The Brian Jonestown Massacre at Roadrunner, 4/1
The first time I heard about The Brian Jonestown Massacre was a few years ago; my best friend had sent me “Anemone,'' demanding that I listen to it immediately. From the first guitar riff, I was immediately thrown into a trance. I had never, and to this day still have not heard any band that quite resembles the unique sound of The Brian Jonestown Massacre. I immediately flew through their discography, falling deeper in love with the band after every album. When I learned that I had the opportunity to see them perform live, I was beyond ecstatic.
On April 1st, tucked away in the comforting atmosphere of The Roadrunner, the night began when Mercury Rev took the stage. Although I haven’t previously listened to much of this band's music, their passionate performance and the unique sound got me excited to go straight home after the concert and listen to their whole discography (which I did indeed end up doing). Mercury Rev was so in touch with the audience; at the end of their setlist, Suzanne Thorpe, the pianist, took a picture of the crowd with her phone, to which I heard the girl next to me exclaim, “aw, that's so cute” (I concurred.)
In the 30 minutes between Mercury Rev’s last song and when The Brian Jonestown Massacre took the stage, you could feel the excitement and anticipation building up in the crowd. Suddenly, the house lights at The Roadrunner went out, and after 30 seconds or so, the stage lights came on, revealing each member of The Brian Jonestown Massacre on stage in their respective spots. As soon as the music began, each person in the audience immediately fell into the groove; out came the head boppers, foot tappers, and head side-to-siders. Everyone there was so purely excited to see and hear the beautiful guitar solos, heavy bass, and the iconic tambourine that makes up the band’s psychedelia, electronica, experimental, and blues influenced sound.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre opened with “We Never Had a Chance” off their 2019 self-titled album (their latest release), and performed a total of 23 songs, ranging from their early work to their most recent album. Although the setlist ventured into the depths of their discography, everyone in the crowd knew every song. The whole concert was one long dance party; the energy of the crowd was contagious and intoxicating in the best way possible.
After each of the 23 songs, the band took a one minute break to tune their instruments; Joel Gion, the headman and tambourine player explained that they would rather take a minute break between songs to ensure that every song sounded perfect rather than play a song slightly out of tune. Little touches like this expressed the band’s extreme care for their music and their audience’s experience. The band wrapped up their performance with “A Word,” also off their 2019 album. Joel Gion played the tambourine and Anton Newcombe was on drums, while the other members of the band exited, providing the perfect ending to a wonderful show. I am eternally grateful to have experienced the wonders of The Brian Jonestown Massacre live, and look forward to the next time I get to experience them.
