I had the pleasure of watching one of the coolest bands at College Street Music Hall last weekend. The Mars Volta, a progressive rock band with a bit of a heavier sound took over the venue and put on one hell of a show.
With amazing lighting, perfect vocals, and incredible onstage chemistry it was truly a spectacle to see and I hope I get to see them perform again soon.
One song that stood out to me was their 12-minute certified grass-fed BOP “L’Via L’Viaquez.”
I’ve rocked out to this song several times in my car and this was the song I was most excited to witness. I was not disappointed, during the tune there are a few moments where the tempo slows down and goes into a latinesque groove. This slow down scratches a place in my brain whenever I listen to this song and when they played this live they slowed down the slow down to make the slow down even slower. It was amazing to hear and the lead singer’s energy was so intoxicating and mesmerizing it was truly a night to remember.
Something that also made me love the show even more was the lighting design. If you are a nerd like me, lights, sound, and stage presence are all things that can make a performance go from horrible, to fantastic.
The back of the stage had these panels with lights all around them and it gave the illusion that the lights were moving around when really it was all in the same place. Each lighting change was carefully measured to the beat of the songs they played.
There was also a moment when the lights would switch from white to red and it made it seem like the entire stage was in black and white. It was an insanely visually experience pleasing and by far one of the coolest concert lighting designs I’ve seen in a long time.
I would also like to discuss the opening artist Teri Gender Bender. A band in rainbow unicorn onesies playing music unlike anything else I have ever heard before. It seemed like I was watching a cartoon in real life. The lead singer Teri has a beautiful angelic voice and has no fear of using every inch of the College Street Music Hall stage. Not only do I want one of those onesies, but I want to be friends with every member of that band. I was truly in awe of what I was watching and hearing. The idea of breaking the gender binary through music like they do is truly magical and inspiring to watch.
I had a wonderful time watching one of the coolest bands perform in one of my favorite venues of all time. If you love progressive rock music with a twist, The Mars Volta is the band for you.
