Well friends, I managed to make it to one more show this year. And honestly, and in very much a good way, I think I’m still recovering from it a week later. My opportunities to catch the mighty Meshuggah live have been limited over the years, so when they announced In Flames and Whitechapel would be joining them for a North America run I had the Boston date circled immediately. We’re all aware of my adoration of In Flames, and then Whitechapel was a name I was excited to immerse myself in more, so across the board this was one I had to make happen. Without a doubt, this Saturday night was one for the books.

As usual with these reviews, I’ll get into some of the context surrounding the show before discussing the experience more specifically. You see, I had just returned from a week in Utah exploring Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks not 72 hours before this show. So I’ll be real, I had to drag myself out the door when this day arrived. I was spent. But hey, why not give into the chaos? Strangely, I find comfort there. (Bonus points if you call out that reference.) So the long journey to Boston from the mountains began. Unlike the night in Portland earlier in the year, our collective for this show felt no need to sample the local scene before heading into the venue. Boston is… less fun. Arriving a few minutes after door time, and after fighting an unnecessarily bullshit amount of traffic the entire way into the city on a Saturday night, I quickly snagged my credentials and set up shop as usual. This show was at the new MGM Music Hall at Fenway, marking my first time at the venue. I’ll give credit where credit is due — the place looked great, sounded great, was run efficiently, and was fairly easy to navigate despite the packed house. A corporate spot for sure, but we’ll focus on the positives. So far so good. Let’s get into the good stuff.

Whitechapel was the opening act this evening, getting about half an hour to work with. I’ll be straight with you, Whitechapel is not a band I’ve ever really sat down with. I think I’ve (accidentally) caught them on the road once or twice before as part of larger festivals or tours, but not much more than that. On one hand, that’s a bit unfortunate because I really enjoyed this set and definitely would have been happy with another 15 minutes of it. But on the other hand, going into this with a clear perspective allowed me to really react to the performance organically. I loved the fire and energy of their take on deathcore, but there was still a dark, almost chilling nature to their sound that definitely resonated with me. They made efficient work of their allotted time, fitting in six tracks which covered a few albums, most notably The Valley, successfully elevating the atmosphere and energy of the venue for the early arrivers.

And then it was In Flames’ time. We all know how much I love In Flames, and how many times I’ve seen them live now. They’re legends for a reason, and seeing (and photographing) them live never gets old for me. What was interesting about this set, having closer to an hour to work with, was how diverse it was. Granted, In Flames have always managed to cover decent ground with the sets they draw up. But we aren’t that far removed from Foregone, without a doubt one of the stronger albums in a catalog filled with strong albums. So naturally I expected a number of tracks to emerge from this latest effort. Instead, however, I believe eight different albums got some air time, with only two tracks pulled from Foregone. That, my friends, is impressive. Normally, given how highly I still regard those classic albums, this would have been a pretty damn close to perfect set. But because of how impressed I was (and still am) by Foregone, I actually found myself wishing that record was a little more represented. No matter! They’ve already teased a return trip in the near future, and I’ll speculate that will be the time for them to support the new album more heavily… as a headlining run please? Sign me up either way.

But I digress. This was another great performance start to finish. Anders is such a great presence live (well, Björn, Tanner, Chris, and now Liam… they all are), and everything across the stage between them just sounded clean, tight, and authentic. With the crowd completely engaged wall to wall and front to back, and the circle pit opened up, it was an absolute joy to be a part of. Each and every track, across such a broad catalog, was received with enthusiasm. Do you know or remember those feelings when you would go to a show, stand there patiently waiting for your favorite band to come on stage, and as the clock ticks on and your anticipation grows you start to feel those, I don’t know, excited butterflies in your stomach? I’ve been to and covered a lot of shows over the past several years. I don’t feel that way all that often anymore. But when those first In Flames notes hit the speakers and I’m standing against the stage, all of that comes back, each and every time.

And finally, after all of that, it was time for our headliner. The Meshuggah firestorm rained down for well over an hour, and the intensity was imminent immediately and only expanded as the set wore on. Opening with “Broken Cog”, we were treated to an awesome visual display with each member backlit in a replication of the Immutable cover. It was dark, it was ominous, and it look absolutely incredible. It also made me painfully aware that I have not spent nearly enough time with their latest record. So I’ve been hard at work fixing that over the last week. Anyway. The steady build of that opening track erupted into a set that was just as diverse as those that preceded it, touching on just about every album in their history. Last year’s Immutable was featured a few times, naturally, but they still made time to work in some deep cuts and crowd favorites, including the return of “Bleed” in the encore.

So that was all well and good. Now, speaking personally, it is worth noting that the last time I saw Meshuggah was fleetingly at Chicago Open Air some years ago… in a parking lot… in the midafternoon summer heat. That wasn’t a bad experience, to be clear. But seeing them tear down this dark, enclosed space was something on a completely different level. This was the proper way to take in a Meshuggah performance, hands down, letting that aggression completely surround you and lock you in without respite. Their ferocity was unrelenting, and the audience responded in kind. Time and time again I found myself ducking crowd surfers from the photo pit during those first few tracks, a situation I rarely complain about and definitely didn’t this night. Really, from the start of the show to the end, I haven’t seen a crowd move like that in years. It truly was awesome. It’s what this shit is all about.

In all, this was one hell of a way to wrap up the year. Whitechapel… you’re officially in the rotation. In Flames… keep doing what you’re doing, and I look forward to the next run. And Meshuggah… wow. Total obliteration. This tour has wrapped up, but if you find them (any of them) in your area in the future, it would be in your best interest to make that happen. While I may not make it to as many shows as I once did, I couldn’t be more satisfied with the live performances 2023 did bring me. And with that, it’s time to start filling out the 2024 calendar…

“Ein Bier… bitte.”
– cmb