After a month on the road across the US, GOJIRA’S Magma Tour concluded with a captivating sold out show here in NYC. As I arrived early to Terminal 5 a sense of deja vu came over me. It was December of 2008, and as an early holiday gift I was treated to see IN FLAMES with supporting act GOJIRA at the same exact location. The concert was sold out and I spent about an hour looking for a place to stand and a good view. I walked away speechless and amazed by how amazing GOJIRA sounded live, and I had to know more.
Now eight years later, the band returned to the very same venue as a headliner for a sold out performance. As the lights dimmed the fans screams intensified. There was an energy that can only be described as magmatic. When the music started an explosion ensued. No matter if you were in the audience or the third floor balcony you couldn’t help but to look around, sing along, and move to the music.
The band opened their seventeen-song set with “Only Pain”, from their widely raved-about new album Magma, and from that moment the audience was hooked. For the next hour and a half, they flawlessly performed songs from their catalog and showed no signs of slowing down.
Songs like “The Heaviest Matter of the Universe”, “Flying Whales”, “Backbone”, “Toxic Garbage Island”, and “Clone” awakened memories of the band’s early days and how much they have grown since those records. Music from Magma fit perfectly with the older material, as tracks “Silvera”, “The Cell”, and “Stranded” stood proudly alongside the aforementioned classics, a designation they’re destined for in future.
The lengthy setlist had to be a workout for drummer Mario Duplantier, yet he showed no signs exhaustion during his solo between “Wisdom Comes and “The Shooting Star”. Leaving the venue that night it was hard to find someone who was disappointed, GOJIRA performed with such raw passion. They can move you to tears and awaken deep feelings, but at the same time cause chaos in the pit. They proved once again why they are one of the best lives acts around, bar none.
LIVE IMAGES AND WORDS: ALEXA G
