Show Review:Explosions in the Sky

By Kurt Rambis:

Charlotte, North Carolina is known for a lot of things. In the business world it is known for its big banks. In the entertainment world it is known as being the setting for the hit television series “My Brother and Me”. Most importantly it is known for people who have called it home like Ric Flair, Fantasia Barino, and a certain former Charlotte Hornet who now coaches in the NBA. What Charlotte isn’t known for is being a big draw for critically acclaimed bands, unless said critics are fans of bands who are best known for making modern rock radio hits that have soundtracked more than a handful of date rapes. For one night, that all changed. Charlotte was rocked to its very core in a way that hasn’t happened since Steve Smith began physically assaulting teammates when Explosions in the Sky rolled into town. Much like Charlotte, Explosions in the Sky are known for lots of things. Besides being the best thing to ever come from Texas, and being featured prominently in the best TV show and movie ever, they are my favorite band in the history of the world.

Amos’ is a place I typically don’t frequent. And by typically I mean never. It seems like the crowd skews meathead and redneck, but as a fellow capitalist, I can appreciate the venue wants to make money. Still, when I drive by here, I usually see people I don’t think I would like, and I do like making generalizations based on what people look like and the music they listen to, so there. So, I was curious to see the place as well as the crowd that would be present.

First on stage was The Octopus Project. Like EITS, this was their first visit to the Queen City as we were greeted with “We’ve never been to your city, but you have a beautiful town.” From then on, everybody was on their side. I was familiar with them prior to seeing them, but in no way was I prepared for what I was about to see. Quick sidenote. I’ve seen EITS more times than you have and probably more than anyone you know. That’s not saying much because they don’t tour a lot. EITS always has very interesting openers. Usually the band they bring along is an acquired taste like Lichens or The Paper Chase. The Octopus Project ranks right up there with Eluvium as my favorite band I’ve seen open for them. In the most basic sense, The Octopus Project plays instrumental rock music with electronic flourishes. While they have the standard rock gear of guitar, bass and drums, they supplement than with synths, drum machine, all kinds of electronics, and most interesting of all, a theremin. In their 40-minute set, they played a set that relied on old songs and songs so new that they were written 5-minutes before they came on stage, and even had vocals in one song. Interestingly, the highlight for me was their first song they played, “Malaria Codes”. Yes, it is my favorite song of theirs, but it definitely set the mood for the evening.

Now for the highlight. After a 20-minute wait we were left looking at a stark stage. Guitars, a lonely drum kit, and the ever present flag from the great state of Texas draped over an amp. At just past 9:00 the four members of Explosions in the Sky, plus a fifth touring member strode on the stage to an enormous reception. With a simple, “Hello, thanks for coming to see us, we are Explosions in the Sky from Austin, Texas.”, the band immediately launched into a new song, “Postcard from 1952” from the upcoming album “Take Care, Take Care, Take Care”. The new songs don’t deviate from the tried and true formula that EITS has explored over their career. Also, for the uninformed, EITS is fucking loud. After one song, the whole building was shaking, and you could literally feel the drums in your gut. EITS have began employing various taped vocal effects in many of the new songs though that sound like chanting. After the opener the band, never resting, continued with some older material with “The Birth and Death of the Day” and “Your Hand in Mine”, which drove the crowd into the predictable lather. They followed that with another new song, “Last Known Surroundings”. At this point, the band turned it from a 10 to a Spinal Tap 11 for “The Only Moment We Were Alone”, a song that historically has been a set closer. Moving the it up in the set didn’t temper the power of the song as it ended in the familiar crescendo. The band quickly segued into “Catastrophe and the Cure”. This song has become a live staple because it allows guitarist Munaf Rayani to join Chris Hrasky on drums for the conclusion of the song. Rayani is by far the most expressive member of the band (not to mention the only member who ever speaks on stage) so this is always a pretty entertaining part of the show. The band followed this with “Let Me Back In” (new song) and “Greet Death”. For a the final song, they again closed with a new song, “Trembling Hands”. This is their shortest song ever, employs taped vocal chanting, and is going to be the song they play when they do the obligatory late night TV show circuit when the album comes out. While the song may not have the power that “The Only Moments We Were Alone” or “Memorial” it still is a fitting end with the song building to an enormously loud climax. Rayani thanked everyone for coming and being interested and then promised to see us all again! The crowd proved they were a bunch of Johnny-come-lately’s by chanting for an encore. An encore would have been fruitless because there is no way they could have topped that hour plus sonic siege they laid on my fair city.

All in all, this show slayed. Some people in the crowd sucked, which justifies my blind judgment of strangers. The Octopus Project slayed. I slayed. Explosions in the Sky especially slayed. If the band comes within 10-hours of you, I suggest going. Just don’t talk in quiet parts or don’t think you need to push to the front of the stage, or some asshole like me is going to write about it.