ISIS - Live at The Troubadour with Big Business, 27 [11/20/07]

It was November 20 2007, and I was preparing to leave my 'Joe vs the Volcano' office space and head out to the Troubadour for a show that I’d been psyched about for some time. As I headed up surface streets through the plastic landscape known as Beverly Hills, I began to think about all the times I’d seen ISIS perform from Boston to LA. I tried to rate which one was my favorite (the free outdoor show at MOCA in downtown LA quickly came to mind) however it was too hard to pick just one.

I refrained myself from searching the net before the show to see what the set list may be in an attempt to maintain an element of surprise. 27 and Big Business were the fluffers for the evening. Initially I was more pumped to catch Big Business live since I had only seen them once before. I thought I knew what to expect when it came to an ISIS show: mostly tunes from the most recent album peppered with two or three from an older one here and there. Little did I know that the my hopes for a career spanning setlist would soon be a reality!

The night seemed to be going smoothly as I arrived early enough to find a free parking spot directly across from the venue, avoiding the annoying $7-or-so parking fee normally associated with West Hollywood shows. I made it through the doors during the first song of of 27’s set. The sound I walked in to instantly made me feel as if I was in some dark spaghetti western.

I was digging what I was hearing. It was an overall dark melodic minimalist sound that created space and beauty at the same time. Vocalist Maria Christopher’s voice was so familiar to me but I couldn’t quite place it, and she had this calm image when singing that kept my attention.

Towards the end of their set, the members of 27 revealed a special tribute to the headliners. Each of the four members where wearing shirts that displayed an 'I' or an 'S', and soon you could hear the crowd chuckle slightly as the word 'ISIS' was clearly displayed. After they finished, I felt very fortunate to have seen them-- it's always nice when you come with no expectations and leave pleasantly surprised.

Big Business popped up on stage as the place was beginning to fill up and my armpits were beginning to sweat (but not stink!). The last time I had caught Big Business, I was blown away by their ability to feel the vibe of the crowd and, in return, give one hell of a show.

This time I was ready to throw down: I had been jamming their latest LP, Here Come The Water Works, since its release earlier this year, as well as always throwing a few Head for the Shallow tracks on my recent “Amazing Road Trip Jam Mixes.”

As soon as I heard the cable connect to the amp and the pleasant hum of a distorted bass about to blow up in my face, I almost shat myself. Within seconds, the catchiest bass riffs and the fury of the drums busted out of the speakers and into my fist, which was straight up in the air (alright, that was a little cheesy but Big Business puts a twinkle in my eye).

I won’t name drop all the tunes they did, but let’s just say the new album was well-covered and the only older tune that was graced upon was "Easter Romantic." I couldn’t help but notice an annoying, overdriven feedback between songs, which also annoyed the band but didn’t damper their mood a bit. In fact, it became unlikely inspiration for the improv part during the middle of "Easter Romantic."

Needless to say I laughed, I cried, I pissed my pants. Never miss this band if you have a chance to see them live. NEVER!

[ISIS - photo credit]

After Big Business, I managed to get access to the tiny upper balcony over the Troubadour’s entrance, which was lucky because by this time the place was packed. Now I could see the entire band, audience, and other balcony and at this point regretted not having a camera. As the lights dimmed, I got that slightly chill-bump feeling across my skin. ISIS at last!

They dropped into the first crushing note and suddenly the packed crowd became a single moving head-bang. I love this shit!, I thought, grinning from ear to ear.

As it was ISIS' 10th Anniversary show, I was hoping for some oldies-but-goodies. Recently, most of their tours have featured setlists laden with tunes from the relevant latest album, followed by maybe a handful of older tracks. Needless to say, my main hopes for this show were for ISIS to give me a tour-- so to speak-- of their impressive repertoire.

[ISIS - photo credit]

They started off from the brutal, sludgy beginnings and ended with the trademark epic onslaught that they have come to develop. They touched on each album/EP from the archives of awesomeness. The sound was amazing, the crowd was into it (which is a rare thing in jaded Hollywood), and the band was feeding off their energy.

They broke into "Carry" and, as Maria Christopher of 27 returned to the stage, I quickly realized why her voice sounded so familiar. Maria, as well as 27 guitarist Ayal Naor, collaborated with ISIS on their Oceanic LP.

As ISIS ended their set I could clearly tell this crowd wasn’t going anywhere. Quickly beckoned back by popular demand, ISIS returned to perform “Red Sea” and, joined once again by Maria and Ayal, they finished out with “Weight”.

It was by far the best ISIS show I’d seen in the past two or three years. As I returned to my perfect free parking space, I had a smile on my face and ringing in my ears. I could only hope that future ISIS setlists would contain as many pleasant surprises as that night's.

[MP3] ISIS - "From Sinking"
[MP3] [via] Big Business - "Just as the Day was Dawning"
[MP3] [via] 27 - "Brighter Days"

ISIS [MySpace] [MP3]
In the Absence of Truth [Amazon] [iTunes]