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Abyss' Review (5/1/02, Roseland, NYC):
Down. It's Not Just For Pillows Anymore.
photos by SolomonAre you down with Down? When the music plays, do you get Down? If you were presented with their collected asses, would you goose Down? Are all of these stupid questions getting you Down? Me too. Yes, last night the boys from NoLa started their first tour in quite awhile, and this marked my first time seeing them in a live setting. And what a treat it turned out to be, with two solid albums under their belt Down have gone from an enthusiastic object of curiosity, to a formidable act in and of themselves. Calling this band a side project, despite the eons between albums, just seems wrong.
Maybe it's the fact that these guys all come from the same place, or maybe it's the fact that each of them all come from bands that have, at some point at least, had effective, quality releases (well, all except Crowbar anyway), but the fact is that these guys mesh well together. There's a chemistry that must make the other members of their other bands jealous. Let's face it, presently the "side project" Down craps all over its sibling bands from a significant height.
Down's live presentation is all at once intense and laid-back. There's a looseness to the groove that is even more obvious on stage than in the studio, and one gets the impression that these guys just love playing with each other. Add to this the religious imagery mixed with dope culture and you have a truly visceral experience. There's just something strangely hypnotic about seeing Christ smoking a joint, he really looks like a metalhead, actually ("But I don't even believe in Jeebus!"---Homer Simpson). Having only two records out it is quite obvious where their material came from, but I would say the crowd gave a better reception to songs from the first Down album (you know, the one about having four chances to go ten yards?). Songs like "Temptation's Wing" and "Stone the Crow" got the biggest crowd response, second only to the encore of "Bury Me in Smoke". This show furthered my opinion (in which I often feel I'm in the minority) that the earlier material is much more impressive on songwriting, and it was here in the live setting that the true thickness of the songs came through. These are just really meaty guitars, folks, the very definition of heavy.
And of course, as with every show featuring Mr. Anselmo, we were treated to long sermons on the greatness of metal and the greatness of the crowd. Phil even fessed up to it at one point during the show, quipping and telling us that he'd take all the goddamn time he wanted. The formidable frontman seemed slightly less coherent than the last few times I had seen him, and it was apparent that he was enjoying some unknown substance. He seemed just fucked up enough for you to know that he was pretty fucked up, but luckily, he still had his wits about him and it did nothing to detract from the show.
So all in all it was worth the hangover the next day at work. No bullshit, no crappy opening band. Just pure American metal and a good time. If you get a chance to see this show, take it. Trade your children for it. Better yet, trade you neighbor's children for it. I do wish they played "Stained Glass Cross" though.
Death's Review (5/1/02, Roseland, NYC):
I was psyched to see this show, the Down 2: A Bustle in Your Hedgerow tour-opener. It had been many years since this supergroup played New York, and there was a definite buzz about this show. Somehow, this one felt like the kinda night people are going to be talking about years from now, long after this tour ends and the members of Down have gone back to their other bands. So expectations were high. This was to be the night Down came back after all of these years and absolutely leveled New York.
Like I said, I was psyched. I met Abyss, Hel, Solomon, Musashi, Ylana and Marian at a local watering hole for a couple of pre-show beers before scurrying over the Roseland as the clock neared the rumored 8:30 p.m. start time. As it turned out, we got inside in plenty of time. Enough time to bump into some friends and convene at Roseland's cool "back bar" area just behind the stage for a couple of pre-showtime rounds. With no opening act, anticipation was high and we perked up every time we heard the crowd roar, like something was about to happen on-stage. Our buddy Tom kept saying "don't worry, they're just showing another stupid old Ozzy video on the screen," and each time it happened we realized he was right. [Note: days later, Famine read this review and told me that, at least at the Boston show (and I assume this had to be the case in New York), there was actually only one Black Sabbath video - the rest was killer stuff from Queen to Slayer to Kiss and on and on, so perhaps it was cooler than I give it credit for - still, I might have prefered an actual opening act!] Eventually we stopped paying attention, throwing back drinks and skipping the on-screen Sabbath antics. You'd think that Down would have had enough of the (of course inevitable) Black Sabbath comparisons by now, and wouldn't encourage this typecasting with their pre-show videos. I'm just kidding really - who gives a fuck if they are compared to Sabbath, Sabbath rule and Down does invite the comparison anyway. Of course they are Sabbath derivative, I suppose that's part of the fucking point!
So we hung out until what must have been 9:00 p.m. or later, debating the merits of Manowar (and putting Ylana on the spot by calling her out on her Manowar bashing and forcing her to make the case against them in a drunken debate with a true Manowar fan), and getting pumped for the show. This was a Down concert, right? And I was hanging out with the king and queen of booze, the mighty Abyss and the even mightier Marian, goddess of liquor, wasn't I? You betcha. Bartender, another round please. Thank you very much. Before you knew it, I was ready for Down to come onstage.
Before long, the lights went down, the crowd lit up, and things were underway. Down took the stage with a fury, Pepper Keenan looking like a sun-bleached hippie and Phil Anslemo dressed in garb similar to what he was wearing in the "Stone the Crow" video from so many years ago. The performance was intoxicating, and yes folks, Mr. Anselmo was clearly intoxicated. Still, he delivered a killer performance, an evening filled with current and future classics, interrupted only by Anselmo's trademark rants about the audience, weed and metal, not always in that order. I found it amusing, and I found the music just as crushing live as on record, if not more so. "Lysergik Funeral Procession," "Dog Tired," "New Orleans is a Dying Whore," "Beautifully Depressed," "Learn from this Mistake," "There's Something On My Side" - all the killer cuts from the new album were there (although of course I would have loved to have heard "Landing on the Mountains of Meggido," I never for a moment expected it). "Ghosts Along the Mississippi" in particular carried added visceral impact in the live setting. The crowd was into it all of the way, but definitely showed added enthusiasm for the classic Down material from 'Nola', like "Temptation's Wings," "Stone the Crow" or the encore, "Bury Me in Smoke."
All in all it was a classic performance that - for me - lived up to the hype. I loved this show. I got hammered at this show. I sang along at the top of my lungs for hours. Down fucking rule, and I must say this was one of the better Wednesday nights out I've had in some time, and definitely qualifies as one of my favorite live performances of 2002 so far. Will time render this a classic night and a classic event? I actually think it might. But for now, I'm just glad I saw Down on their first night "back," right out of the box. Who knows where they go from here, but if they come back through my town, I'm there for "Down 2" for sure.
Hel's Review (5/1/02, Roseland, NYC):
I really enjoyed Down II: A Bustle in your Hedgerow, and if you read that review you know I've been a fan for ages, and I'd never seen them live. Was I excited? Stupid question.The fateful evening arrived, and I was pleased that the whole crew made it to the venue with time to spare, for a change. It just goes to show how meeting at a bar hours ahead of time really works for the people I associate with. We even had time to hang out at the Rose Bar for a while before the band took the stage. No opening act - sometimes that's a good thing, and I admit I wondered for a moment if they even had enough material to pull it off, but then I remembered Phil was involved - no opening act needed.
Phil proved to be his usual ebullient self. And even more wasted than usual. At one point, well into the evening, while Phil was in the midst of yet another between-song nearly unintelligible rant, Rex sat himself down on the edge of the drum riser. And he sat there, through three different false starts, during which Phil managed to convince the rest of the band that he was ready to go again before trailing off into another rant, until Phil really, truly, was ready to start again, and only then did Rex stand back up to play.
The evening had a relaxed tone. Phil was in rare form, even for him, and at one point actually stopped the band in the middle of the song and made them start over again - as if the audience wasn't a couple thousand people who paid money to be there, but a friend who came to rehearsal that Phil wants to get the song right for. There were many moments when I began to wonder if we were at a metal show, or a comedy show.
The band was rough, there's no way around it. There were actual, blatant mistakes - a few of them. Not the kind of mistakes that only someone who knows the music really well would notice - though there were some of those too - the kind of mistake that sounds bad and anyone would notice. Particularly at the beginning, there were times when it seemed everyone in the band was playing a different part of the song than everyone else. Not the way shows at Roseland usually go.
In Flames put on their usual high-energy show, and the packed house adored them. They played for what seemed like a respectable amount of time, and banged out old both new songs and old classics. It was clear they were having a great time, and the fans responded to them with enthusiasm. I have seen In Flames play a number of times now, in a number of different settings, and after their set was over, I was left with the feeling that this was one of the best shows I have seen them put on yet.
At this point, I expected the crowd to disperse a bit. After all, we've already established that no one knows who Iced Earth is, right? Wrong, apparently. Instead of leaving, the crowd began chanting, "Iced Earth." I began to have the distinct feeling that I was in some strange alternative universe. In the world I knew, Iced Earth was a phenomenon overseas, and generally ignored in the U.S. In the world I had suddenly found myself in, Iced Earth was a phenomenon! When did this happen? How did this happen? How did I miss it? What the hell is going on here?! These are the questions which spun 'round and 'round in my head the rest of the night.
It was all the more charming for the imperfections, though. There was genuine emotion flowing through the room, between the band and the fans, between the guys in the band, and between the fans. People who looked like they'd never been to a metal show in their lives were giving a leg up to crowd surfers, or standing at the edge of the pit gamely after it surged over to them and didn't go away. A fairly remarkable turn of events from what I have seen in similar situations at this very same venue.
This was the kind of show that you walk away from knowing that the band had just as much fun as the fans. Phil repeatedly thanked the "true fans." He also expressed appreciation to them, while holding one up, for bringing Down banners to Pantera shows for all those years. It seemed that brought Phil more than a little satisfaction. It's as if he thinks we've been listening to him rant for all these years. Well, Phil, we have - though we didn't understand a word of what you said because you were so fucked up!
For all of its rough edges, it was a great night. They played nearly every song they ever recorded, not surprisingly, and they would have gotten through them all if Phil talked a little less. But even though there were times when even the crowd wanted him to shut up, I wouldnit have had it any other way. My favorite part of the night was when he retorted to the crowd, "I'll talk all damn night if I want to!" My second favorite part was when he asked the crowd if they liked the new album better, and the overwhelming response was in favor of the first one. That gave Phil a moment of pause. What fun!
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