What do heavy metal, coffee, beer, and suicide prevention have in common? Last night, Mastodon, Dark Matter Coffee, and Three Floyds Brewing all came together to benefit suicide prevention and mental health awareness non-profit organization Hope For The Day. Fresh off of their guest appearance on this season of Game of Thrones, Grammy-nominated Mastodon headlined the sold out event at the Metro with support from Brain Tentacles and PowerMad (with special guest appearance from Charlie Benante of Anthrax). With tickets priced at $75 for General Admission, $100 for VIP, and $125 for Meet & Greet, I was surprised to arrive to a sold out show. With 100% of the proceeds going to Hope For The Day, the steep ticket prices supported a worthwhile cause.
Opener Brain Tentacles offered a solid set to what appeared to be a surprisingly tame crowd. They ended their set with guest drummer Martin Atkins of Pigface jumping into the audience with his snare drum, tapping out a few beats before leaving the stage. Prior to the headliner, Hope For The Day founder Jonny Boucher took to the stage to announce winners for several raffles.
Mastodon opened their set with “The Last Baron,” the first of five songs off of their album Crack the Skye. The once tame crowd finally began moshing amidst a flood of lasers and lights. The lower level of the Metro transformed into a sea of bearded headbangers. The band played an epic two-hour set, seamlessly transitioning vocals amongst all four members. The set included a performance of one of their newest releases “Steambreather.” The band closed with the song “Crack The Skye” ending the show without an encore. Drummer Brann Dailor shared some heartfelt words about his sister, the inspiration for much of their work with Hope For The Day. The 2009 album Crack The Skye was written as Dailor attempted to process his sister’s suicide after being bullied in school.
The show also included exclusive access to Three Floyds’ Crack The Skye beer a day before public release on September 10th, which is World Suicide Prevention Day. The collaboration brew between Three Floyds, Mastodon, and Dark Matter is a Russian imperial coffee stout named after Mastodon’s 2009 album. The band also collaborated with Dark Matter Coffee a year ago with the release of Crack the Skye coffee blend. The event marked one of several partnerships in the city benefiting Chicago-based Hope For The Day during September, which is National Suicide Prevention Month. For the rest of the month, Chicago’s heavy metal burger joint Kuma’s Corner will donate $1 of every Mastodon burger sold at any location to Hope For The Day.
Mastodon Setlist (courtesy of setlist.fm)
- The Last Baron
- Sultan’s Curse
- Divinations
- Crystal Skull
- Ancient Kingdom
- Colony of Birchmen
- Megalodon
- Andromeda
- The Czar
- Oblivion
- Precious Stones
- Roots Remain
- Chimes at Midnight
- Steambreather
- Mother Puncher
- Crack the Skye