Set List

LIVE REVIEW: MESHUGGAH AT THE FORUM-04.09.25

For well over 30 years now, Meshuggah have long been one of the heaviest and most visceral auditory bands to see live and hear on a record. The gents in Meshuggah have long cemented themselves in the lore of heavy music and then some. Their influence on countless bands alone is astronomical. I can remember back to about 1998/1999 when I first heard Meshuggah. At first I was completely perplexed by them and how the hell they were pulling this off. Then fast forward to about 2001/2002 and Tool put out Lateralus and took Meshuggah out as their opener. That show was what really made me a believer. Also, I still to this day, don’t know how Tool was able to go on night after night as Meshuggah would rip those audiences apart!

This nice spring night in April at the Forum was a night for a grand celebration of not just heavy music but to show that Meshuggah is at the top of the musical food chain for good reason. I must say having soft jams play before the onslaught began was a nice touch especially walking out to “Careless Whisper.” From that point as the stage was dark and shadowy figures appeared and then… “Broken Cog” from Immutable kicks things off with one hell of a bang. Then a barrage of absolute beatdown songs “Violent Sleep Of Reason,” “Rational Gaze (one of my all time favorites),” and “Combustion.” Throughout the set the lights really brought the songs to life in a whole other way kind of like how a kaleidoscope looks on the inside. Other choice cuts for the evening included “Lethargica,” “Swarm,” and of course the classic “Future Breed Machine.” For the encore, “Bleed” was right out of the gate after a moment of pause. From the get go, the audience was completely sucked into the world of Meshuggah. The sheer volume that was permeating through The Forum was another thing all on it’s own. I kept looking up and around and saw the roof shaking a bit and then even outside, the rumble was making the security guards shake their head in disbelief. Put it this way, this was a LOUD show and it should be! The way that Jens Kidman, Tomas Haake, Fredrik Thordendal, Marten Hagstrom, and Dirk Lovgren are so precise is another show to watch all on their own .

Also playing this evening were Carcass (who we missed- thanks LA traffic on a Wednesday) and Cannibal Corpse. Cannibal I did get to see. It’s been since 2001/2002 since I last saw Cannibal and they are still badass and awesome. I was having quite the fun time watching them deliver a brutal set. I forgot how technical they are as a band and the tone those guys have is quite unique to them. You can hear others try to cop that one but, it’s not quite right. The head banging too, that was a sight to see. My neck was sore just from watching them head bang onstage especially Corpsegrinder. That guy really is the champ. Their set although short was another one that was chock full of classics and some other choice cuts. My buddy and podcast co-host Justin, is a big Cannibal fan so the enjoyment he was having was quite fun!

This was a great show. Meshuggah absolutely brought it and delivered a set and show that I hope is released as a live album. What a great show. It’s quite the heavy tour. I will say, it does feel like it’s missing that one direct support band to really put it over. Don’t get me wrong this lineup is great, it just felt like there should have been 1 more band to really up the energy and blow the roof literally off The Forum.

Overall Rating: A

Review and Photos By: Brian Lacy

Meshuggah Set List:
01) Broken Cog
02) Violent Sleep Of Reason
03) Rational Gaze
04) Combustion
05) Kaleidoscope
06) God He Sees In Mirrors
07) Lethargica
08) Born In Dissonance
09) Dancers To A Discordant System
10) Swarm
11) Future Breed Machine
ENCORE
12) Bleed
13) Demiurge

Cannibal Corpse Set List:
01) Scourge Of Iron
02) Blood Bind
03) Inhumane Harvest
04) Evisceration Plague
05) Death Walking Terror
06) Unleashing The Bloodthirsty
07) Summoned For Sacrifice
08) I Cum Blood
09) Stripped, Raped and Strangled
10) Hammer Smashed Face


Meshuggah Photos:

Cannibal Corpse Photos:

LIVE SHOW REVIEW: DANZIG & DOWN At The Forum- 3.28.25

I love when it’s been a long while since you’ve seen a certain band live, then you go to the show and it’s just what you wanted it to be and even a little bit more too, since it’s been that long in between shows. This past weekend I went to see Danzig (who I haven’t seen live since 2013) and one of my all time favorite bands, Down (who I haven’t seen live in almost 10 years) at The Forum. What a show it was too. Also playing this evening were Abbath (first time seeing them live) and Cro-Mags (didn’t catch them). The Forum over the last decade plus has really stepped up their game in terms of sound, and the shows they hold. Getting to see Down here was quite special (think the last time they played the Forum was when they were on tour with Heaven And Hell (Dio era Black Sabbath).

First band I saw of the evening was Abbath. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a black metal band play and they sure were good. I forgot that the main guy was also previously in Immortal. Abbath was a good choice for this show (just thought of this, why wasn’t this tour billed as the new Blackest Of The Black tour- I’ll have to inquire). It was nice to see Norwegian Black Metal still thriving and destroying. Though I didn’t see Cro-Mags, the 1, 2 punch of Hardcore Punk then Black Metal is quite the way to open a show.


Now the part that really got me, DOWN!!! I love Down. I actually get into arguments with people because I like Down more than I like Pantera. To me Down just has more substance and depth. There’s nothing like seeing Down live and firing on all cylinders. It’s truly a magical thing to see and hear. Playing songs mainly from their classic debut, NOLA, as well as a couple from their second album, Down had the crowd in the palm of their hand for the hour they were on stage. The moment they all took the stage and the first notes of “Lysergic Funeral Procession” began, you knew that you were in for one hell of a set. From there it was just classic after classic. It’s always a pleasure to hear favorites of mine like “Losing All,” “Ghosts Along The Mississippi,” one of the best Track One’s of all time “Temptation’s Wings,” and one of the best closers too in “Bury Me In Smoke.” I also love that during the “Bury Me In Smoke” Phil sang the a bit of “Nothing In Return (Walk Away)” and that absolutely was a special moment. I love that song. It’s so epic that it too should be played live! Down was on fire and everyone sounded killer. Watching Philip, Pepper, Kirk, Jimmy and Pat on stage truly having fun and ripping through a great set like that is why I love going to concerts and seeing my favorite bands, Down especially!


Danzig headlined this evening and by the time he went on and the lights went down, it was sure time for things to get a bit darker. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Danzig live. The last time was probably the best Danzig show I have ever seen. This show is right up there though. There’s such a fun theatricalness to a Danzig show that it keeps you into it. Knowing his audience well, the set consisted of songs mostly from the first 3 albums with a few scattered ones from Danzig IV, Circle Of Snakes, and Deth Red Sabaoth. Personally I love Danzig III so getting to hear any of the songs from that album is a joy for me. The performance this evening of “How The Gods Kill” was great (you can watch it on the Audioeclectica Instagram page). Glenn is still one hell of a frontman and when he’s on like he was this evening, it’s pretty spectacular. Joining Glenn on stage was longtime Danzig collaborator and Prong’s Tommy Victor on guitar, Samhain’s Steve Zing on bass and Karl Rosquist on drums. Watching the crowd get into the show song by song was interesting. You could tell who knew more than just a handful of songs. Either way, it was a great bill all around.

DOWN Set List:
01) Lysergik Funeral Procession
02) Lifer
03) Hail The Leaf
04) Ghosts Along The Mississippi
05) Pillars Of Eternity
06) Temptation’s Wings
07) Stone The Crow
08) Eyes Of The South
09) Bury Me In Smoke

DANZIG Set List:
01) Skin Carver
02) Brand New God
03) Twist Of Cain
04) Evil Thing
05) Hammer Of The Gods
06) How The Gods Kill
07) Her Black Wings
08) Killer Wolf
09) Black Hell
10) Tired Of Being Alive
11) The Hunter (Albert King Cover)
12) Am I Demon
13) Not Of This World
14) Mother
ENCORE:
15) She Rides
16) Dirty Black Summer
17) Do You Wear The Mark

DOWN PHOTOS:








DANZIG PHOTOS:

Ultimate Set List: Deftones (Updated)

One of my good friends just went to the annual Dia De Los Deftones festival. It looked like a pretty solid show especially with Knocked Loose and Rile playing alongside Deftones. After the show was over my buddy sent me some video of some songs and I naturally looked up the set list. It was nice to see some rarities played though the majority of the set was a lot of the usual suspects. Not that there’s anything wrong with those, sometimes, it would just be nice to switch it up. Which brings me to my next Ultimate Set List, an updated Deftones set. This one is pretty damn good if I say so myself.

Guideline 1: What line up of the band would it be

Guideline 2: Where would you want to see the show

Guideline 3: maximum 25 songs (In order of how the set should go)

Lineup: Chino Moreno, Abe Cunningham, Frank Delgado, Stephen Carpenter, Chi Cheng

Venue: Fonda- Los Angeles

01) Engine No. 9
02) Elite
03) Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away)
04) Good Morning Beautiful
05) Diamond Eyes
06) Kim Dracula
07) Digital Bath
08) Risk
09) When Girls Telephone Boys
10) Swerve City
11) Around The Fur
12) Rocket Skates
13) Radiant City
14) Cherry Waves
15) You’ve Seen The Butcher
16) Lhabia
17) RX Queen
18) Entombed
19) My Own Summer (Shove It)
20) Change (In The House Of Flies)
ENCORE:
21) Hole In The Earth
22) Knife Party
23) Rickets
24) Minus Blindfold
25) Pink Maggit (with “Back To School”)

Live Review: Converge, Deaf Club, King Yosef & Entry at Echoplex

I have a list of bands that any time they come through Los Angeles I have to go see them. One of those bands is Converge. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen them (I think this was number 9 or 10), I just am compelled to go see them live. Converge aren’t just one of the best live bands around they are downright legends. Their catalog is one of those that you’d be hard pressed to find an album that isn’t good. And like a fine wine or scotch, Converge seems to only get better with time. This West Coast run got started this past Friday night along with Entry, King Yosef and Deaf Club and what a show it was.

Getting the night going was Los Angeles’s own, Entry. I’ve been fond of this band for a bit and they came out swinging. They really got the crowd ready for the evening. Though their set was short, only about 20 mins, they made every second count. Entry was on fire throughout their set as they blazed through song after song. I can see why they are garnering the street cred they have. They are the real deal and I look forward to their evolution as a band.

Next up was King Yosef. What he brought to the evening was a bit of Industrial Hardcore. Thankfully it wasn’t just one guy up there with a laptop. The live band aspect of drums and guitar definitely helped bring the sound to reality. Thee set though short, was direct and to the point, just as hardcore should be. The industrial element to the songs gave them a bit more bite. His latest album, An Underlying Hum is quite good and live those songs really came to life. I would be interested to see King Yosef again.

Before Converge was the mighty, Deaf Club. They really came out guns blazing and got the crowd up in a bit of a frenzy. Deaf Club has a great mix of punk and hardcore in their sound with a bit of a grungy undertone to it a la Nirvana. Never one to be still, frontman/vocalist Justin Pearson immediately commanded the stage and with each song got the audience more and more involved. It was quite a fun thing to witness. One of the things tht I really like about Deaf Club is the added dynamics to their songs. While they are don’t lose their hold on their roots, their ability to add off time parts and some cool shoegazey moments makes them not only stand out amongst the other bands during the night but, it gives the audience more to listen to.

Now the main event of the night, Converge. I really don’t know what else there is to say about this band that I haven’t already said throughout the years. They still pack one hell of a punch and a ferociousness that is untouchable. Their set this night was one that I quickly found myself absolutely enthralled by. Converge played a good chunk of songs off my favorite album of theirs, Axe To Fall, along with other gems from Jane Doe, You Fail Me, All We Love We Leave Behind and The Dusk In Us, including a close personal favorite of mine “I Can Tell You About Pain.” When you watch Converge live, it’s like poetry in motion. Each member from Nate Newton, Ben Koller, Kurt Ballou and Jacob Bannon give their all each night and it shows. The precision that they play with combined with the explosive nature of the songs makes for one hell of a show. There are many things I love about going to see Converge live and one of them is watching the audience get so into the songs. At times throughout the set, I’m pretty sure the crowd was louder than the band. Converge are without a doubt pioneers and legends in heavy music. They prove time and time again that they are band that you just can’t mess with. I look forward to hearing what they have coming up in the near future as the world does need more Converge in it!

Converge Set List:

01) Eagles Become Vultures
02) Dark Horse
03) Under Duress
04) Axe To Fall
05) Heartless
06) You Fail Me
07) All We Love We Leave Behind
08) Predatory Glow
09) Hell To Pay
10) Bitter And Then Some
11) Eye Of The Quarrel
12) Reap What You Sow
13) Cutter
14) Worms Will Feed/Rats Will Feast

Encore:

15) I Can Tell You About Pain
16) Concubine

Axe To Fall= 5
Jane Doe= 3
The Dusk In Us= 3
You Fail Me= 3
All We Love We Leave Behind= 2

Live Review: Slayer, Primus, Ministry, Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals at The Forum

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This past weekend were the “Final” Slayer shows. It was very appropriate that they close it out in Los Angeles, seeing as though they are from the great LA area. What was originally going to be one show, turned to two after the first night sold out immediately. Then they announced the lineup of the show. Slayer would be joined by one of the most diverse lineups they’ve played in years. Primus was direct support along with Ministry and Philip H. Anselmo and The Illegals performing nothing but Pantera songs.

 

The night began with a ferocious set by Philip H. Anselmo and The Illegals. Their short but sweet set was the highlight of the night (other than Slayer of course). For 30 minutes, they really delivered the goods as they ran through their Pantera set. Starting with “Mouth For War” was a great idea as it really got the crowd pumped. “Becoming,” “I’m Broken,” and “Strength Beyond Strength” were absolutely killer as well. During “Fucking Hostile” Anthrax’s Charlie Benante joined the band on the drums and that one just about crushed the pit. “This Love” was a great choice to play as well, with actor Jason Momoa running out on stage with his kids to sing along. Closing out their set was “A New Level” and they really knocked it out of the park with this one. Phil was absolutely on and sounded terrific. The guys in The Illegals really did a stellar job with these songs. Having Phil and The Illegals open up this show was the perfect choice.

 

Ministry was up next and they were pretty solid. Though they played the same exact set as the did the night before. It had been a minute since I last saw Ministry live and with an entirely different lineup. One of the best parts of seeing Ministry this go round was that on bass they have Paul D’Amor, who you might recognize as the original bassist for Tool. Watching him onstage going all out was pretty great. The band’s set was all classic songs like “Stigmata,” “Just One Fix,” “Thieves,” The Missing” and “Jesus Built My Hotrod,” so that made this pretty cool. It was just lacking something that I can’t quite put the right words to.

Primus was right before Slayer. It was definitely an interesting choice. Throughout their set, you could sense that something was a bit off. The crowd was losing interest and the energy was sort of being sucked out of the room the longer they played. I even fell asleep for a good 10-15 minutes during their set. Primus are a good band and great musicians. I can also see why they were asked to be a part of this tour due to the long history they have with the guys in Slayer but, they really really zapped the room almost out of the show.

Thankfully it wasn’t long until Slayer took the stage and the place went ape shit. A short video preceded the band coming on stage. The video featured fans thanking the band for all the years of music and blah blah blah… FUCKING SLAYER!!! Then, the lights came down and the visuals started and bang, right into “South Of Heaven.” For the next almost 2 hours, Slayer ripped through songs like “Repentless,” Postmortem,” “War Ensemble,” “Stain of Mind” Disciple,” “Seasons In The Abyss,” “Hell Awaits,” “Dead Skin Mask” and “Chemical Warfare.” Gary Holt was absolutely ripping it up on his leads and seemed to be having one hell of a great time playing. Tom Araya seemed to be very contemplative as his sang and played. Throughout the set, he couldn’t help but smile as he took it all in. Paul Bostaph was straight up killing it on the drums. And Kerry King was very locked into his playing but, even he seemed to be enjoying the moment a bit too. Ending their set with the trifecta of “Raining Blood,” “Mandatory Suicide” and “Angel Of Death” was pretty awesome

 

It was a very somber yet exciting night. If this is truly Slayer’s last show, they went out with quite a bang. For a band that’s been at it this hard for over 30 plus years, it’s never easy but, when you have a fan base as dedicated and die hard as Slayer fans are, it makes it all worth while. Sure I would have liked to hear a few other songs other than some of what they picked to play but, that’s ok, I got the favorites I wanted. I’ve seen Slayer many times over the years and this was one hell of a show. The Forum was a great place to see them close it out. Thank you Slayer for all the years of heavy tunes and inspiration! You will be missed

 

Slayer Set List:

01) South Of Heaven
02) Repentless
03) Postmortem
04) World Painted Blood
05) Hate Worldwide
06) War Ensemble
07) Stain Of Mind
08) Disciple
09) When The Stillness Comes
10) Born Of Fire
11) Payback
12) Seasons In The Abyss
13) Jesus Saves
14) Chemical Warfare
15) Hell Awaits
16) Dead Skin Mask
17) Show No Mercy
18) Raining Blood
19) Mandatory Suicide
20 ) Angel Of Death

Primus Set List:
01) Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers
02) Too Many Puppies
03) Sgt. Baker
04) The Seven
05) Cygnus X-1
06) Southbound Pachyderm
07) Mr. Krinkle
08) Welcome To This World
09) Professor Nutbutter’s House Of Treats
10) My Name Is Mud
11) Jerry Was A Race Car Driver

 

Ministry Set List:

01) The Missing
02) Deity
03) Stigmata
04) Supernaut (Black Sabbath Cover)
05) Just One Fix
06) N.W.O.
07) Thieves
08) Jesus Built My Hotrod

Philip H. Anselmo and The Illegals Set List:
01) Mouth For War
02) Becoming
03) I’m Broken
04) Goddamn Electric
05) Strength Beyond Strength
06) Fucking Hostile (with Charlie Benante)
07) This Love
08) A New Level

Ultimate Set List: Marilyn Manson

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A friend of mine recently went to see Marilyn Manson live. Afterwards we got to talking about how the show was, what was played, etc. Naturally the subject of making our own set lists were brought up and after much thought, I finally was able to come up with my own Ultimate Set List for Marilyn Manson. So here it is…

 

Guideline 1: What line up of the band would it be

Guideline 2: Where would you want to see the show

Guideline 3: maximum 25 songs (In order of how the set should go)

Lineup: Marilyn Manson, Brandon Pertzborn, Twiggy Ramirez, John 5, Chris Vrenna

Venue: Fonda Theatre (Los Angeles)

Set List:

01) Irresponsible Hate Anthem
02) Get Your Gunn
03) Mechanical Animals
04) The Nobodies
05) Little Horn
06) Tourniquet
07) Third Day Of A Seven Day Binge
08) The Speed Of Pain
09) The Mephistopheles Of Los Angeles
10) Antichrist Superstar
11) The Reflecting God
12) Deep Six
13) 1996
14) Angel With The Scabbed Wings
15) Disassociative
16) Odds Of Even
17) Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
18) The Beautiful People
19) Warship My Wreck
20) Coma White

Ultimate Set List: Rage Against The Machine

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This will be my last post on Rage for a bit. The excitement of them announcing their return is quite fun and the possibilities of what they will do are seemingly endless. It will be quite interesting to see what they decide to play as well. That being said, while talking with a few friends about that I made what I think is one hell of a great Ultimate Set List for them to play.

Guideline 1: What line up of the band would it be

Guideline 2: Where would you want to see the show

Guideline 3: maximum 25 songs (In order of how the set should go)

Lineup: Zack De La Rocha, Tom Morello, Brad Wilk, Tim Commerford

Venue: Forum Los Angeles

Setlist:

01) Take The Power Back
02) Guerrilla Radio
03) Bulls On Parade
04) Born As Ghosts
05) Year Of Tha Bomerang
06) Wake Up
07) Know Your Enemy
08) No Shelter
09) Down Rodeo
10) Bombtrack
11) Born Of A Broken Man
12) Calm Like A Bomb
13) Revolver
14) Bullet In The Head
15) Ashes In The Fall
16) People Of The Sun

Encore:

17) Testify
18) Freedom
19) Sleep Now In The Fire
20) Killin In The Name

Ultimate Set List: Sevendust

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Sevendust is one of my favorite bands. They have always put on a great live show. There is one thing about seeing Sevendust though that gets old and that’s their set list. They have been playing a lot of the same songs for so long that my want to see them these days isn’t all there. I was talking with a friend of mine the other day about what songs we’d want to see them play, and I knew that I was going to make this ultimate Sevendust set list. So without further delay, here it is.

 

Guideline 1: What line up of the band would it be

Guideline 2: Where would you want to see the show

Guideline 3: maximum 25 songs (In order of how the set should go)

Lineup: Clint Lowery, Lajon Witherspoon, Morgan Rose, John Connolly, Vinnie Hornsby

Venue: Fonda Theater, Los Angeles

Setlist:

01) Tits On A Boar
02) Splinter
03) Will It Bleed
04) Waffle
05) Seasons
06) Trust
07) Rumble Fish
08) Shine
09) Too Close To Hate
10) Not Today
11) Dirty
12) Denial
13) Confessions (Without Faith)
14) Dark AM
15) Angel’s Son
16) Broken Down
17) Life Deceives You
18) Redefine
19) Kill The Flaw
20) The End Is Coming
21) Suffocate
22) Home

Encore:
23) Thank You
24) Bitch
25) Black

Ultimate Set List: Slayer

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So, Slayer has annouced their absolute FINAL tour. They will be going out with quite the diverse line up featuring, Primus, Ministry and Phil Anselmo & The Illegals with the latter playing a set of Pantera songs. With this in mind, I thought now would be a good time to put together my ultimate Slayer set list.

 

Guideline 1: What line up of the band would it be

Guideline 2: Where would you want to see the show

Guideline 3: maximum 25 songs (In order of how the set should go)

 

Lineup: Tom Araya, Kerry King, Dave Lombardo, Gary Holt, and in a perfect world Jeff Hanneman
Venue: Forum, Los Angeles

Set List:

01) South Of Heaven
02) Angel Of Death
03) Piece By Piece
04) Mandatory Suicide
05) Altar Of Sacrifice
06) Dead Skin Mask
07) Ghosts Of War
08) War Ensemble
09) Hallowed Point
10) Spirit In Black
11) Divine Intervention
12) Eyes Of The Insane
13) Psychopathy Red
14) Blood Red
15) Criminally Insane
16) Reborn
17) Spill The Blood
18) Disciple
19) Seasons In The Abyss
Encore:
20) Hell Awaits
21) Raining Blood

Ultimate Set List: Mastodon

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I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it, Mastodon are the best band to come out since the turn of the century. Through their almost 20 year history, they have continuously made great music. Albums like, Crack The Skye, Leviathan, and Emperor Of Sand are monumental and essential albums as well as 3 of the best since 2000. The mighty Mastodon are true artists in every sense of the word and their songs and albums show that. So, with all that in mind, I worked up my Ultimate Set List for Mastodon.

Guideline 1: What line up of the band would it be

Guideline 2: Where would you want to see the show

Guideline 3: maximum 25 songs (In order of how the set should go)

Lineup: Brann Dailor, Brent Hinds, Troy Sanders, Bill Kelliher, and Scott Kelly

Venue: Troubadour- Los Angeles

Set List:

1) Sultan’s Curse
2) March Of The Fire Ants
3) Iron Tusk
4) Steambreather
5) Oblivion
6) Chimes At Midnight
7) Ancient Kingdom
8) Colony Of Birchmen
9) Dry Bone Valley
10) Andromeda
11) Ember City
12) The Czar: Usurper/Escape/Martyr/Spiral
13) Roots Remain
14) Sleeping Giant
15) Divinations
16) Crusher Destroyer
17) Jaguar God
18) Mother Puncher
19) The Last Baron

Encore (All With Scott Kelly of Neurosis):

20) Diamond In The Witch House
21) Aqua Dementia
22) Crystal Skull
23) Spectrelight
24) Scorpion Breath
25) Crack The Skye