{"id":491801,"date":"2026-10-10T18:42:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-10T18:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/491801\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T18:42:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-10T18:42:11","slug":"review-mastodon-brings-new-album-concert-tour-to-fox-theater-oakland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/491801\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Mastodon brings new album concert tour to Fox Theater Oakland"},"content":{"rendered":"

So much has happened since Mastodon<\/a> last performed in Northern California.<\/p>\n

For one thing, the Atlanta outfit \u2014 which absolutely deserves to be ranked among the Top 5 metal acts in the world today \u2014 is finally back with a new album, \u201cMarrow Deep.\u201d It marks the group\u2019s first offering in five years, ending \u2014 in a very big way \u2014 a streak of studio silence that began after the release of 2021\u2019s \u201cHushed and Grim.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMarrow Deep\u201d serves as an introduction to the band\u2019s new quintet lineup, which now includes guitarist Nick Johnston and keyboardist Jo\u00e3o Nogueira. The latter has been working in the extended Mastodon camp for a number of years, but now \u2014 as an official member \u2014 he can really flex his prog-rock keyboard chops in a way that further strengthens that aspect of the band\u2019s music.<\/p>\n

Even more notable is that this is Mastodon\u2019s first record without original lead guitarist Brent Hinds, who also greatly factored in the band\u2019s multi-vocalist approach. Hinds, an amazing talent, parted ways with the band early last year \u2014 and, judging by the comments he made, not on the best terms. Five months later, Hinds was killed in a traffic collision while riding his motorcycle.<\/p>\n

Hinds was 51.<\/p>\n

All of those factors sat as cards on the table as the 2026 Mastodon \u2014 which also still features the longtime core of drummer-vocalist Brann Dailor, guitarist Bill Kelliher and bassist-vocalist Troy Sanders \u2014 visited the Fox Theater in Oakland on Friday night (Oct. 9).<\/p>\n

Yet, fans would quickly find out during this 18-song set that at least one thing definitely has not changed for the band over the past couple of turbulent years:<\/p>\n

Mastodon can still rock with the best of the business.<\/p>\n

Opening the set with a fiery \u201cBarbarians Blood,\u201d one of five songs from \u201cMarrow Deep\u201d to make the setlist, Mastodon operated not like a band with a proven track record and a well-established fanbase, but rather one that was trying to prove its worth and merit all over again. The five players charged at each and every song like it was a second chance at greatness, knowing how fortunate they are to still be around and playing for passionate fans.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the same vibe one gets throughout \u201cMarrow Deep\u201d \u2014 undoubtedly one of the most overall powerful albums of 2026 \u2014 a work filled with the grief, disbelief and anger felt over losing Hinds (as well as Dailor\u2019s mother earlier that same year). The music is direct, urgent and to the point, coming across as metal that is poignantly \u2014 and, at times, uncomfortably \u2014 heavy.<\/p>\n

\"MetalMetal band Mastodon performs Friday, Oct. 10, at Fox Theater in Oakland. (Jim Harrington\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hinds\u2019 presence was definitely missed \u2014 but I was somewhat surprised that translated more in the vocal department than on the guitar side. Credit that to new addition Johnston, who shared such amazing chemistry with fellow fret man Kelliher (especially on a superb take on \u201cMarch of the Fire Ants\u201d) and delivered countless fine leads throughout the night.<\/p>\n

Nogueira, who just recently joined the fold as an official member but has worked with group since \u201cHushed and Grim,\u201d also made his presence felt in sizable ways. He constantly dressed up the band\u2019s regular brand of thunder in excitingly colorful ways, adding bits of texture and emotion, but also stepped to the forefront to deliver leads that occasionally reminded me of Styx, ELP and other prog-rock champs.<\/p>\n

The group continued to crush its way through the numbers, each of which offered up new musical wrinkles \u2014 a touch of experimental jazz here, a little \u201990s alt-rock there, some thrash, some sludge \u2014 to the sturdy metal base. And, make no mistake, the group was having a blast doing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if you can see the smiles,\u201d Sanders said after a particularly powerful \u201cCrystal Skull.\u201d \u201cBut the five of us are having the time of our lives right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MetalMetal band Mastodon performs at a packed house at Oakland’s Fox Theater Friday, Oct. 10. (Jim Harrington\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Five would become six once guitarist John Baizley, of fellow Georgia metal band Baroness, joined the fray during the second half of the show and added even more fret power to the likes of 13. \u201cCurl of the Burl,\u201d \u201cOblivion,\u201d \u201cThe Czar\u201d and \u201cSultan\u2019s Curse.\u201d<\/p>\n

The group\u2019s performance was enhanced by a wild collection of nightmarish\/comic book graphics shown on a huge video screen in back of the stage as well as a powerfully dramatic light show. The only other \u201cspecial effect\u201d came with the appearance of Cysquatch, a giant furry creature that takes its name from the 2006 \u201cBlood Mountain\u201d song \u201cCircle of Cysquatch\u201d and looks somewhat like Sulley from \u201cMonsters, Inc.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mastodon appeared to be hitting its peak by the time it reached \u201cColony of Birchmen,\u201d but then somehow managed to reach an even higher level with the ferocious \u201cBlood and Thunder\u201d that closed out the show.<\/p>\n

\u201cBest night of the tour,\u201d Sanders remarked to the crowd. \u201cWe mean it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou guys have not forgotten how to have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"MetalMetal band Mastodon performs Friday, Oct. 11, at Fox Theater in Oakland. (Jim Harrington\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Setlist:<\/p>\n

1. \u201cBarbarians Blood\u201d
2. \u201cMarch of the Fire Ants\u201d
3. \u201cCrystal Skull\u201d
4. \u201cBlack Tongue\u201d
5. \u201cMegalodon\u201d
6. \u201cIn the Ruins\u201d
7. \u201cMore Than I Could Chew\u201d
8. \u201cYour Ghost Again\u201d
9. \u201cMother Puncher\u201d
10. \u201cSteambreather\u201d
11. \u201cPoisonous Weapons\u201d
12. \u201cSnakes for Dinner\u201d
13. \u201cCurl of the Burl\u201d
14. \u201cOblivion\u201d
15. \u201cThe Czar\u201d
16. \u201cSultan\u2019s Curse\u201d
17. \u201cColony of Birchmen\u201d
18. \u201cBlood and Thunder\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Atlanta,Atlanta, Georgia, metal band Mastodon performs Friday, Oct. 10, at Fox Theater in Oakland. (Jim Harrington\/Bay Area News Group)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Metal band Mastodon performs Friday, Oct. 11., at Oakland\u2019s Fox Theater. (Jim Harrington\/Bay Area News Group)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"So much has happened since Mastodon last performed in Northern California. For one thing, the Atlanta outfit \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":491802,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[389,184,7,2644,8520,332,1533,181,330,3743,143,145,144,8257,8258,94685,420],"class_list":["post-491801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-alameda-county","tag-bay-area","tag-california","tag-concerts","tag-downtown-oakland","tag-east-bay","tag-keywee","tag-latest-headlines","tag-music","tag-nightlife","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-pop-music","tag-rock-music","tag-social-alert","tag-things-to-do"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=491801"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491801\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/491802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=491801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=491801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=491801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}