[CONCERT REVIEW]: MUTEMATH at Common Grounds in Waco, TX

An open letter to the chataholic standing behind me,

I’m sad that you missed an incredible live show by one of the best bands around. I’m pretty sure you didn’t arrive in time to see their entrance from the back of the small venue, each band member carrying and playing a drum as if they were re-creating their “Blood Pressure” video. You didn’t see Darren King duct tape headphones to his head. You probably don’t even know why he has to do that. (It’s hard to contain that much awesome is why).

I’m not sure when you slipped in behind me, you and your buddy, crouched over your phones, talking as loudly as possible, seemingly for the duration of the show. Considering the sheer volume of the four-member band, your vocal strength in somehow being able to talk over the music was only outshone by Paul Meany’s nimble vocal calisthenics. Rare are the bands whose vocalists and instrumentalists can so well-match the sound of their studio-produced albums (especially considering MUTEMATH’s dirty bass tones, complex rhythms, and the tight interplay between drums and bass). Rarer still are those who forget the single purpose for attending a concert: to listen to the band, not to talk about the Texas Ranger’s rain delay.

After all, I was just as annoyed by the people in front of me, what with their iPhones held high, recording video of entire songs. Had the stage been elevated just a few feet higher, I wouldn’t have been so frustrated with the venue. Instead, I spent most of the night watching MUTEMATHlook like a bobblehead band, when all I really wanted to do was watch Darren. Maybe I’m being too hard on you.

Then again, I’m not sure why you were even there. Were you familiar with this New Orleans-based band, the proverbial phoenix borne from the ashes of Earthsuit? Did you know about the shakeup in their lineup (guitarist Greg Hill out, guitarist Todd Gummerman in) that occurred prior to this “Odd Soul” tour? Did you know that most of the songs from the show were from “Odd Soul,” an album that touches on some of the band members’ Christian upbringing, with lines like “Why can’t you do a little more for Jesus?”  Did you catch that every song sounded polished, as if each band member took their jobs incredibly seriously for the thrill and delight of their fans? I’d guess that you didn’t even see the band members exchange instruments throughout the show, each as adept on other instruments as they were on their main ones.

Did you know that they played a cover for the first time, a “House of the Rising Sun” inspired take on Alicia Keys’ “Falling?” Did you actually get into the dancing and gyrating and fist-pumping and general debauchery (for a Baylor crowd, that is) when MUTEMATH closed their set with “Typical?” Did you chant “TEN MORE SONGS! TEN MORE SONGS!” with everyone else when MUTEMATH exited the stage? Did you appreciate the extended instrumental sections that were added to a number of songs during the show (even though these sections sometimes felt a bit indulgent)?

It was then that my ears, given a reprieve from your words warring with the music of MUTEMATH, were happy. I was angry with you then, but I feel sorry for you now. You missed an incredible live show, and I doubt that MUTEMATH will be playing similar small venues in the near future.The only time you actually shut up was in the last five minutes of the show when Darren sat perched atop a makeshift drumset in the center of the stage, a percussive vulture waiting to eviscerate his prey. You were mesmerized into a mute at that point, held speechless by the ratatat of a drummer without equivalent.

Their sound doesn’t deserve to be stifled—yours does.

Sincerely,
Andy Rooney

[Many thanks to Bryce Hamilton for the use of his stellar photos. You can see more of his work at Blazon Photography].

Originally posted on October 12, 2011.