Alas, the beasts have been put to bed. And not a moment too late. As the Mega-Monsters Tour roared into the front range for the final show of the tour, they did so at the ultra-corporate sound garden they call Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre. I’ll admit, even after all these years, it’s still fascinating to people-watch the metalheads trudging through the perfectly manicured office complexes on their way to the gates. It almost feels like sneaking into a mansion to watch your favorite lo-res horror flick in a million dollar home-theater. But here we are.
Lorna Shore punched first with a growl to kick the evening off. They no longer seem like they’re discovering themselves, as Will Ramos and the band finally seem to be hitting their stride. Having been together with this lineup for a couple of years now, they sound confident and well balanced. I heard lots of great comments about them from those in the crowd that showed up early to check them out. As their set wrapped up, Colorado did a truly Colorado thing…a beautiful sunset and a lightning storm formed next to each other on the western horizon.
Given the fact that this was the curtain call for the US-leg of the Mega-Monsters Tour, the stage production was working like a well-oiled machine and the set changes were smooth as butter. Mastodon’s giant curtain fell and they let the wolf loose. The grizzled monsters hailing from Atlanta wasted no time ripping into their insane chord sweeps and moody progressive metal. Everything in their set screamed ‘feet don’t fail me now’ as the finish line was in sight since before they boarded the bus to Denver. I’ve been there, the grind is real, the burnout is real, and the only thing keeping the band going is the feedback from the crowd and the fumes from the haze machines and flame throwers. Visually, their LED art wall was mesmerizing and the giant monster near the end of their set was so on-brand, I ate it up with a serving spoon.
Merci to Gojira for showing absolutely no mercy. They reached back into their magic sac à dos for some unreal energy. A collective “ohhhh shhh….here we goooo” was felt in the crowd as they dove into their set opener “Ocean Planet”. I got goosebumps, and I almost never get goosebumps at a show these days! I remember them absolutely incinerating the 300-capacity Marquis Theater just over 14 years ago…and the bone crushing low-end, guitar whips and mind bending march of percussion have not dissipated one iota as they absolutely wrecked Fiddlers. I have to say it, Mario Duplantier is a drum god. Period. Top 10 all-time metal drummer. And it was on full display in front of around 16,000 worshippers. Sadly, I was embarrassed at how gassed the crowd sounded when Mario paused to receive due applause in the middle of his solo. We got caught flat-footed, Denver. After all, we had gone to battle with some metal monsters, and in the end, the beasts lived and we retreated back to our comfy little homes. And not a moment too late.
Gojira Setlist:
Ocean Planet
Backbone
Stranded
Flying Whales
The Art of Dying
The Cell
Drum Solo
Grind
Another World
Silvera
Amazonia
The Chant
The Gift of Guilt
Mastodon Setlist:
The Wolf Is Loose
Crystal Skull
Megalodon
Divinations
Andromeda
Sultan’s Curse
Fallen Torches
Aqua Dementia
Pushing the Tides
More Than I Could Chew
Iron Tusk
Steambreather
March of the Fire Ants
Mother Puncher
Circle of Cysquatch
Crusher Destroyer
Blood and Thunder
