Faith No More & Refused: Sold Out in the Park!

“I will let you shout no moreIt's on my head I'll pick you up from the floor It's on my head I'll let you even the score It's on my head

Give it all to you Then I'll be closer

Smiling with the mouth of the ocean And I'll wave to you with the arms of the mountain I'll see you

Give the same to me then I'll be closer, closer Give the same to me then I'll be closer, closer”

-“Ashes to Ashes” Faith No More

The long-awaited, return of Faith No More took place before a sold-out Atlanta crowd that gathered at the soon to be defunct Masquerade Music Park. This was definitely a magical moment for all those who attended this concert on a warm, Thursday summer evening. I know personally speaking this was a bucket list item that I could mark off the list finally… an item that had eluded me for years. This veteran alternative rock/metal band was formed back in San Francisco (1981) with a couple lead singer changes (Mike Morris ‘81-‘82, Courtney Love ’82-‘84, and Chuck Mosely ’84-‘88 ) and some other line up adjustments since the beginning. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and drummer Mike Bordin are the longest remaining members in the band since the inception of Faith No More.

The band has released 7 studio albums (including the latest release, Sol Invictus) and 1 rare live album/video entitled, You Fat Bastards: Live at the Brixton Academy. The band took a brief hiatus (1998-2009) and in that time many members focused on side projects, such as the many endeavors undertaken by Mike Patton (lead vocals). This break only made die-hard fans of the band more anxious for a reunion, which was brushed off as not possible in some interviews over the last several years by a few band members.

The Swedish hardcore punk band Refused started off the night with a well-rounded 13 song set (including “Rather Be Dead”, “Refused Are Fucking Dead”, and “The Shape of Punk to Come”) with a 2 song encore that included their seminal hit, “New Noise”. This was not my first time seeing this influential band but it had been quite a while. The crowd was really into the performance and you can tell the band was enjoying themselves especially lead singer, Dennis Lyxzen. Lyxzen ended up singing within the crowd at the end of the set after diving into the vast sea of people in the crowd. It wasn’t soon after the end of their set, a rush of stage hands dressed in all white began to prepare for what we all came for… Faith No More.

The stage had been arranged with an array of brightly colored floral bouquets while the majority of stage equipment was covered in white covers. Giving off the easy, chill vibe of a rent by the day wedding band… this is truly a sight to behold if they end up coming near your town. They pulled off a superb 15 song set list (see the SETLIST below) with a 2 song encore that would please any die-hard or more contemporary fan of the band. This night’s performance proved that Faith No More has always been and will always be a very tight, technical band that has been an influence to many artists/bands out today. To start off this epic night, Faith No More would begin by playing the first single, “Mother Fucker”, off their latest release as the crowd erupted into a passionate frenzy.

The setlist, which included a few tracks off of The Real Thing, Angel Dust, King for a Day… Fool for a Lifetime, Album of the Year and Sol Invictus, was damn near perfect and touched on the musical evolution of the band over the years. About half-way through the set during the break-down for the track “Midlife Crisis”, Patton let the crowd take the refrain before the band broke into a groovier, more disco sounding version of the ending. One of the reasons I have been a fan of this band for years is their ability to go from one style to another seamlessly… from funk to punk to metal to groove all in a few notes.

Patton would also hand the final refrain over for “Easy” as well to the crowd, which would lead to Billy stating that the crowd sounded “… like Angels…” and almost like the “…Mormon Tabernacle Choir…” Billy would also mention on how great the crowd was for this show and we should all come to the Clermont Lounge so they could “buy us whippets”. Personally, I did not take them up on this offer and wonder if they actually went to the Clermont after the show. They would end their set with their latest single, “Superhero”, before returning for a momentous encore which included two great tracks (and also two of my personal favorites) to showcase Patton’s dynamic vocal range; “This Guy’s in Love with You” and “Just a Man”.

The time had come for the band to bid us all a farewell, Patton ended the night by saying exactly what we all were thinking, “Hope to see you soon!” Finally getting the chance to see Faith No More live was well worth the wait and the little over 2-hour drive right after work. Click the links below for some fan videos of all the songs taken during this sold out performance if you were not able to make it or if you want to relive this evening with the boys. Check out their upcoming tour and see if they come close to your town. This is definitely a show you do not want to miss!

SETLIST

ENCORE

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Concert ReviewxerxestzolisAugust 12, 2015Concerts, Faith No More, rock musicComment