Written by Brian Furman, September 14, 2016, at 8:40 p.m.
Devin Townsend is the ultimate showman. He is eccentric, unpredictable, and into having a good time. His music follows suit whether it be recorded or live, he pushes whatever limits there are, wherever he is. The Devin Townsend Project (DTP) stopped by Orlando, Florida, on September 11 and put on a spectacular show.
Devin Townsend Project Concert Review
Dubbed the “Transcending the Coma” tour with the equally impressive, brutal, and worthy Between the Buried and Me (BTBAM) opening, Devin Townsend, and his Project burned through 13 face-smacking, underpants on fire songs, spanning his catalog with a vengeance.
BTBAM brought their crack musicianship and black-metal jazz with their brooding, cocaine metal, a lovely thing as their stage setup, and stage presence proved insane. They were spectacular, playing their most recent record Coma Ecliptic from beginning to end.
But from the minute Devin Townsend took the stage, it was apparent that this show was all about him. Wheeled out in front of the crowd via a dolly, he brought his beautiful, technical, wall of noise metal to a stage resembling a circus bathed in pink, blue, and purple. His guitar with the signature DP logo emblazoned across the fretboard and lit up so that all could see.
The band not missing a note, tight as a snare drum; opening with the pounding of “Night” from Ocean Machine, to the majestic and dramatic “By Your Command” from Ziltoid the Omniscient. Stopping in between songs with never-ending energy with a quip and witty banter speaking to whatever was on his mind at the moment. His energy levels were insane.
He sprinkled in a few songs from his latest release, Transcendence. Midway through the set, and midway through the metal, the band toned it down for “Where We Belong” from Epicloud, a semi-power ballad that would have sucked the air out of the room if anyone other than Townsend played it, but it proved to be the right song for the moment.
The greatest thing about the show was that for all the black metal t-shirts, septum piercings, and spiky Motorhead jean jackets, Townsend amped up the cheese, and motivated everyone in the theater to actually clap along to an array of songs, or wave their hands back and forth as if they were watching Journey, and not one person batted an eye or turned down their nose to the sentiment.
Townsend was dead serious in his cheese, to the point that the fun showing on his face was contagious. The show was part metal, part opera, and part stand-up comedy routine. At one point during his witty banter he made mention that was in his mid-40’s and has been married for 26 years, with loud, and long cheers from the crowd. The guy in the Amon Amarth shirt, and Viking beard next to me was smiling.
Townsend brought his A-game, crazy sense of humor, and set out to fulfill his agenda, something to the effect of “for all the shit you see on TV, we are your friendly neighborhood Canucks, perusing your fine country trying to spread some good will.”
Devin Townsend was the mayor, governor, and king of that theater for an hour and a half, and I can guarantee that everyone left there in a better mood than when they showed up. Cheers to Mr. Townsend and his Project.