Ghost and Mastodon at Pechanga Arena
Photos and words by Alex Matthews
Hailing from Atlanta Georgia the mighty heavy metal band Mastodon began their most recent 2022 tour in San Diego California at Pechanga Arena on Friday August 26th. The band is returning to the road through September playing arenas and festivals, accompanying Swedish rockers Ghost on a tour across North America. Consisting of members Brann Dailor on drums, Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher on guitar and Troy Sanders on bass, the quartet joined on this outing by a touring keyboard player, ripped through a powerful eleven song setlist featuring fan favorites from throughout their 20 plus year catalog.
Starting with an almost Alex Van Halen-esque drum fill, the opening track of the show was “Pain with an Anchor,” also the opening track of the band’s most recent 2021 album Hushed and Grim. Drummer Brann Dailor was a fury with his jazz like approach to heavy metal drumming, filling and comping rhythms while the band twists and turns through heavy riffs. The drummer also somehow managed to add his vocal talents to many of the band’s songs while still drumming furiously which is a special talent unto itself.
Hushed and Grim, the band’s 8th studio release, was made in the wake of the group losing their longtime manager Nick John to pancreatic cancer in 2018. However through this tragedy the band were able to produce some incredibly powerful and moving songs that they seem to be enjoying playing live. The majority of the band’s set was taken from the album for this tour opener and the Mastodon fans in attendance seemed to appreciate the chance to experience these songs in a live setting
Flanked by giant LED video screens with insane visuals guitarist’s Hinds and Kelliher displayed their own impressive skills weaving through intricate melodies and heavy riffing in songs like “Megalodon” from 2004’s Leviathan. And bassist Troy Sanders commanded the large arena stage with thundering low end riffing and powerful vocals. His growling tone in “Black Tounge” from 2011’s The Hunter is clearly a fan favorite with many in the audience joining in. Mastodon is a talented live band with an extensive catalog of material, their show in San Diego was a truly emotional experience with a full display of incredible musical artistry.
