Last Wednesday’s Dillinger Escape Plan show at Chicago’s Subterranean featured none of the band’s legendary moments (fire blowing, running over people’s heads), but it did have a killer opener (Genghis Tron) and a crowd going completely ape shit.
The show’s energy was immediately cranked to eleven, thanks in part to a crowd that exploded into a mosh pit seconds into the set’s opener, “Panasonic Youth.” The five-piece band put on a surprisingly tight performance considering the major personnel overhaul experienced in the past year.
The defection of founding drummer Chris Pennie to prog-rock outfit Coheed and Cambria is still a sore spot for some fans, but replacement drummer Gil Sharone puts any lingering fears to rest. He took on the challenge of songs like “43% Burnt” (Calculating Infinity) and “When Good Dogs Do Bad Things” (Irony is a Dead Scene) like he has played them for years.
Guitarist Jeff Tuttle has replaced Brian Benoit (who is indefinitely sidelined with a nerve disorder), and he must have gotten the memo about swinging his guitar around like a mad man.
The setlist featured a balanced mix from each release dating back to Under the Running Board, foregoing most material from their newest full-length Ire Works to make old-school fans happy.
Ire Works is a divisive album for some; it sounds less like mathcore at times and more like full-blown radio rock. But the album also embraces experimentation, involving strings, horns, and glitchy electronics.
The only problem is that the most intriguing moments from the new CD (for example, the crooning vocals over electronic composition “Sick on Sunday”) probably won’t be performed for a long time, if ever. Singer Greg Puciato, force of nature though he is, is not the most consistent live singer and can’t pull off such clean vocals in concert.
But DEP live shows are more about experiencing the band’s unhinged performance than hearing a carbon copy of their albums, so in that respect, they delivered flawlessly.
Fellow Relapse act Genghis Tron performed earlier in the evening, employing thick synthesized melodies that gave way to crushing metal riffs and weighty, programmed beats. The electro-grind trio leveled the semi-confused crowd with material from its upcoming full-length album, Board Up the House.
– Keidra Chaney
The Dillinger Escape Plan: www.myspace.com/dillingerescapeplan
Genghis Tron: www.myspace.com/genghistron
Relapse Records: www.relapse.com