If Mr. Rogers had been at the Stone Pony on May 20th, he might have been heard to ask (as the paramedics strapped an oxygen mask on him and wheeled him out the door), "Can you say sensory overload?"
Yes I can - Monster Magnet. Even before they took the stage, the air was charged with nervous anticipation. The feeling was palpable; it was like the calm before the first sky-splitting peal of thunder signaling a monstrous electrical storm. Rather than run for cover though, the crowd eagerly embraced the torrent of sound that followed.
From the very first chord, Jon Kleiman's insistent percussion, the tandem crunch of Ed Mundell's guitar and Jow Calandra's bass, and Dave Wyndorf's raspy vocals awakened primal urges in everyone and gave the impression of barely-restrained power.
About halfway through the show the enthusiastic crowd hoisted one lucky (unlucky?) fan up in the air and tossed him on stage, knocking out a monitor and most of the guitar and vocals as well. The problem was remedied within a minute, and the restored sound only served to re-emphasize how full and textured their music is.
For some people the highlight of the show was the battery of drums reminiscent of a stampede in "Elephant Bell" (from their first A&M album Superjudge);for others, it was the gripping bump and grind of "Nod Scene" (my personal favorite from their Caroline release, Spine of God);and everyone got off on the healthy sampling of tunes from their latest venture Dopes to Infinity. With the help of visuals engineered by Tim Cronin, Monster Magnet was our guide for a planet-stomping trip through the cosmos.
However, we had to land sometime. They closed the show with "Vertigo" from the new release. Appropriately, too, because when it ended, it felt as if the music had been pulled out from under us and we were falling.
This was, without a doubt, one of the best shows I've ever seen. I'll leave you with a quote from their single, "Negasonic Teenage Warhead": "I was born and raised on Venus, and I may be here awhile." I certainly hope so.
