In The Loop Magazine Live Review: Mastodon Bring The Poisonous Weapon Tour To The Riviera Theatre

Live Review: Mastodon Bring The Poisonous Weapon Tour To The Riviera Theatre

Oct 06, 2026 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

By Aldo Blanco,

Stepping into the photo pit at Chicago’s historic Riviera Theatre this past Friday night carried a gravity that reached far beyond the setlist. It was a long-awaited return to being grounded in what I love: the electric pulse of live shows and the craft of capturing the moment. Mastodon allowed me to put my long-lost trade back to work while being able to rock on. The homecoming was amplified by the energy filling the room. From the first set to the last, the theatre was packed with people taking in the moment. What caught my eye was the lack of phones in the air and more rock and rollers living in the moment.

The openers, French post-metal pioneers Alcest, proved to be the most laid-back heavy act I have witnessed. With a light show to match, lead singer Neige carried the band’s calm, cool, and collected demeanor on stage.

A wall of sound that enriched the room more than made up for the lack of hyper posturing from his mates. Zero kept the room anchored with his effortless melodic presence on the guitar and warm backing vocals, while Winterhalter provided fluid, unhurried power on the drums.

The collective relaxed presence made their surge of hard energy hit with greater weight. This energy broke the wall of sound with organized blast beats and cathartic shrieks without disrupting their unified composure. By no means was this a dull or boring set. They kept the audience engaged and the energy in the room at a respectable high.

If Alcest was defined by their tranquil composure, Deafheaven was the complete polar opposite. Not wasting a fraction of a second, the band hit the stage with hard, rapid-fire notes and sheer aggressive intensity from the opening chord to the end.

The violent thrashing of frontman George Clarke brought the house to a different level. Clarke’s chaotic dance shifted him from stage right to stage left with no time to blink. His guttural screams were fueled by Kerry McCoy’s blistering guitar riffs and Daniel Tracy’s lightning attack on the drums. Almost instantly, there were bodies in the air as the crowd banged their heads to the organized chaos that is Deafheaven. Where Alcest drifted with patient serenity, Deafheaven attacked the Riviera with pure, unrelenting adrenaline.

With the crowd warmed up and the house packed and ready, Mastodon came on stage to deliver an absolute masterclass in heavy progressive power. Backlit by a massive LED display, led by Troy Sanders, the Atlanta natives hit with precision and heavy machinery.

The swirls of fire from the backdrop flickered with each aggressive rhythm strike by Bill Kelliher. The kick drum from Brann Dailor’s kit popped heads back and forth as the crowd got rowdy. Joining in on the live tour helping out with leads and vocals is John Dyer Baizley.

He tore through intricate leads on his V-style guitar, leaning back into soaring solos that perfectly matched the band’s sheer swagger. The performance culminated in a triumphant sonic assault, cementing a flawless return to the pit.