MESHUGGAH DECIMATES INDIANA

The Immutable Tour obliterated the Hard Rock Casino in Gary, Indiana this past week, and the crowd was obliterated as well. The legendary lineup of Whitechapel, In Flames, and the heaviest band in the universe, Meshuggah played to a very excited, but very stagnant crowd.

Whitechapel kicked off this legendary tour with more energy than their previous show in Chicago. Lead singer Phil Bozeman was extremely sick a few months ago and powered through the set like a champ. This time, the performance was turned up to an 11 as Whitechapel played hits like “Let Me Burn,” “Forgiveness Is Weakness,” and “Brimstone.” The band had a surprising amount of lights for an opening band, but that could also be due to the size of the venue. At the Hard Rock Casino, two large screens on either side of the stage showed video feeds of two cameras at the front of the house and one camera above the drums. This made their performance seem larger than life. The overhead drum camera enhanced the experience due to its unique view and showed off the technicality of their drummer. Playing only six songs, Whitechapel evenly divided the set between their albums Kin, The Valley, and Our Endless War. At Whitechapel’s previous show in Chicago, they did not play their most popular song “The Saw Is The Law,” but saved it for their final song at this show which was incredible to see.

The legendary Swedish band In Flames kept the energy high as they opened with the song “Foregone Part 1” off of their new album Foregone. Unfortunately, the only other song they played off of their new album was “State of Slow Decay.” I hope they will play their new album Foregone in its entirety in the US in 2024 because it’s truly phenomenal. '

The crowd was very excited to watch the show but failed to put in the effort to start any large mosh pits despite the band’s incredible performance. At one point Anders asked the crowd if they were all stoned because everyone was just standing there watching. I suspect this was the case because there is truly nothing worth doing or seeing in Indiana (except for this concert). Even though marijuana is illegal in Indiana, the crowd cheered, head-banged, and threw up devil horns throughout In Flames’ amazing set.

The occasional crowd surfer was lifted above everyone else and carried to the front barricade by a massive line of security guards. Drummer Tanner Wayne was exhilarating to watch both in person and from the overhead drum cam. His technicality and ability to play other genres of music on his Instagram have been a blast to watch both in person and online. “The Mirror’s Truth” off of their 2008 album A Sense of Purpose was a unique treat to watch along with their final two songs “I Am Above” and “Take This Life.”

Once again, I need to emphasize that Indiana is a boring state filled with strange people. One stumbling woman drunkenly came up to me and asked me if I smelled bubbles. ShOcKiNgLy, these incredible metal bands did not have bubbles at their show, but I am sure the soap would have helped scrub the swarm of degenerates clean.

Finally, the heaviest and most prolific metal band Meshuggah came on stage. The crowd was filled with drummers analyzing drummer Tomas Hakke’s performance, subtly counting the beats in each measure and feeling out each polyrhythm. Partially due to the complexity of the music, the crowd mostly stood there to absorb the concussive wave of progressive music. With truly superior rhythms, Meshuggah blew the crowd away with songs like “Rational Gaze,” “Born In Dissonance,” and a personal favorite “Ligature Marks.” Sadly, the two large video screens created a slight disconnect with the fans which hindered the energy of the audience at the show. Instead of taking in the experience first-hand, myself and the crowd seemed to gaze at the screens like the phone-addicted junkies we are. Meshuggah ended their set with their most famous song “Bleed” which enthralled the entire crowd.

While the Meshuggah show was the best thing to happen in Indiana’s history, it was also quite underwhelming, just like the state. I expected to see an energized and enthusiastic crowd but was left with mild head-banging. Some of this is due to the technicality of the musicians on stage and the crowd wanting to analyze each complex moment of the music. It could also be that there is nothing else to do in Indiana other than drugs. Instead of displaying their enthusiasm physically, they preferred to simply witness the incredibly complex and progressive soundscape that is Meshuggah.