Voivod played at The Stone Pony a few days ago, on February 11, 2016.
I had learned about the tour some months ago, and knew that I wanted to catch a show when they came around. My first pick was for Sunday the 7th, until I realized that this was the same day as the Super Bowl.
Taking another look, I saw one show where they would be coming to Asbury Park, to play at the legendary Stone Pony. So, that would be the one, weather permitting.
Indeed, it was very cold on this day, which wound up being one of the coldest days of the year, although at least there was no snow or ice or sleet or hail. No wintry conditions to make driving treacherous, and a visit to the coastal town of Asbury Park feel unreasonable.
Still, it was cold, and Voivod's Snake had noticed this and thanked the fans for coming out on such a cold, raw night. This prompted some with in the audience to point out that the band is from Canada. Indeed they are. In fact, they are from Jonquière, Québec, a town about one hour and a half north of the city of Québec, which is known as one of the coldest and snowiest of major Canadian cities. On average, the city of Québec is colder, and gets significantly more snow than many other notable Canadian cities, and Jonquière is in an even colder part of the province! So, they know the cold and snow there, yes!
The band came out around 9:30pm to music by Pink Floyd, before launching into Ripping Headaches, a song from the Rrröööaaarrr album, dating back all the way to 1986. I noticed right away that Snake, the lead vocalist, was wearing a Dead Kennedys t-shirt, and the drummer, Away, was wearing an Alternative Tentacles t-shirt while he banged away on the drums, underneath a black and white banner for the Stone Pony.
Pretty cool, and a reminder that Voivod had joined Jello Biafra's legendary underground record label some years ago.
After that first song, Snake said hello to Asbury Park, before the instantly recognizable drumming for Tribal Convictions, off the Dimension Hatröss from 1988. That was the first album where the band began to experiment with a different sound, relying more on a technological, futuristic feel.
Voivod performed numerous tracks, obviously, including one track (which I do not know the title of) from their upcoming album, Post Society. They also performed The Prow from 1991's Angel Rat, Overraction from 1987's Killing Technology, the track Voivod from their self-titled album released in 2003, at the height of the whole Jason Newsted leaving Metallica to join Voivod controversy, and Inner Combustion from the band's brilliant 1989 album, Nothingface (my personal favorite, along with The Outer Limits).
Throughout the evening, each of the band members appeared to be in good spirits, and truly happy to be playing their music on stage. Snake had strong interaction with the crowd, at points even joking around with someone, pointing at them and figuratively gesturing to "turn the frown upside down," much to the amusement of quite a few people.
There was a tribute to Piggy at the end, as Snake mentioned how the band would never forget the loss of their former guitarist and brainchild of some of the band's most memorable works, including much of their 2013 release, Target Earth. They performed one track from that album (which was also very good, by the way), Kluskap O'Kom.
Not for the first time, I wondered how it was that some bands can make it huge, and often with subpar music, while others who are enormously talented and even influential within the music industry, somehow remain in the shadows. Voivod is such a band, and although they certainly enjoyed some success that cannot be overlooked (they influenced numerous musicians, and you can view pictures online of such legends as Motorhead's Lemmy and the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl. Had things worked out a bit differently, maybe they would be playing this show at a much bigger venue, although the Stone Pony is not bad.
Yet, it must be said that there was a familial feel during this concert, and this was evidenced towards the very end of the show, when Snake urged everyone to gather up close and personal near the stage, and suggesting that we - by which he meant everyone in attendance - was family. Being suddenly crowded around the stage, it did feel that there was a certain unity, or a oneness, to the group.
Suddenly, I was a bit glad that this band had not made it really big. Suddenly, it felt like this kind of intimacy is what music, and artistry more generally, is all about.
That feeling stayed with me as the band walked off the stage, only to be cheered back onto stage for their encore. They performed Astronomy Divine, a Pink Floyd cover from Nothingface, to close the evening out.
I had been hoping to obtain a copy of their latest album, which literally was just released the day after this show. Unfortunately, they did not have a copy, although I picked up some other goodies, including a beanie and a hoodie, which helped to keep me warm after the show, going from the warmth inside into the raw cold outside.
Being in Asbury Park, it is hard to resist going close to the beach, and it was soothing to hear the waves crashing to shore. It was only for a minute, because it really was that cold. But for $25 bucks a ticket, it was a good evening out, and it felt well worth it - especially since this was only the second time that I have seen this awesome band live!
Great memories, and I look forward to finally listening to their new album!
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