Mastodon
After a tumultuous few years, heavy metal Atlantans Mastodon have made their way back to the San Francisco Bay Area, headlining Oakland’s Fox Theater on ‘The Poisonous Weapons Tour’ with a stacked lineup including Alcest and Deafheaven. With a new album, Marrow Deep, and the new lineup’s first appearance in the Bay since the parting of ways and untimely death of guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, the anticipation was sky-high.
By the time Alcest’s 7 pm opening slot rolled around, the Fox Theater was surprisingly packed and the room was electric, not just because of the return of Mastodon, but for the openers as well. Hailing from France, this quartet spoke the universal language of metal … marrying chunky riffs, growling vocals and a sludgy beats that had the appreciative San Francisco crowd mesmerized and appropriately teed up for a hopeful return as a headliner.
While Alcest brought the vibes, Deafheaven brought the fury. The second these hometown boys took took the stage it was pure chaos all around. Vocalist George Clarke was all over the stage, pushing the crowd to ever-increasing levels of action as the rest of the band furiously headbanged, strobe lights blasted the stage, and the general admission floor went absolutely bonkers. Drawing heavily from 2025’s Lonely People With Power, the set flew by leaving the crowd aghast when 30 minutes in, Clarke finally paused to announce their last song, “Winona,” as it felt like the set was peaking. Like Alcest, Deafheaven left the crowd wanting more.
As the crew made quick work of the stage a quick glance around the room revealed a packed house with the only open space in the last rows of the balcony. And in spite of the energy dedicated towards the last two bands, the Oakland crowd looked absolutely pumped with plenty left in the tank for the mighty Mastodon.
With “Crazy Train” blasting through the house for the band’s intro music, there were also plenty of questions about what this new phase of Mastodon would bring; a new guitar player in Nick Johnston as well as the band’s first ever keyboard player, João Nogueira. Well, there was no easing in as the band launched right into “Barbarians Blood” from their August release, Marrow Deep.
Any unease regarding how the new material and band would be accepted quickly disappeared as Mastodon slid into their signature groove and the Oakland crowd gleefully rocked out, a mosh pit emerging on the right side of the floor and never really stopping throughout the 1 hour and 40 minute set. Troy Sanders’ voice was on point as he held down the low end on bass, trading lead duties with Brann Dailor who somehow managed to keep both arms and both legs moving to the beat of some crazy time signatures.
Those who may have been wondering what the extra mic stand and pedal board were for got their answer about an hour into the set when John Baizley of Baroness abruptly took the stage mid-song during “Snakes for Dinner.” As Troy soon explained, he’d be joining the band for some fun which meant taking up some vocal and guitar duties, giving this already bombastic band a level of heavy that hasn’t been seen up until this tour; loud, crushing and simply next-level.
Even the band felt it, with the normally taciturn Sanders pausing for some effusive praise of the Oakland crowd. Sure, we’ve all heard the “best show of the tour” claim from a band, but he sure seemed to mean it this time.
As the set wound down, the activity on the floor got more frantic with the pit ever expanding until it took over the first level during the closer and clear crowd-pleaser, “Blood and Thunder,” after which the band left the stage. Expect for Dailor, that is, who stepped up to the mic with a fist full of drumsticks and proceeded to thank the crowd and crack jokes for a few minutes before finally saying goodbye.
With this tour and their latest album, Mastodon made no attempt to ignore the elephant in the room. While I wouldn’t call it a ‘reinvention,’ ‘The Poisonous Weapons Tour’ truly ushers in a new era of Mastodon.
Mastodon
Deafheaven
Alcest
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