Gojira

The Atlas Moth opened up the show and helped warm the crowd up with their powerful riffs and hard vocals. Their sound is like if Tool and Gojira had a kid and this was the outcome. Having a short set as the opener was a great way to introduce themselves to the crowd, as many enjoyed themselves during their set. It seemed as though people were getting lost in their music- as some were closing their eyes and moving their head along with the songs.

Listen to Atlas Moth’s song: Holes in the Desert here:

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Next up was one of the most outrageous bands in the metal world, The Devin Townsend Project. While Devin Townsend is extremely talented and well rounded when it comes to music, his persona is completely out there. While the stage crew set up his set, Devin  had a screen which played random nutty YouTube videos that were silly but kept the crowd entertained. Once Townsend and the band come out, the crowd went nuts as he introduced himself and the band. From start to finish, the band had a very strong set-list and left no time rest with their out of this world performance of proportions which was not seen in Hollywood since the last time they were in town in September.

Townsend’s set was incredible, period. A performance like the one from this night is something everyone should want to experience over and over again, and we hope to see these guys at Mayhem Festival later this year, because a show like this in that atmosphere would be perfect in making people go insane (in the most positive way, of course). Mayhem promoters, lets make this happen! Songs from the night included “Grace,” “Liberation,” “Lucky Animals,” and “Kingdom” from Devin Townsend Projects latest release Epicloud, as well as other songs like “Jugular,” and “Planet of the Apes“.

Listen to Devin Townsend Project’s song Kingdom here

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Next up was Gojira, who are headlining their first US tour-ever. If your mind wasn’t blown away from Devin Townsend Project (shame on you if it wasn’t) then this was the time to trip out on the beast known as Gojira. Los Angeles has not seen this band in several years, and the crowd let them know that as they hit the stage. Once the first riff of “Explosia” was hit, the pit went into a full fled war zone. There was not a single spot on the floor where anyone was safe as Gojira terrorized the Fonda, playing a perfect set  which represented some of their best work. The guitar riffs were even more brutal hearing them live then their recorded work and adding in the venues loud and pitch perfect sound- and you got one hell of a show that leaves one with some hearing problems.

One of the more enjoyable things about Gojira is how passionate each member was about being on stage and putting 110% into their show. They were feeding off the crowd and put on one of the top tier shows that will surely out -do a lot of the concerts that will come up later this year. Highlights of this show included drummer, Mario Duplantier, getting off the drums and doing some death metal vocals as he played guitar; Mario’s drum solo; and the band ending the night with one of the best songs off L’Enfant Sauvage, ” The Gift of Guilt.” Songs included “Flying Whales,” “TheHeaviest Matter of the Universe,” “L’Enfant Sauvage,” “Toxic Garbage Island,” “Vacuity,” and many, many more.

Listen to Gojira’s song Vacuity here

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Like we said earlier, this line up is a “can’t miss” line up and will be remembered for years to come. All bands on this tour put on an unforgettable show and showcased tremendous talent. Robert Trujillo of Metallica was in the crowd, taking time out of his NAMM schedule to come watch this show, and when you got a legendary musician checking out your band, you can’t go wrong with what’s going on stage. Let’s just hope it’s not another several years until we see any of these bands return to Los Angeles; it would be a upsetting if we waited a few years to see Gojira destroy the city of angels once again.