The Crowded & Sweaty Experience of Black Mountain at Glasslands
Standing there in the crowd, I felt weak. I wasnt sure how much longer I could last. It was packed to full capacity and unbearably hot. I was being pushed from all sides by people trying to squeeze through. These people who squeezed through never seemed quite happy with their position, pushing back and forth through the crowd every five minutes. Who were these assholes and where were they going? Surely there was no logical reason for making this unpleasant situation any less comfortable.
Why was I putting myself through something so excruciatingly bothersome? Because Black Mountain was to soon take the stage at the small Brooklyn art space, Glasslands. Not many bands could have kept me waiting through this. And kept us waiting they did, seeming to take their sweet time setting up. Sure Id seem them before, but not since the unearthing of their new record In The Future. I was dying to see this explosive new material live, as it had been playing to steadily on my ipod for weeks. Not only is In The Future great, but its arguably the best record released so far this year.
When the band finally started playing, the discomfort settled, and the haunting Night Walks took command of everyone in the room, before the band launched an all out rock & roll assault on the place. Taking their cues from classic rock bands like Zeppelin, Floyd and Sabbath, at their best Black Mountain rock just as well as anyone has ever rocked. And as hot and crowded as it was last night, they still couldnt have been better.