Avatar brings their “Avatar Country” tour to Vegas!
The Swedish metal guys in Avatar returned to Vegas this last weekend, June 15th, 2019 to the House of Blues. And with them they brought the loud and dramatic duo that is 68, the synth wave, rock infused dance club music makers of Dance with the Dead; and seasoned artist/comedian, Devin Townsend.
68
68 kicks off the night with a fun, aggressive, fast paced set that sets the tone pretty well. The Georgia duo is a mostly simple act, but they draw you in with their light comedic commentary and praise of those who came out early to see them. The music is, as I mentioned, aggressive and loud. But it left a smile on my face. The highlights of the set include the thanking of Avatar, and the suggestion that, “If you’re in a band, you should definitely go on tour with Avatar.” Which, the crowd and myself found pretty funny. They ended their set with the guitarist taking down their equipment as the drummer was finishing out the song. Giggles were heard all around, and the crowd applauded at the very end. I hope to see these guys back in Vegas in the future.
Dance with the Dead
I was a little confused by Dance with the Dead to be honest. I really dug the large skull and smoke placed in the very center of the stage. Despite my confusion, I didn’t mind their metal guitar work mixed with their use of synthesisers and electronic music. They play a really neat song which mixes Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” into it, and the crowd seemed pleased overall as well. I almost felt like I was in a gothic or industrial based nightclub, (even though.. I don’t know what that is. It just seemed like it fit.) I can’t say whether or not I’d see these guys again, but if they happen to land any future bills that I’m attending, I’ll surely listen and bob my head!
Devin Townsend
Next up was the crazy man that is Devin Townsend. (Strapping Young Lad, The Devin Townsend Band, Devin Townsend Project) It was right at this point that I realized just how much of a varied genre event this show was. Devin started out his set with a number of humorous comments about the fact that he was wearing all denim. Tour antics with the rest of the bands led him to this specific attire.
Devin played on stage by himself with an acoustic guitar, so there was a certain kind of energy that came with that. With how funny this guy is on stage, you’d almost think that he should be just performing comedy. He’s definitely got a punch that makes the crowd happy! Every few songs there were jokes that just rolled so naturally and that were SO funny. This veteran of the music industry is never a disappointment live, so if you’ve never heard of him, check him out. And if you have heard of him, go see him!
Avatar Country!
Avatar is one of those bands that dive heavily into their stories. They create an almost unreal experience for those in the crowds at their shows. It had been a couple years since I’d seen them perform. The previous time they were on an opener spot. With this show being a headliner performance, the atmosphere and stage set up was much more dramatic and seemed to have evolved. This seems like a goal for them, where they’re always evolving and embracing new ideas and change. I respect the hell out of that.
The entire show was filled with a flashing lights and a type of energy that was really hard to walk away from at the end of the night. Have you ever went to go check out a band, and ended up staying longer than you expected because they were just too good to not keep watching? This is exactly how I feel about these guys. They maintain their death metal roots and blend groovy/thrashy/industrial like sounds and it’s just something really special. Add in the really amazing interaction that they have with the crowd, and you get this full on experience that you don’t get all the time. I have zero complaints about their set! They are easily a group of performers than can be enjoyed by fans of all kinds of rock and metal alike.
They’ll be BACK!
Avatar returns to the House of Blues stage in the fall. They will be opening for Babymetal, and trust me. You won’t want to miss them!
For all Avatar related things, head on over to https://avatarmetal.com/
Check out some of Avatar’s top tracks on the Spotify playlist below!
Live photos by Courtney Ware for ZrockR Magazine 2019, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.