playing together for nearly 15 years, Mastodon have not lost a shred of ferocity nor the fun they are clearly having. While their sounds may evoke rage or darkness, Mastodon have always had a sense of humor. At one point, Hinds (aka Slash) had a female stage hand run out on stage with a cigarette which she lit for him as he continued to shred flawlessly through more Mastodon classics like “Iron Tusk,” “The Wolf Is Loose,” as well as personal favorites “Crystal Skull” and “Blood and Thunder.” They may be metal veterans at this point, but Mastodon still performs with an intensity that continues to drive crowds into a frenzy.

The explosive night concluded with balloons raining from the ceiling in a celebration of the season. As the band left the stage, clown drummer, Brann Dailor, approached the mic and offered a sincere thank you to the fans. He described how the band had performed their first show years ago here in New Orleans and they are always eager to return. Hopefully very soon.