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Rating: On Wednesday, September 14, I attended a concert that wasn’t just a concert, but something more! I have always appreciated the Black Angels, but until the concert, I considered them a mid-level band with a lot of good ideas, but they never thrilled me. However, when I was able to take part in that great psychedelic experience that their performance was, I realized that Alex Maas and company are one of the best bands around today, and definitely one of the best psychedelic bands in history.
I was thrilled by Maas's slow movements, his beard, and his legendary hat; I loved the apparent calm of Nate Ryan, a highly skilled guitarist, whose expression might make one think he is out of this world, but he is perhaps the most present and deeply absorbed in the music among the band members. Stephanie Bailey is simply fantastic on drums (and also physically, but that might not be very relevant). I have no words to define Christian Bland (guitar and bass) and Kyle Hunt (keyboards, guitar, and bass). Carried away by the notes of their songs (they performed almost all the tracks from "Phosphene Dream," plus other pieces, including the classic "Bloodhounds On My Trail" and "Young Men Dead"), we experienced more than spiritual, more than mental emotions.
At the end of the concert, it took me a few minutes to understand what had just happened to me, given the power of this band, which doesn’t speak to the audience and performs the pieces one after another, without substantial interruptions, only a “Grazie” (in Italian) after the very first song. At the moment of farewells, amidst the general composure, the only one to break this veneer of "officiality" was Hunt, who raised his index and middle fingers in the now worn-out sign of “Peace&Love” which, done by him, seems fresher and more meaningful.
Final judgment: 10, if not 11.
Therefore, I recommend anyone who hasn’t yet succeeded to attend a Black Angels concert, also because they come to Italy at least once a year (they generally consider the European audience better than the American one)!
Curiosity: the band doesn't have a permanent bassist: the instrument changes hands, song by song, between Maas, Ryan, and Hunt, and Bland has his own (in fact, he is left-handed).
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