Mastodon & Opeth @ House Of Blues

Because I'm old now it is very rare that I don't call a venue to find out what time a band starts and I arrive a couple of minutes before they take the stage.  This was going to be the case with Mastodon, until I read an article about Opeth.  Described as a European black metal band, who unbeknowst to me, have been around for years, I decided to get in a little early and check these guys out.  They have a big following as the House of Blues is already near full.  I don't know any songs but instead of metal, it was more of like an atmospheric rock, which after time was agitating the crowd.  This is apparently Opeth's new direction and not so popular with their old-school fans.  It is not until the last 2 songs that they, and the crowd, cut loose with some great riffs and some music befitting of a Mastodon opener.  Glad I made the effort to get there to see them, but probably wouldn't see them again - unless it was guaranteed they'd play old stuff - I'm not much into the atmospherics.

Opeth Setlist

Soon after, Mastodon arrived to thunderous applause, though the crowd seemed to have thinned out slightly after Opeth (fine by this old guy).  Now that I'm a dad, I notice a lot of dad-like things, and early on in the set it was great to see the lead singer spot his young son watching from above.  Father & son got a great buzz out of the exchange and it seemed to spur Troy Sanders on.  This is the Heritage Hunter Tour, so Mastodon played a lot from their latest album.  Highlights for me were Crack The Skye, Curl Of The Burl & Blood & Thunder.  This is my 4th time seeing Mastodon, but 1st time at one of their shows (had seen them at festivals and opening for Alice In Chains before).  Great show, but a little short for my liking.  With 5 albums worth of material, I thought we may have gotten more, though the 10pm House Of Blues curfew for all ages shows probably had something to do with it.

The Crap Facts:

This is my 326th concert.

This is my 41st concert at House Of Blues.

This is my 122nd concert in Las Vegas.

This is my 122nd concert in Nevada.

This is my 134th concert in the USA.
Opeth are the 391st band I've seen.
This is my 4th Mastodon concert.