We finally got inside the building and past the guerrilla security only to find out that Depswa was stuck in the mountains somewhere between California and Oregon, the whole band and crew snowed in and stuck together in a van. As if missing them wasn’t bad enough, the show was sold out and we weren’t on the guest list since Depswa wasn’t there. We tried to explain the situation to someone at will call, and a DJ from KUFO overheard our dilemma and offered to help. Depswa played their Rockfest 7.5 this past summer and won over many fans here in Portland. Gaining access to the venue was only the first hurdle, getting inside was a whole other story. It was definitely the biggest crowd I have ever seen at the Roseland, with people packed in from wall to wall, stage to back, and floor to balcony.

We arrived during set change having missed the first band, a local act called 737, who I was told got a lukewarm response from this Mudvayne hungry crowd. With their brand of rap/rock and nu-metal sound I’m surprised they were chosen to support the mighty and evil Mudvayne. As we tried to make our way into the dense crowd, people began to press up against the barricade in an effort to maintain their position at the front. There was an insane vibe in the room, a mounting adrenaline rush of anticipation. 

The house lights went down, and after an initial roar from the crowd, dead quiet descended on the stage. As the room settled into total darkness you could hear smoke alarms going off all over the building. The anticipation of the crowd rose to a frenzied peak as the lights came up and madness reigned as Mudvayne finally took the stage.

From the very first chord to the last, it was an insane live performance, one that I am glad I finally got the chance to see. I have rarely felt such an intensity that seemed to come from everywhere. There was a smoky haze hanging over the room that gave it a surreal atmosphere, it was so hard to breathe and see that I saw several people overwhelmed and being taken out. 

The band blistered through their unique and trademark blend of crushing sound, with melodic choruses and rhythmic brutality. It was a blur of relentless metal but my favorites were “Silence” and “Dig.” Other standouts include several songs off their recently released CD “The End of All Things to Come.” such as “Not Falling,” “Mercy,” and “Severity” as well as favorites from their successful debut, “LD/50.”

They end the night with no encore and little fanfare, throwing out the brutal “DIG” as their goodnight anthem, which turns the crowd into one massive swirling circle. Throughout the show the crowd was on the verge of uncontrolled chaos, and the entire event seemed as if it was one step away from being completely out of control, but when Mudvayne played the last song of the night the crowd went completely insane.

We watched as people filed out of the building, sweat drenched, bright red, some coughing, puking, and bleeding from the ruthless onslaught of music and crowd. Regardless of their condition, there was an overall feeling of peace, frustrations vented, and calm restored, like a brutal therapy session. There was so much heat and energy in the room that condensation had formed and was dripping down the walls and windows of the club, and as we left the building, I could still hear the smoke alarms ringing inside. 

Once again Mudvayne have proved to the world that they have the unlimited capacity to reinvent themselves. They took over the crowd tonight and everyone present fell under their spell of hypnotic cadence and became a soldier in the Mudvayne army. 

We left Portland’s dismal weather and hit the road for Seattle so we could attend the last day of the tour. The closer we got to Seattle the sunnier the sky became, the temperature rose and the unusually moderate weather seemed like an omen that THIS DAY would be the one to remember. We arrived at the Moore Theater late as usual, running through the door and arriving just as California natives, Depswa took the stage. 

The venue is an old antiquated theater with steps leading down into the pit, which was packed so tight we had to fight our way into it. The tightly packed crowd was at a standstill as Depswa broke into their first song, but it didn’t last long. First you see the heads start to move, then a few begin to jump, and next the crowd collapses into a swirling mass of bodies. We attempted to get closer to the front, but there was no breaking through the pit so we settled for side stage as a last resort.

As Depswa rushed into the poetic “Let It Go” you could see that this fiercely loyal Mudvayne crowd was really beginning to feel this band. From the second Depswa took the stage the energy changed and you could feel the adrenaline kick in. It was one of the strangest pits I’ve ever seen, one that ebbed and flowed with the battling of the heaviness and intense melodies driven by their music.

They drove right through the set, running through some older songs from their self titled demo CD along with many of the newer songs that will be released on their Geffen Debut in May, entitled “Two Angels and A Dream”. 

Some highlights were definitely the hook laden “This Time” and my personal favorite, the ruthless “Faithless” an agony fueled anthem suitable for anybody raging against the world. The crowd response was huge for “From the Inside” and the poignant “Needles”.

Being the last night on the tour there was definitely alot of stage antics, beginning when Meatball, a midget wrestler and member of Mudvayne’s road crew came out on stage during Depswa’s set and began molesting them mid song, clad only in his large sized and dirty looking briefs. I have to say I was amazed that they were able to continue with a straight face. Nobody knew how to react when the whole crowd went from rocking out to hysterical laughter while Meatball danced around, humping legs, grabbing strings, dancing and literally taking over the front. We were later to find out that this wasn’t the end of the line for the infamous last night jokes.

Overall I think Depswa was an excellent choice to support Mudvayne, as they came on and revved up the engines of the crowd with their melodic and heavy brand of hard rock. Choosing not to embrace typical metal, they chose a different path then most of the mainstream metal/rock being generated today. 

Front man Jeremy Penick worked the crowd, filling the room with a constant vibe of positive energy and quick injections of adrenaline. He was backed superbly by the rhythmic guitar line of Dan Noonan and James Mills, and the whole crowd was captivated by the frantic, riveting performance of Ryan Burchfield bringing up the low end on bass. The backbone of them all however, is drummer Gordan Heckaman. It’s hard to take your eyes off him as he disappeares into his zone, where nothing exists but primal beats, all the while continuing to perform for the crowd, a wild smile plastered to his face. All in all, it was a devastatingly good performance by a new band, one I expect will be headlining their own tour the next time around.

After Depswa’s finish, Mudvayne stormed the stage on a mission to take over the theater and shake it to its very core. We watched from behind the sound board with the Depswa gang as they literally tore up the stage. It was a different perspective from last nights crushing pit, but their performance was just as ruthless as the night before. Mid set the pranks continued when Mudvayne’s tour manager, Bluebeard stripped to a thong and ran out onto stage to give the guys roses midsong. It was hilarious to watch as the unsuspecting Mudvayne tried to laugh, sing, and play all at the same time. 

They once again ended the night with “Dig”, and singer cHud jumped into the crowd and as he continued to sing was passed around the surface of the crowd like a giant fallen God. This drove the crowd into chaos, even Ryan, Dan, and Jeremy from Depswa jumping into the pit to expel some rage in the final hours of this infamous tour.