I’m going to hazard a guess that during yesterday’s music-packed evening in D.C., the only show that could rival Peter Brötzmann’s trio in intensity was The Dillinger Escape Plan at Rock & Roll Hotel. If you’ve seen DEP before or you read my writeup of their Baltimore show this past Feburary, you know the drill.

R&R Hotel had a few security guys lined up in front of the stage to try to keep control. I asked one of them if they knew what they were in for. “Oh yeah, we know all about it,” came the confident reply. The thick padding taped over the venue’s giant wall mirrors, and the ceiling above the stage, seemed to confirm this, but the “NO STAGE DIVING / NO CROWDSURFING” signs posted everywhere were overly optimistic.

Photos and a few more thoughts after the jump. Full gallery here.

Read More “Photos: The Dillinger Escape Plan @ Rock & Roll Hotel” »

The first track on The Dillinger Escape Plan’s latest album is called “Fix Your Face.” This title likely refers to what anyone who attends their concerts will need to do at some point during the set. For instance, myself: about three-quarters of the way through DEP’s insanely intense show at the Ottobar last night, guitarist Ben Weinman kicked me square in the nose while doing one of his spin/jump/stagedive moves. I’m surprised it only happened once. With crowd surfers, stage divers, Weinman, and vocalist Greg Puciato flying over my head all night, emerging unscathed was a minor miracle.

If you’ve never seen DEP live, well, go check them out on YouTube, because even if you’re not into their dissonant, mathy brand of metal, you’ve gotta respect a band that spazzes out as completely as this one does the instant it hits the stage. (Relatively tame example: this one.) I will never understand how they—Weinman in particular—can be human pinballs all night while still nailing every single crazy time change and off-kilter riff in their twisting compositions.

Read More “Photos: The Dillinger Escape Plan @ Ottobar” »