Keeping the spirit of psychedelic San Francisco alive is The Chapel and Dead Meadow with world-class liquid light shows. Skilled and far-out psychedelic rock blasted over an audience of vampires, pirates, witches and dominatrix’s with masks on and drinks in hand. The night was a ritual of rock and roll and had a distinctly cultish vibe. Perhaps this nights music is a new iteration of an ancient ritual. It was Samhain when the veil between the living and dead is at its thinnest and what better way to celebrate then to blast that veil apart with sizzling loud rock music. Artistic and visionary time travelers combine their energy together and become possessed by the spirit of Halloween swaying to the music of Dead Meadow.
The audience was swaying, Greek goddesses were dancing with their golden extended finger nails morphing and melting in the psychedelic lights. Vampires dripping with blood stared wide-eyed enjoying the scene of mortals getting down. The audience broke into a mosh pit as the tension and buildups in the music drove them to ecstatic madness. The moshing was in stark contrast to the stoned out rockers who were deeply immersed with eyes closed going inward with the music flowing through them.
The concert was in historic San Francisco for a Halloween concert at The Chapel in the Mission neighborhood. This neighborhood is packed with great restaurants and bars. The sidewalk sparkle lined with parklets which bustle as outdoor dining areas. The night was warm costumed adults and children were collecting candy from local businesses. We arrived early and decided to walk around and quickly found a packed outdoor dance party and everyone was in impressive, hip and fabulous costumes. Back at the Chapel the bands performed to an ecstatic audience of fans and passers-by, most in full costumes some fresh off Outside Lands music festival which was located in Golden Gate Park with Tame Impala headlining that night.
The walls of The venue were moving with liquid light projections provided by the legendary Lance Gordon and The Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show. The Flash Hits played an exciting set with spacey songs that combined Bowie like melodies with dissonant tension, driving riffs and echoing feedback. Their set was alternative goth rock with experimental moments. The audience was onboard moving with the pulsing of the immersive light-show.
Dead Meadow was the headliner, they are an underground legend in the psychedelic rock scene formed in 1998. They are an inspiring live band and never fail to put on a mind-blowing performance. Their music has heavy stoner rock down tempo doom and loads of cosmic psychedelic atmospheres presented by the guitarist Jason Simon.
Dead Meadow was the headliner, they are an underground legend in the psychedelic rock scene formed in 1998. They are an inspiring live band and never fail to put on a mind-blowing performance. Their music has heavy stoner rock down tempo doom and loads of cosmic psychedelic atmospheres presented by the guitarist Jason Simon.
The guitars of Dead Meadow sounded amazing with a tight rhythms, intentional and precise playing combined with perfectly tuned effects board that took the audience to new heights. The down tempo riffs had rhythmic complexity and richly textured tones. The bass beats the low-end merging with the deep groove of the drums to create a ghoulish trance. The music went perfectly with the all out psychedelic light show.
Dead Meadow performed a heavy stoner fuzzed out set at Desert Daze Festival in Joshua Tree California, that as the first time I saw them live. Their sound has moved in a more space rock direction with slower songs and long explorations driven by incredible guitar playing and out of this world effects. In the past they were know for their high energy stoner riffs and hot blown-out fuzz tones. Now the band has found its thrills in nuanced tones and stretched out songs that move from heavy stoner and doom to alternative sounds. They have sections of long sound explorations that can dissolve into a cosmic drift but their music is as captivating as ever.
Jason Simon’s guitar tones are stellar and the use of a variety of fuzzes, time effects, tremolo and wah was highly impressive. The subtly in his playing and the dynamic range of his picking was rich with expression. The band was highly skilled. It was a night of great music and good times and far out m
