Mastodon, Opeth, Gojira, and Friends Live at The Electric Factory Outdoors!! – Philadelphia, PA 5/6/17

People lined up around the block to get into MASTODON’S outdoor show at Electric Factory in Philadelphia. The show was set up so that there were vendors in the front of the building in what is normally a small parking lot. The usual food vendors and facilities were inside the building along with tables and stools to sit and eat while movies played on a big screen on the stage. The stage where the bands were performing was in a larger lot on the side of the building.  



RUSSIAN CIRCLES opened the show around 3:30 while most people were still in line or getting checked at the front gate, but you could hear the band for blocks! They played a heavy but short set. Soon after, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT began as fans were still filing into the sold out show. They played “Stormbending” and “Failure” from their latest album Transcendence along with a few other tracks. Then it was on to the next act, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, who were delightful as always. They started their set with MASTODON’S Brent Hinds playing guitar on “I Only Want You” The band has a funky alternative rock-meets-classic southern rock sound, they are definitely one of a kind and a must see.  



As GOJIRA started, so did the wind, the warm sunny day turning into a chilly evening. Whenever the smoke machines would blast more smoke out it was almost immediately blown away, making for awesome visuals for the rest of the night. GOJIRA is a progressive/death metal band from Bayonne, France.  They played a really impressive set, about half of the songs were from their latest release Magma.



As the sky got darker and the temperature dropped the Swedish progressive metal band OPETH took the stage. The band’s sound is immense! The band was formed in 1990, so they have a large catalog of music to choose from. They played several songs from their latest album Sorceress and some fan favorites including “Demon of the Fall,” “Deliverance,” and “Ghost of Perdition.”



MASTODON kicked off their set with “Sultan’s Curse” which is the first track off their new album Emperor of Sand. This is the band’s seventh studio album in their seventeen year history. They played a very long set, about twenty songs, including “Divinations,” “Oblivion,” “Crystal Skull,” “Ember City” and “Black Tongue.” MASTODON put on a great show, and it was certainly a fantastic ending to this mini-festival.



LIVE IMAGES AND WORDS: MEGAN C. BROOKS PHOTOGRAPHY