In support of their fourth studio album, The Bedlam in Goliath, The Mars Volta arrived at Lupo's completely alone and completely in charge. Besides having the power to make their restless fans wait an extra hour after the regular start time, they nearly sold-out the two-thousand person capacity venue. The band opened with a triumphant orchestra piece equipped with heavy horns, before exploding into their first song of the night. Now this band is known for their wild, energetic and improvised live shows and they were no different this evening. The chemistry and dance movements between band leaders; vocalist/lyricist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitarist Omar Rodriquez-Lopez are like nothing I have ever seen before. It's obvious that their creative desires and musical talent take them to places only they are aware of and we are in complete awe of.

As if the bands performance itself wasn't enough to absorb the audience, the mind-bending and multi-colored backdrop was more than enough to satisfy any illegal trip. The Mars Volta always insist on using their own lights, which makes a lot of sense given that the lights compliment the bands environment and music. The guitar playing of Rodriquez-Lopez was astonishing the entire night. It just completely blew my mind how someone could play so well in such constant motion, and Bixler-Zavala's daredevil hustle was just as respectful. This man hopped, jumped, skipped, and wormed all over the stage and his operatic-80's-rock like roar didn't let up once.

This was without a doubt the most exciting and musically ambitious show that I have ever been too. Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of The Mars Volta's recordings, but I've always been obsessed on seeing their performance live. So if their sci-fi and hallucinogenic inspired albums aren't your cup of tea, then please, at least see this band live before you die. It's worth every penny.

| 01.12.2008 | Review by Matt Phillips |