Opeth at ROMT

On Saturday, we finally took full advantage of an opportunity to see Opeth at the Royal Oak Music Theater. It should be mentioned that this venue has hosted some of our favorite concert experiences. Whether it's their size, the elegance of the atmosphere, or the people who tend to attend, we don't know, but we have had many a good time here.

We missed them on their last pass through the state, and have regretted it since. We hope they make plans to return soon.

Graveyard

The opening band was Graveyard, which was an excellent choice. They, too, have a rich variety of sounds, with a strong blues element fused into their heavy, occasionally Soundgarden-esque sound. While previewing them on the day of the show, our first thoughts were that they bore a resemblance to Deep Purple and Motӧrhead with a whisper of Greta Van Fleet and Bad Company.We had checked them out previously, but hadn't really given them a full listen, as happens when you're chasing a particular flavor of sound and aren't really ready for some of the things you encounter along the way. This made their set a pleasant surprise, and earned them some new fans. They warmed up the atmosphere and left us wanting more.

Opeth

Opeth began with the opening track from their new album, In Cauda Venenum, perfectly fitting for the tour in its support. They played a range of material that satisfied both older and newer fans, and also took a handful of requests. Midway through the show, Mikael Åkerfeldt announced that he was ill, and had come very close to canceling, so we felt extremely lucky that he'd chosen to perform. Of course, we hope that touring musicians make their choices in such a way that respects their own health. We'd much rather they cancel when necessary than risk permanent damage to their voice by trying to soldier on regardless. Still, we extend our thanks to him. In spite of his challenges, this remained one of the best shows we've seen in our 30+ years of concertgoing. Everyone put forth their best effort, and it was evident that they were enjoying playing the songs they'd selected for us. You could feel their emotional participation in the music's energy. Their stage show didn't overpower their music, but the background screen and foreground screens brought us through rain, snow, the eruption of flames, and toured the cosmos. It was such an adventure that it felt more like what another audience member described was practically a, "religious experience." While that's not terminology that we'd use, it did feel like the only thing missing was Carl Sagan.

Thanks to Mike Hartigan for sharing this on Youtube.