I was sitting in my internship at a local radio station when this show was announced. A slow and uneventful day quickly turned my entire week around, and I quickly made sure, in every way possible, that I would not be missing this show. Even if I weren’t going to be covering the show for press’ sake, I would have found a way to get myself there to witness both Devin Townsend and Between the Buried and Me on the same bill.
Both Devin Townsend and Between the Buried and Me have a standing history together: Devin himself has expressed a fondness for BTBAM, even going as far to include vocalist Tommy Rogers on “Planet of the Apes” from 2011’s Deconstruction. A pairing that makes sense in the grand scheme of it, a lot of hype came with this tour’s immediate announcement from the general public. What could make it even better? How about California’s Fallujah opening the show and BTBAM performing Coma Ecliptic in its entirety? Now this is a show worth remembering.

Situated in the heart of Times Square at the Playstation Theater, doors were open extremely early, which resulted in me nearly being late for Fallujah. The band, having released their third album Dreamless this year, has been a band that I have followed since their debut thanks to a recommendation from All Shall Perish some years ago. Opening with the lead single “Sapphire” from the critically acclaimed The Flesh Prevails, Fallujah quickly skipped the soft introductions and let forth a barrage of punishing riffs and melodies to start the show.

Between the massive atmospheres and their dynamic stage presence rested virtuoso musicianship. Throughout the set, one could fixate themselves on any of the band members on stage and find themselves transfixed by their abnormal playing. In particular, drummer Andrew Baird was  most entertaining to watch, as the guy literally does not stop from start to finish. To my surprise, vocalist Alex Hofmann took to a keyboard during passages of the songs, which helped maintain an emphasis on instrumentalism  when necessary. If anything, it just displayed how versatile and punishing the band is as a whole.

Perhaps most remarkable was how Fallujah’s live sound was consistently clean throughout. At any point during the set, it was easy to focus in on a members’ performance and admire the technicality and the feeling built within each song. This became more evident on the newer material from Dreamless; as a fan of the band since The Harvest Wombs, it’s astounding to see the band focus less on their brutality and put more emphasis on balancing it with ambiance, beauty, and feeling. That’s what separates this band from the rest: they are doing their own thing in, go out every night to perform, and absolutely nail it when they do so.

With a strict schedule to maintain, Fallujah’s sprawling 45-minute set ended and cleared out for Between the Buried and Me’s unique and diverse stage rigging. This being my fifth (!!!) time seeing them, the given situation made this all the more interesting of a show. Lighting their stage solely by the large, extensive large lights positioned around the five band members, this set was without the darkest yet most aesthetically pleasing I had witnessed from the band. As a light fell upon Tommy Rogers’ self as he outlined the notes on his keyboards to “Node,” a calmness fell upon the venue that would soon evaporate as the band segued into “The Coma Machine.”

If you were one of the people who were not as crazy about Coma Ecliptic, it would ultimately be disappointing to learn that the entirety of the set was said album. However, as someone who did and still enjoys the album, the set was a one of a kind experience. By the time the band had reached “The Ectopic Stroll,” they were already on a roll as far as momentum was concerned. As the album winded down, the band never broke a sweat, as per usual for them. While this ultimately is no different than from the other times I had seen them, it is no less entertaining than it was the first time back in 2012.

Shifting the entirety of their stage set-up and segueing on the Devin Townsend Project’s rig, Almost immediately, as “Piece of M” by Boston was playing as BTBAM left the stage, the song cut out halfway through, transitioning into random children’s songs and other humorous, often recognizable songs from the internet. It had been about 15 months since the band had been in New York for a show, and fans were eagerly packing into the venue. Myself ecstatic, it was a great show already and about to get even better.

As the music disappeared, the band quickly rushed to the stage, with Devin taking a more brisk stride to avoid hurting himself after he hurt his leg earlier during the week. Starting the night off with the classic “Night” from Ocean Machine. Each band member with a smile on their face, it was obvious that everyone in attendance was in a great mood. Even as the songs made a change to the heavier side of the discography, such as “By Your Command,” the crowd still swayed with enthusiasm throughout.

About midway through the set, Devin took to his usual jokes with the crowd. “This one’s the epitome of your cheesy 80’s heavy metal!” he remarked, just before some pick scratches and a lightning fast drum count sent the band into “Ziltoid Goes Home.” “It’s hard to pick a setlist when your discography is literally all over the place,” he later said, “So we gotta try and fit everything in.” Pulling out an acoustic guitar, Devin dedicated his rendition of “Ih-ah” to a couple near the front of the show who were using the song at their wedding. Contrasting that and keeping in the theme of their sets’ variety, the band opted to close out the night with “Higher,” one of the highlights from their most recent release, and doing so in a triumphant manner.

The entirety of the night was near perfect. From Fallujah’s strong opening set, it was obvious that the show would be one to remember. I cannot express just how pivotal it is to witness any of these bands live at some point, as not a single one of the three are able to disappoint. If there is or ever will be such a thing as a perfect show, this would have been it. While I had high expectations initially from the announcement months ago, they were both met and exceeded in every way possible.