Dillinger Escape Plan played Webster Hall and LA on final tour (LA review)

November 2, 2016

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Mathcore greats The Dillinger Escape Plan brought their big, supposedly “final” tour to Los Angeles for Halloween weekend, playing The Regent on October 30 with support from O’Brother, Cult Leader and Entheos.

I was disappointed to get there after Cult Leader finished up their set, but I did catch fellow tour openers O’Brother. They played an effective, melodic, loud-quiet-loud type of post-metal inflected sludge, and the crowd, who was already completely packed in, were very into it. It served as something of a calmer, clearer palate-cleanser before DEP took the stage.

Few bands have the ability to incite true chaos like the Dillinger Escape Plan, and the fact that this is supposedly their final run of shows seemed to bring out even a little extra in the crowd. The sold-out show was absolutely packed — like, no room to move anywhere in the venue packed — and people just lose their goddamn minds over this band. And I can hardly blame them. While Dillinger’s discography can be a decidedly mixed bag, as a live band they leave nothing whatsoever on the table. Their mix of precision and fury is basically unparalleled, and the madness it inspires is truly something to behold.

As they ripped through an efficient, fire-breathing (literally) set of classics and some new material (from the recent Dissociation), I would say the crowd averaged between 10 and 15 stage-dives per song. That’s pretty staggering, as is the amount of energy expended by these 5 dudes as they race around the stage without a seeming care for their physical safety. Individually the components here are totally on-point. Greg Puciato has extremely impressive pipes — the way in which his piercing screams complement and cut through the frenetic instrumentalism is so critical to this band. Ben Weinman is as skilled and energetic as anyone could reasonably expect a guitarist to be. Drummer Billy Rymer defies logic.

Basically, and as we all know, these guys are unbelievable performers. I can’t think of a live show I’ve been to in the past year with quite the same atmosphere, and that I can say this about a band that’s been so uncompromisingly wonky and aggressive over the years is just a credit to the unique talent involved. They’ll be missed greatly.

While DEP already hit NYC on the current tour, playing Webster Hall on October 15, they’ll be back in the area for a Long Island show at The Paramount on November 18. Tickets for that are still on sale.

Check out some more pics from both the LA and NYC shows below.