Boris (w/ Helms Alee and Red Sparowes) @ the Great American Music Hall (8/26/10)

Going to stoner/doom/experimental shows at the Great American Music Hall is always a treat. Not only is it one of my favorite venues in the city but it's awesome experiencing loud and abrasive music in a place that used to be a classy dance hall almost 100 years ago.

Opening the evening was Tacoma's Hemls Alee who's blend of sludge and drone rock was pretty good for an opener. Their songs were short, for the style, and kinda reminded me the Minutemen in such a way that where most doom/sludge songs begin to take off, they wrap it up. My only complaint is that their set was a little too long and their sound began to have less of an appeal.

Next was Red Sparowes. I saw these guys a few years back open for Neurosis and they blew me away. They had played amazing shoe-gaze with a really intense visual back drop. This time, their set didn't seem to go anywhere. The visuals were far less stellar and seemed more like a collage from some visual arts student. Their songs carried on for too long and the drums seemed to be the only thing holding the band together. Everyone else was just noodling around. Good thing I was upstairs munching on some fries for most of their set.

Finally, Boris hits the stage. As the first notes of 'Farewell' sound out, the stage is immediately engulfed in fog, completely capturing the drama of this amazing song off the Pink album. Having never seen Boris I didn't know what to expect. With a band that covers pretty much every corner of rock and experimental music, I'd figure they're pick a sound and stick with it. I was very wrong. Boris's 90+ minute set covered almost every era of their career. They organized the set so that the mood changed every few songs. After a few slower/droned out jams they'd kick into classics from Pink, Heavy Rocks and Smile. The most stand out moment for me was a song featuring Wata. The song was something I could almost see Bjork performing. A single light shined down on her head will the rest of the band filled in the song with single subtle notes here and there. Freaking amazing. Only a band with such varying material could pull off a set as long as they did without tiring the audience. This was by far one of the best shows I've seen this summer.