Concert Review

bThere was a reason I bought a ticket to a concert 3 months away on the day I found out about it. There is a reason I sent out multiple messages and created an event page on Facebook .There is a reason I burned cds for friends. That reason was Saturday night.

Saturday night Mute Math put on one of the best shows I have ever seen in my life. A passionate, creative, experimental band, Mute Math is incapable of having an ordinary show. As a huge fan, I knew this going in. Yet what is so remarkable about this band is that they continue to exceed your expectations no matter how high they may be.

I was fortunate enough to persuade a couple of newbies and non-listeners to go to the show along with a couple of other hard core fans and what we witnessed was nothing short of brilliant. I wanted the new people to fully appreciate Mute Math and to be somewhat familiar with their work because it always makes a show better, but I can tell you in all sincerity that Mute Math is one of the few bands that you can appreciate without having heard a sing note of their songs before. So if you're reading this and have the opportunity to go to a show but haven't really heard Mute Math, go anyway. In fact, I wasn't a huge fan of Mute Math after hearing their work until I saw them live. I enjoyed their music, but it didn't elicit the passion I have now.

Here is a brief synopsis of what went down:

We arrived fairly early in order to get decent seats and save some for other er people coming. This was my first show at the Tabernacle, but I was told that sitting in the first balcony, towards the middle is the best place to enjoy the show. Luckily we found those seats even though there were plenty of people there already and we didn't get to sit at the front of the section. Consequently there were some visual issues, all of us had trouble seeing one particular area of the stage because of the column in the way. It wasn't a huge problem though.

Eisley was the opening band and they were pretty good. I have a lot of love for them because they're A. Pretty Good, B. From East Texas (Tyler, which is about 1hr from my hometown)C. Named after a Star Wars reference. (Eisley = Mos Eisley = City on Tattoine where Luke meets Han and Chewie) That being said, they're just not one of those bands that translates well to a big live show. They're pretty mellow, so playing live makes them a little less sleepy but still not completely rocking and you can't pick out all the subtle beauty of their sound. So I enjoyed it alright but most people didn't.

While we were waiting in between sets we witnessed some pretty entertaining couples making out behind us. Who spanks someone else in public? Seriously?

After a break that probably seemed longer than it was because of anticipation the band came out under cover of darkness. Haha, was that literary enough for you? Honestly I don't remember the set list or what song they sang first, but I know it was one of the more energetic ones and that their crazy cool light displays were going off as they were rocking. Halfway through the first song a friend of mine who was pretty much a newbie said "yeah you were right man, these guys are awesome". And even though he's pretty much a pop country fan, he immediately asked me where he could get a cd.

The bands sound and performance were tight, with no mistakes as far as I could tell. They played pretty much every song you would want to hear if you're a fan and even gave us a new one, that sounded pretty good. If you've ever seen Mute Math live or seen them on n tv (youtube their performance on Conan), you have some idea of the kind of crazy performance antics they do. They do somersaults and jump everywhere and switch instruments and destroy stuff and experiment with sound right in front of your eyes. However, they do it with such a passion and creativity that it seems new and unexpected every time. In fact, you feel like they need to do those things because that's how you express that much feeling and love of your craft.

The craziest "antic" of the night would have to be when Matt, the drummer stood on top of his base drum while being held up by the crowd, and then jumped from the drum back onto the stage! That guy is crazy! If you wanna know what passion is watch this guy drum. He often bloodies himself and breaks things just because he plays so hard and crazy.

Mute Math ended the night with a rousing rendition of "Reset" the title track off of their debut album. It was everything I loved about Mute Math and a fitting end to the night, although no one wanted to leave.

I don't know what else to say about these guys, it's one of those bands that you can't always explain, you just have to see. Hearing their cd or even watching a performance on tv isn't enough, you have to be there. Every time I go to a Mute Math concert I am moved. I'm moved because it's truly awesome when someone is so passionate about something that they put their entire self into it. You may think being in a band is just kinda fun, but the dedication and heart put into being in this band is truly inspiring. It's amazing to witness someone doing exactly what they were called by God to do, and doing it without any doubt or timidness. That is Mute Math and that was what I witnessed Saturday night.

p.s.- for those who hate typos and grammar errors, I'm sorry. the display is weird on this thing. sometimes I can't see what I'm typing. sorry.