Concert review: The Mars Volta

Above: The Mars Volta slays "Goliath."

Experimental rock band The Mars Volta delivered 2 hours and 20 minutes of extremely difficult listening Friday night at the Beaumont Club.

The capacity audience of approximately 1,100 zealously clung to each challenging note. Characterized by stupendously tight musicianship, extreme dynamics and rigorous time signatures, the Mars Volta's madcap sound resembled a funky Pink Floyd one moment and a Latin-infused version of King Crimson the next.

And while it might not have been recognized by much of the rock-oriented, hard-partying crowd, the Mars Volta spent much of the night channeling the more dissonant explorations of jazz fusion pioneers Weather Report.

Where their prog-rock predecessors relied on pompous pageantry, the Mars Volta's punk roots serve them well. Each time they teetered on the brink of irredeemable pretentiousness, they were salvaged by a spate of hardcore bashing.

Jazz-oriented bassist Juan Alderete and drummer Thomas Pridgen provided a crucial foundation for the band's sonic explorations. The pair's contributions salvaged otherwise ridiculously overblown songs like "Cassandra Gemini." While fans sang along with the shrill wailing of Cedric Bixler-Zavala, spectacular guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez seemed to be calling the shots. He's an effective bandleader. Rarely did the octet's exacting onslaught become tiresome.

Some of the psychedelic breakdowns seemed overindulgent and a couple of Rodriguez-Lopez's solos outlasted their effectiveness. But such stumbles are acceptable in high-wire improvisational music.

Much of the night was dedicated to premiering material from their fourth studio album, "The Bedlam In Goliath," which is due Tuesday. No matter; the concert was more about ambitious free-form jams than individual songs.

A notable exception was the organ-driven "Goliath," which largely adhered to a coherent song structure. The band engaged in very little banter. It was probably Bixler-Zavala who made a request of the audience, but even standing only 30 feet away it was impossible to see much of the action on the Beaumont's low-slung stage:

"Do me a favor and stop smoking for two hours," he said shortly after the show began. "You'll get your money's worth. I promise you."

He kept his promise. It's only January, so it would be rash hyperbole to proclaim that the Mars Volta played the year's most memorable concert. But if Friday's show can be topped, 2008 promises to be an incredible year for Kansas City concertgoers.

| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star

Comments

[Vandelay]

"Rash hyperbole" from you, Bill? Nah, couldn't be, at least not until the next Puddle of Mudd concert. ;-)

Glad you enjoyed the show, The Mars Volta is indeed quite a show.

[Linda P.]

I would love to have seen this show. They sold out right away, so hopefully they'll be back in a larger venue next time. Soon, I hope.

[Ronnie]

Excellent show, terrible venue. Is there a worse place in KC to see a show. Lets pray to god if they come back around they do their time at The Uptown.

[Cialis]

What a great review, I love the band and this concert goes beyond what I expected.

[Bubba Brown]

Well,I caught MARS VOLTA at the Midland - last September and I had a pretty good time, although they were onstage for a lot less than two hours + 40 minutes. No complaint(s), here.