To say that I was shocked to see the Mastodon tour coming through Lexington, Ky., is an understatement. But it happened. I was there. And what’s more, it was a great success.

Where venues in Lexington were once apparently too timid (or apathetic) to book heavier, more aggressive bands, Buster’s Billiards and Backroom has now proven they have the cojones to handle these types of shows. They also possess the business savvy needed to make them run smooth and safely, showing no signs of stopping any time soon.

“We’ve really gotten our feet wet lately with Every Time I Die playing last week and Mastodon tonight,” bar owner Jessica Case explained when asked about the decision to book more abrasive acts. “Coming up soon, we’ll have Dropkick Murphys and Gwar.”

If booking Gwar isn’t putting on your game face, I don’t know what is.

Case seemed surprised at how well people are handling themselves at the heavier shows. “I think we only had one guy get a little out of hand tonight. You know what show we did have problems at? The reggae artist Matisyahu! Booking heavier bands is just a matter of having a good crew on hand and knowing what to expect. We don’t let our bouncers get out of line and the audience respects that.”

And if you book it, they will come. Mastodon sold out the 1,000 capacity venue in no time. Baroness and Valient Thorr opened the show for headliners Between the Buried and Me and the crowd favorites, Mastodon.

Luckily, I already had tickets. Unluckily, a series of comical errors involving myself and 20 Canadians at the local pub made me miss the entirety of the opening show. I walked up to Buster’s only minutes before Mastodon began to perform.

Their performance was what you would expect: Ethereal and dreamlike, Mastodon is more of an experience than a show. A full-color, stage-length LCD screen towered behind them, burning abstract imagery of ancient gods and drug-induced hallucinations into the air. This was the funeral of melody. You not only heard the music, you felt it through rich, layered vibrations. If Mastodon’s goal was to discover a new dimension through sound, I will say they are well on their way.

Photos by David Shaw.

4 Responses to “Photos: Mastodon, Between the Buried and Me at Buster’s”

1. 

   On 06/1/10 12:30 PM, VolcomEnt said:

   Posted a link to here from VolcomTour.com, thanks for coming out Robert. Nice photos David. For those interested, there are more photos and a recap with setlist info here.

3. 

   On 06/1/10 8:27 PM, Robert Simpson said:

   VolcomEnt, if possible, could I get some some contact info from you?

   Please send your info to RobertSimpson1982@gmail.com, thanks.

5. 

   On 06/2/10 10:59 AM, Interview: Valient Thorr Discuss Time on the Road | BUZZGRINDER said:

   [...] Photos: Mastodon, Between the Buried and Me at Buster’s Tuesday, 8:27 [...]

7. 

   On 06/3/10 7:38 PM, Amy said:

   [...] Photos: Mastodon, Between the Buried and Me at Buster’s Tuesday, 8:27 [...]

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