I have seen a lot of bands live in the three decades that I
have existed on this rock in space. The only band that I’ve seen nearly a dozen
times is Opeth. To say that they’re my favorite band is an understatement. I
first saw them when they were on the Blackest of Black tour back in 2003. They
only played two songs but it was amazing. I have caught them nearly every time
that they came through the valley. On the rare chance that they didn’t come
directly through the Phoenix area then I would usually travel to a neighboring
city to see them. With the release of Sorceress earlier this year it was time
for Opeth to embark on their world tour.
Their support for this trek came from the Sword. I’m mildy
familiar with them – I played the song “Freya” on Guitar Hero II when that was
all the rage. I did get familiar with their catalog in preparation for the show
but stoner metal is really not my thing. They certainly were no slouch on stage
but I couldn’t really tell you anything about the songs that they played. Each
one kind of blended into each other in a stoner haze.
Martin Mendez, Martin Axenrot, and Joakim Svalberg were the
first to the stage for the introduction of Sorceress. Once the heavy guitars
came in Mikael Akerfeldt and Fredrik Akesson hammering the heavy chords.
I read about how Akerfeldt was not really singing any of
their older material with growls and if he was then it didn’t sound great
vocally. I wasn’t expecting any older songs with growls in them but they
surprised me with “Ghost of Perdition”. Akerfeldt sounded great growling.
Whatever his issues were in the past seem to be alleviated now.
The show continued with a healthy mix of their back catalog
and cuts from Sorceress. They played staples like “Demon of the Fall”, “The
Drapery Falls”, and “In My Time of Need”. Everyone was on point with Akerfeldt
doing his usual hilarious banter. A special moment in the show came when just
before their final song “Hex Omega” Akerfeldt asked the audience what they
should play. Of course it was a cacophony of shouts but he took to each side of
the venue and played what was suggested. He heard someone say “Windowpane” and
teased us with a few bars. Someone shouted out “Black Rose Immortal” and they
played a few bars from there. They even did a version of “Bleak”. This was all
in good fun with Akerfeldt excusing their fuck ups since these songs are pretty
obscure.
The show ended with a rousing encore with “Deliverance”. At
the end of the show my fiancé scored some great items. She caught a pick thrown
by Akerfeldt with her boobs. She wrestled a drumstick that was thrown by
Axenrot from someone’s hands off of the ground. And she got the set list with a
handful of Opeth branded guitar picks from a friendly stage hand. Opeth has
never disappointed when it comes to a live performance and I can’t wait to see
them again.
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