Mastodon Concert Review and Photos
Mastodon – The Hollywood Palladium – October 10, 2026
Mastodon first appeared on my radar in 2009 after I read a review of Crack the Skye in Rolling Stone. Not known for handing out glowing reviews to purveyors of heavy music, RS tagged them as something to pay attention to: “Mastodon are the greatest metal band of their generation — no one else comes close.”.
Mastodon
4000 screaming fans packed The Hollywood Palladium on Saturday for a night of prog-metal bliss. Mastodon was in town with The Poisonous Weapons Tour to promote their month-old 9th album, Marrow Deep. They hit the stage at 9:00pm, but first, Ozzy Osborne’s “Crazy Train” blared out of the PA system in its entirety, resulting in a group singalong accompanied with multiple air guitars in the crowd playing along and soloing with Randy Rhoads. It was quite a way to kick off the main event, and everyone in the audience was smiling before Mastodon even took the stage.
The walk-on song selection might have something to do with drummer Brann Dailor, who by all claims has an unnatural affinity with Ozzy guitarist Randy Rhoads, to the point of having claimed (tongue in cheek?) to be Randy Rhoads reincarnated. Brann was born on the same day (March 19) that Randy died in a plane crash, however, the math is a little fuzzy, with Brann being seven years old when the fatal tragedy occurred…regardless, it was a fun way to begin the show and an amusing story.
Mastodon had amazing visuals that went with each song, and played throughout the show on a large screen behind them, as well as on the front of the drum riser, which was also an extended screen – sort of a Las Vegas Sphere experience for the rest of us that can’t make the trip or afford the tickets. The drum riser was as tall as anything I’ve ever seen, making it hard to see (and photograph) what Brann was up to behind his kit, but he sounded amazing. It had a lower riser on either side – stage left to accommodate João Nogueira’s keyboard set-up, and an elevated stage right spot for Troy Sanders to come and sing from when he got tired of holding down center stage. Guitarist Bill Kelliher killed it as always, and hearing his audible interaction with guitarist Nick Johnson was exhilarating – this was the first time I’d seen Mastodon without Brent Hinds who left 18 months ago, only to die in a motorcycle accident a short while later, and it was good to hear and see that they landed the right guy to fill his shoes.
Mastodon played songs from 8 albums, including 5 from the newest offering, Marrow Deep. In my experience, when an established band plays songs off a new album, fans use it as an excuse to go to the bar or use the bathroom. That wasn’t the case on Saturday – the new material fit perfectly with the old, and fans took advantage of the opportunity to see the songs for the first time.
John Baizley of Baroness joined the band on stage during the second portion to play along, a move that began during a pre-tour warm-up-show in Atlanta where he joined the band for a couple of songs…only to have it go so well he was invited to join the upcoming tour.
There are 7 more dates on The Poisonous Weapons Tour before Mastodon wrap things up with the Sick New World Texas festival in late October. They sounded incredible, and are definitely worth catching if they come to your town.
Mastodon are:
• Troy Sanders – Vocals/Bass
• Brann Dailor – Drums/Vocals
• Bill Kelliher – Guitar
• Nick Johnston – Guitar
• João Nogueira – Keyboard
• John Baizley – Guest Vocals/Guitar
Setlist:
- Barbarians Blood
- March of the Fire Ants
- Crystal Skull
- Black Tongue
- Megalodon
- In the Ruins
- More Than I Could Chew
- Your Ghost Again
- Mother Puncher
- Steambreather
- Poisonous Weapons
- Snakes for Dinner
- Curl of the Burl
- Oblivion
- The Czar
- Sultan's Curse
- Colony of Birchmen
- Blood and Thunder
Deafheaven
My first impression of Deafheaven as I was taking photos from the pit was that they were by far the loudest band I’d ever heard. Halfway through my time in the photo pit, I discovered that I’d forgotten to put my earplugs back in after Alcrest’s set – Deafheaven were still incredibly loud, but the earplugs definitely made a difference.
The Bay Area group formed in 2010, and are known for pioneering blackgaze – a combination of blast beats, shoegaze sensibilities, and black metal vocals. Speaking of vocals, I’d be interested to hear vocalist George Clarke’s normal talking voice – his singing voice is extreme, and it is hard to image how the human body is able to generate such sounds. In talking with another photographer after their set, he said his wife had just described George’s voice as reminiscent of a pterodactyl (for reference, she had also compared death metal vocals to the Cookie Monster, so take her review however you will)…I’ve never heard a pterodactyl, but what I can confirm is that George’s voice is powerful, utterly distinctive, and fits the music perfectly.
Deafheaven is a great live band and visually interesting. George paced the stage with a fiery intensity, while Ian Waters struck rock star poses and jumped off the band’s risers. Kerry McCoy tore it up on guitar, while Daniel Tracy (drums) and Chris Johnson (bass) expertly provided the beat and low-end. These guys were great, and the audience really responded to their show.
Deafheaven are:
• George Clarke – Vocals
• Kerry McCoy – Guitar
• Daniel Tracy – Drums
• Ian Waters – Guitar
• Chris Johnson – Bass
Alcest
French band Alcest’s Instagram page only lists their name and a one-word quote - “Music from another world.” Since forming in 2000, they are credited with creating the blackgaze genre, and were the perfect way to kick off an exceptional night of live music.
The Palladium has a large stage – both side to side and front to back, and it appears oversized for the size of the venue. Despite the ample acreage, all four members of Alcest were pushed right up against the lip of the stage side by side. This unique setup seemed to stem more from band preference than lack of space on stage. Winterhalter’s drum kit was pushed up against the edge of the stage to the point that I could have reached out and grabbed one of his sticks mid-set if I’d been so inclined – at times I held my camera over the top of his bass drum to push my wide-angle lens close to him and what he was doing.
The position of drums and amps left little room for stage antics, so Neige and the rest of Alcest leaned into their songs and musicianship – both of which won over the packed Palladium crowd. They played a tight set filled with songs that really got the people moving despite the early 7:00pm start time.
Alcest are:
• Neige – Vocals/Guitar
• Winterhalter – Drums
• Zero – Guitar
• Indria Saray – Bass
Brooks Robinson is an LA-based concert photographer, and 30+ year freelance camera operator for film, television, and music videos. He has photographed some of the largest film/TV projects in history, and hundreds of music videos in MTV's heyday.
