Report: Devin Townsend + Between The Buried And Me + Leprous @ Madrid

Devin Townsend visited Madrid in a very cold but people were anxious to enter in La Riviera, the first of two Spanish shows of this tour. Still the fans calmly entered the venue and the first concert started at the precise time with the majority of the public entering after the beginning of the gig.

Norwegian prog act Leprous need no introductions, so they entered the stage opening the set with ”Foe”. Vocalist Einar pushed for the shy audience who apparently didn’t knew much of the band but thanks to the amazing gig, many people discovered a great band. “Third Law” brought the energy up with its intense drum rhythms, catchy chorus and the journey moment towards the end. This was a good example of how tight the band is when playing live. There was also time for the single “The Price” and the majestic “The Flood”, one of the highlights of this show. Finishing with ”Slave”, the band left the stage under a big round of applause and the respect of the public making the short set the only thing to regret of the concert.

Next band was the Americans Between The Buried And Me. With a much bigger audience, the concert started with ”Fossil Genera – A Feed from Cloud Mountain”. Instantly the connection between the band and the audience seemed bigger. Taken from the band’s latest album, “The Coma Machine” followed. The audience responded quite well to the band’s latest single and we could see some movement. “Lay Your Ghosts to Rest” and “Bloom” kept everyone going. Despite some sound problems, the prog-tech group managed to put a pretty good show specially with the help of the crowd, who cheered them up since the beginning of the concert until the end. The intimacy between the band and the fans was evident. “Live In Velvet” was a great ending for this very good show.

Public were anxious for the final act of the night and after some time listening to Ziltoid’s radio show the wait ended. Last but not least, Devin Townsend Project went onstage and the crowd became wild. Being one of the funniest characters in the entire Metal community, Devin quickly hooked everyone with his high spirits and humorous jokes. Singing side by side with fans, the band started a perfect show with ”Rejoice”. With effects like smoke coming out of a giant guitar and humored by frontman Devin Townsend, the set went through 20 years of the project. Of course that Ziltoid had to be present, “Ziltoid Goes Home” featured the comic character. The show continued very well, and with no major issues, everyone seemed to be enjoying a night to remember.

The ending song before encore was the amazing “Kingdom”, where Devin showcases all his vocal skills through a very catchy and well built song.

After some moments of cheering by the audience, they were offered a two song encore. One of the special moments of the gig was when Devin grabbed an acoustic guitar and sang alone “Ih-Ah” only accompanied by the crowd. A really beautiful and magical moment. The gig ended brilliantly with ”Higher” and the band left the stage with the applause of the very happy crowd.

Special thanks to Madness Live!
Photos by: Catarina Parente
Text by: José Serôdio

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