On a beautiful autumn night we headed out to see one of my favorite bands in one of my favorite Bay Area venues. To readers of this website, no one will be shocked that Baroness is one of my all-time top bands and I hold all their albums in high regard. We recently did a deep dive discography over at the Glacially Musical Pouredcast. I even own an exclusive John Dyer Baizley-made print from the Yellow and Green album era (Relapse Records) that holds a special place in my heart. Needless to say, the 2023 release of the album Stone (Abraxan Hymns) has not left my rotation. Not only was I getting to see one of the best bands to ever do it live, three other killer bands were joining them tonight in Primitive Man, Midwife and Agriculture. The approach of the headline band to have different sets of rotating openers should be a more common practice when possible.
The music of Los Angeles band or Agriculture should only be described in two terms: horrifying and Black Metal. They hit the stage in a professional manner – teching for themselves as most opening bands do, and then the quartet opened up a can of whip ass on the crowd! That same crowd quickly got with the program, feasting on some crushing tracks! The band was efficient, said very little to the crown and came off as really talented but humble. This is definitely a band we’re going to be on the lookout for in the coming years.
Coming up next was the unassuming Midwife. Definitely a musical balm before the savagery we had just endured. This group had been on our radar for some time since they are on the Bay Area label, The Flenser, who you absolutely need to check out if you love challenging underground music. The band makes self-described “heaven metal” and they shape-shift through their set list leaning on Dream Pop and ambient Shoe-Gaze music. They blended in well with this lineup and nobody was put off by them. I rather enjoyed this break from the heavy riffs. This band’s new album Orb Weaving was released in the spring and I’m excited to see them on their next tour soon!
It’s very rare that you get a concert bill where every band has new music out at the same time, but tonight was that case. Primitive Man just dropped a new collab release with Full of Hell, and it’s a total epic rager. As we have also as we have often called them “the heaviest band on the planet” and “horrible” (it’s a compliment for the gnarly, sludge bands) and tonight was no exception. Every time I have ever seen this band I come out of the show a different person, possibly at the molecular level. I hope everybody appreciates this band and everything they have brought from the underground to the next level.
Baroness time! My mind flashed to the many times I have seen them live and all the great experiences they have given me. I have seen this band in giant amphitheaters, arenas, outdoor festivals but also little clubs, record stores, and art galleries around the world.
Hitting the stage to the strains of the opening track “Embers” – they launched into their raucous single “Last Word” they rocked out with abandon. The band has had the same lineup since 2016 and their chemistry is undeniable. Nothing ever feels forced and performs this challenging material with ease. . So many passionate, uplifting songs in the setlist, and the new tracks mesh well with the older ones. When you watch a Baroness show, you are watching some of the greatest musicians in the world who are masters of their craft.
The band reached for some new heights this evening, and I felt fortunate to get to come out and support the band.
Setlist (via Setlist.fm):
Embers (on Tape)
Last Word
A Horse Called Golgotha
March to the Sea
Beneath the Rose
Magnolia
War, Wisdom and Rhyme
Anodyne
Chlorine & Wine
Morningstar (Tour Debut)
Tourniquet
Shock Me
Isak
Encore:
The Sweetest Curse
Take My Bones Away
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WORDS BY KEEFY
PHOTOS BY RAYMOND AHNER