Concert Review: Mute Math

I posted briefly about the Mute Math concert on Friday morning and how amazing it is and I promised a full review of the show and this is precisely that. It just must be elaborated upon to help explain its genius although I'm not sure mere words can do it justice.

I had been awaiting this show for very long, more than most. I've been following Mute Math for a while and fell in love with their cd from the first listen yet everybody seemed to say their greatest aspect was their live show. No matter what review or article I read on them, their show came up so naturally I was anxious for the day I could see them. They were originally scheduled to play Purple Door, but they couldn't for whatever reason so when I saw Cleveland as a stop on their spring tour, I immediately set that day aside for the show so I could encounter the legendary Mute Math show. Well, it almost didn't turn out that way.

I drive up to Cleveland with my father and he was going to go with me because he actually kind of, sort of even enjoyed their music. We get up to the House of Blues at about 8:30 and the show starts at 9:30. We go up to the door to buy our tickets since we hadn't previously gotten them. We figured that online service charge is ridiculous and that the House of Blues is too big for them to sell out. We were wrong. There was a piece of paper awaiting us stating that there were no more tickets available for the show. Okay, now what do we do? We just stare at each other for about five minutes, then we realized it's desperation time. My father and I spent the next ten minutes asking anyone and everyone if they had any extra tickets for the show or any they'd be willing to sell. After a few minutes and no luck, we find a man with one extra ticket that he gives us. We are still one short. Our efforts continue to no avail. We made an executive decision for me to go to the show and have my dad tear up the Cleveland night life for a few hours.

The show didn't start until 9:45 and then Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin took the stage. They were from Missouri and their sound was that of a poppy rock band, but with nothing to really grab you. They did all switch instruments halfway through the set, but the 'new' guitarist/singer didn't seem to play guitar as well and also appeared to be slightly uncomfortable behind the mic.

The second band was a band from Scotland(!) called the Cinematics. They had the whole new British rock sound going (which made sense I guess even though they're Scottish) and had a sound similar to Franz Ferdinand or the Killers only with more of an accent and a tad more ingenuity. All in all, a good set from them. They just seemed hindered because the lead singer was also a guitarist and he seemed like he wanted to move so much more than he got to. I may have to pick up their album sometime in the future.

After they left the stage, it was almost 11 and then it took the stage crew over a half hour to set up Mute Math's stage plot. Finally, the lights dimmed and four formally dressed men took the stage. A single light came and one of them put on some headphones and duct taped them to his head. From there, the show took off and never let go. They opened up with an extended and sustained version of their opening instrumental 'Collapse', which only raised more anticipation for their first song. From there, they blasted into 'Typical' and 'Chaos'. Played a few more songs, including a new song just referenced as 'Voice' then went into a crazed rendition of 'Plan B'. A definite highlight was the extended jam 'Obsolete' that follows 'Stare at the Sun'. They all got in on the rhythm and a stand up bass was even included! They played a few more songs including a very moving rendition of 'You Are Mine' then went straight into 'Break the Same'. They played 'Break the Same' for about eight minutes then the percussion section started. I had never seen anything ever like it before. While Paul kept playing on the piano, Greg was beating on his guitar with a mallet, Roy was hitting a bass drum and a cymbal, and Darren had left his drum kit was playing on the piano and mic stand with his sticks. It all grew together and they took apart the drum set and just started playing the drums individually and using EVERYTHING on the stage as a percussion instrument as Paul ran across hitting things and playing the Rhodes. This went on for about three minutes and then they play their final song of the night, 'Reset'. As they left the crowd went crazy and it seemed that everyone in the venue realized the greatness they'd just seen even if they couldn't fully comprehend it all.

The stage was a mess. Drums, sticks, guitar picks, effect pedals were strewn everywhere it seemed. It was like a painting by Picasso: beauty in disarray. I look at my awesome Star Wars watch and it reads 12:52 then a thought enters my brain that I should probably call my father. I call and he sounds tired. I tell him the show's ever and he comes to get me. I ask him what he's been doing for the past four hours as I get into the car. He looks at me as visions of him getting in bar fights and street races dance through my head and kills those visions very quickly by saying, "Well, at first I started driving around Cleveland, then I found a parking garage so I fell asleep there." What's sad is that doesn't shock me at all and what's even sadder is that's precisely what I would have done...