[swervedriver]

Did you see the Devin Townsend Project at Peabody's in Cleveland?

Please post your reviews, setlists, photos and video links here!

Thanks!

Killer show as usual. DTP's setlist:

Truth
Om
By Your Command
Deadhead
Vampira
Supercrush
Kingdom
Regulator
Disruptr
Stand
Juular

Numbered
Deep Peace

...not super-sure I have Regulator and Disruptr in the right order, but that's everything that was played. The venue was decently packed for Devin, the sound was pretty excellent, and the band was tight as usual. I'd never seen Vampira or Numbered played live before, so that was a treat, and I'd never seen Disruptr played like it is on the album (on the first tour DTP played a heavier version that wasn't as cool). A little bummed that I didn't get to see Earth Day, and it'd have been cool to see The Way Home, but I can't complain. The encore was almost ruined by two drunk assholes trying to elbow people to make their way to the front row and yelling "SYL" over and over. Come on, people.

My friends and I got to talk with Dave and RVP after the show - they were both really cool. We also chatted it up with Robin from The Ocean and one of my friends (who had been at the previous night's show in Pittsburgh) talked with him about possibly helping to set up a gig for them the next time they're in the area. He was a nice guy, it was fun to meet him. We stuck around outside to see if Devin would come around but he stayed on the bus later than we cared to wait, so we got back on the highway and spared him the trouble of dealing with three more fans clamoring to get a piece of him when he needs sleep.

DTP were killer as usual, every time I see the band they seem to get better. RVP was a f'ing monster, especially on Juular. Loved the setlist, especially ending with Deep Peace. That's still one of my top 5-10 fav Dev songs ever. The crowd was ok, not as many people as the last Peabodys show and not quite as enthusiastic, but it was Monday after all...

I was one of the few who did the VIP meet and greet before the show. As always Dev was super gracious and humble...I'm sure talking to us was the last thing he wanted to be doing at that time (especially after his lunch at Melt...I feel for you Dev, that place puts me in a food coma every time!). The rest of the band were cool as hell too, really easy to talk to, and they actually seemed like they enjoyed talking to us. Many thanks to the whole band for putting up with us. Sucked that we didn't get the Ziltoid hand puppets though, I was really stoked to give my 1-1/2 year old a new toy! Oh well, she'll have to wait till it comes in the mail.

You didn't get the Ziltoid puppet? Fuck, I was really looking forward to that :/ but at least I'll get it in the mail.

Holy Omniverse batman, that set is fucking nuts. The wait for the Seattle show gets more and more difficult with each passing day (and with the ever growing possibility that Seattle gets Disruptr!!!).

My friends The Long Cold Dark opened this show. Wish i could've made the trek to Clev-o for this show, looks awesome

So, here it comes. The enormously epic review of Devin Townsend's show at Peabody's Concert Club/Generalized Shithole in Cleveland, Lolhio.

It began. I picked up my friend, Sean, and we took to the luxurious and beautiful Ohio Turnpike to go see my musical god once again prove that he's way too cool to even contaminate his flawlessness by stepping into such a piece of shit state. On the way there, we were the victims of several age-old delays, such as trains, old people, and shitloads of construction. When we finally got into the city, the entire stretch of road that would have been suitable to exit from to get to the venue was torn apart. The only place we could get off the interstate was some road I'd never heard of. Thankfully, Sean had GPS on his phone, so we were able to get to the venue pretty easily after we got off of the interstate.

So, we're about to make the left turn on the street of the venue. Now, let me tell you something about traffic lights in Cleveland. FUCK THEM HARD. They take ages, and god forbid you EVER have to turn left. You will wait for nearly 5 minutes. About 4 minutes into our wait, a tiny little car pulls up behind us, also heading for the venue. I looked in my rearview mirror, and I saw a bald guy in the passenger seat who looked awfully familiar.

"Sean...you realize Devin FUCKING Townsend is in the car behind us, right?"

The light finally turned green, I zipped down the street, found the nearest parking spot, and ran to the front of the venue where Devin was unloading his gear. I kind of stood there (out of the way, of course, didn't want to be too much of a freak), and finally mustered up the courage to get a bit closer and say "Hey Dev!". He responded immediately with a smile and a casual "Sup?". I told him I was stoked for the show, and he said he was too. He went into the venue saying he'd be right back out, but he was obviously a bit too busy setting up. He came back through a few times, and I got a chance to ask him if he would read my letter this year. He asked me "That depends. Is it as disturbing as the last one?" I said "Oh, it's even worse." He laughed and said "I doubt it then." That was the last we saw of him before the show.

When we got into the venue, the security was having issues scanning our tickets (a fairly common occurrence), but we were the first in line, so it was no big deal. We got to the front and center of the stage, and I had Sean go get some merch while I held down our spot. I got to mingle with the first opening band a bit, and it made their set a bit more entertaining, since I met them beforehand. They were pretty generic Machine Head-influenced stuff, but it wasn't bad by any stretch. The Ocean came on next, and while I enjoyed their material before seeing them live, they are complete psychopaths on stage. They jumped all over the monitors, knocked over their mic stands, the whole 9 yards. The bassist jumped into the crowd a few times (still playing, mind you), and moshed with the rest of the people. The singer actually tackled Sean to the ground during one of the songs. I usually admire a band that gets into it, but these guys were a bit much. Either way, when Ziltoid Radio kicked in, I didn't care anymore. It was time to prepare myself for the best show I would ever see.

Devin came out on stage, looked me straight in the face and said "Are you ready?" I was completely star struck, but he didn't give me time to respond. He launched into the opening arpeggio of Truth, and I just lost it. For the entirety of the rest of the show, I stood there, headbanging furiously (when appropriate), and giving him every ounce of energy I had. I could tell he appreciated it, because it was almost like he was checking in with me to make sure I was still loving it. He made eye contact with me in nearly every song. The setlist highlights were as follows:

Deadhead: The song hadn't even clicked with me when I saw it live the first time, so it was great to see it now that I "got it."
Vampira: This song completely owned everything. They had the video playing on the screen in the background, and by that point I was totally satisfied, and he wasn't even halfway done.
Supercrush!: Always an excellent crowd sing-along.
Stand: I thought I was going to die of excitement when I heard Ryan start pounding out the drum intro. For those who haven't paid attention to my posts in the last 5 months, Deconstruction is my favorite album ever. I could barely find the energy to headbang because I was trying to absorb every single note. During the quiet part in the middle, some guys were yelling, and Devin just screamed out "STOP TALKING" right in the middle of singing. He wasn't actually angry or anything, but I laughed my ass off regardless.
Juular: The video was playing on the screen, so seeing the best music video ever created while seeing my favorite musician play the song live was incredible.
Disruptr: This song absolutely blew me away. The atmosphere was something I've never experienced at a live show before. Of course, the build-up to the heavy part was one of the most crushing moments of the entire show. Devin totally nailed the operatic yell at the end too, so big props for that.

After he played Numbered! (which was really great, but partially ruined by people moshing), he finally busted out my letter. He called me "Fuzzy hair guy", and had me raise my hand for the crowd to acknowledge me. He then went over the brief history of my giving him letters. He said he would read one line of the letter this year, and as predicted, he read "To whom it may concern", and tossed the letter away. I was pretty much laughing hysterically the entire time. He went straight into Deep Peace, and I got to watch in awe as he nailed the solo section once again (It's worth nothing that several times during the show, I had to move out of the way to keep his guitar from hitting me in the face. I've got a few pictures that I haven't transferred over yet, but I'll be sure to get those posted soon.

I can't thank Devin enough for putting up with all my stupid shit. It's a really great thing when someone's music changes your life in such a huge way, and then it turns out he's the nicest guy alive as well. Get back to Cleveland ASAP please.

*LONGASS REVIEW*

Sounds like a fucking awesome time. I wish I were you.

Nice review, Ultimetalhead.

about that "letter"
[youtube]1lUWtlU0Mb4[/youtube]

Awesome review, Ultimetalhead!