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Fox Oakland

Opeth – Mastodon – Ghost | April 27, 2012

by Alan on Apr.29, 2012, under Fox Oakland, Photos, Reviews

Mastadon and Opeth, each with critically acclaimed recent releases (The Hunter, Heritage), teamed up for the co-headlining “Heritage Hunter Tour.” Bringing along Ghost … one of the buzziest up-and-coming metal bands out there who by all accounts absolutely ripped San Francisco a new one when they played a sold out Bottom of the Hill back in February … Friday night at the Fox Theater in Oakland delivered what was certainly one of the best metal shows of the year.

Ghost Gallery

Mastodon Gallery

Opeth Gallery

Clearly the word is out on Ghost. By the time they took the stage at 8pm sharp, there was a sizable crowd waiting in anticipation and no shortage of Ghost t-shirts. First out was masked front man Papa Emeritus swinging a censer (I had to look that word up) filled with smoking incense and followed by the Nameless Ghouls. The chugging crunch from the Ghouls melded well with the soar of Papa’s vocals that would make any monk proud to have him in their choir. Together they presented what was certainly a more potent mix than their recordings would lead one to believe. In Christianity the burning of the incense apparently symbolizes the zeal with which the faithful should be animated; quite appropriate as Ghost was certain to expand their ranks during their short but mesmerizing 30 minute set.

Next up was co-headliner Mastodon. Whatever stupor the crowd may have been left in after the Ghost set quickly evaporated with the opening riffs of Black Tongue … “I burned out my eyes. I cut off my tongue” … what was now a packed sold-out floor went nuts to what would prove to be by far the heaviest set of the night. Never ones for a lot of between song chatter, Mastodon let the music speak for itself, blasting through a whopping 17 songs in 70 minutes. One of those bands that’s know to have its off nights, Mastodon was without a doubt “on” this night. Tight and ferocious.

After the Mastodon set, there appeared to be a massive shift in the crowd as the sweaty mass of Mastodon fans swapped positions with the Opeth loyals, chanting as they waited for the band to take the stage. While Ghost brought the mystery and Mastodon brought the heavy, Opeth ended the night with a groovier prog-oriented set … no less passion from the audience, just a mellower vibe. Kicking things off with a trio off of their 2011 release, Heritage, they kept things more melodic through most of the set including a few tracks off of Watershed. It wasn’t until the end of the set that they delved into their back metal roots with Demons Of The Fall and The Grand Conjuration as their epic set closer.

Ghost Setlist:

Con Clavi Con Dio
Elizabeth
Prime Mover
Death Knell
Satan Prayer
Ritual

Mastodon Setlist:

Black Tongue
Hand of Stone
Crystal Skull
Dry Bone Valley
Thickening
Octopus Has No Friends
Blasteroid
Stargasm
The Hunter
Crack the Skye
All the Heavy Lifting
Spectrelight
Curl of the Burl
Bedazzled Fingernails
Aqua Dementia
Blood and Thunder
The Sparrow

Opeth Setlist:

The Devil’s Orchard
I Feel The Dark
Slither
Windowpane
Burden
The Lines In My Hand
Folklore
Demons of the Fall
The Grand Conjuration

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March 17 – Tempe, AZ – Tempe Beach Park

Setlist: