“Will you listen?” Sleep Token frontman Vessel sings, his voice ringing out through the Oakland Arena during the intro of “‘Look to Windward.”’ As the song reaches its heavy metal drop, a large curtain obscuring the stage is dropped, unveiling an elaborate set and the masked musicians who populate it.
Riding the heels of the band’s most recent album “Even in Arcadia,” which debuted at No. 1 one on the Billboard 200, the band has embarked on its largest U.S. tour to date, headlining sold-out arenas coast to coast.
The setlist included top tracks from “Even in Arcadia,” including singles “Emergence,” “Caramel” and “Damocles.” As well as other songs from the album and additional highlights from the band’s past albums and EPs such as mainstays “Hypnosis,” “The Summoning” and “The Offering.”
Sleep Token’s live musicianship is among the best in the world, able to perform even the most complex songs from its discography with near-perfect precision.
The band’s drummer, known simply as II, stood out delivering a blistering drum solo during “The Summoning.” His precision, technical prowess and ability to consistently perform the band’s most complex songs and solos night after night have has earned him worldwide acclaim.
Anonymous frontman Vessel also showcased a high degree of musical ability, with vocals ranging from soaring highs to warm baritone melodies and even black-metal-inspired screams.
During “Provider,” “Rain,” and “Aqua regia” he moved center-stage keyboard playing piano lines, and even donned a guitar to play along with guitarist IV during the outro of “Infinite Baths,” the final song in the set.
A standout moment of the night was “Provider,” when the band was joined by a saxophonist who had played the outro of “Emergence” earlier in the set.
The saxophonist jammed along, adding a new musical element to an already popular song, taking the performance to a new level and was met with thunderous applause.
The Oakland show marked the first time the band included saxophone in “Provider”.
No concert is complete without fans, and the Sleep Token community did not disappoint. With fans lining up as early as noon – six hours before venue doors opened, the devotion of Sleep Token fans is second to none.
The fans were as kind as they were devoted. Cosplayers dressed as Vessel mingled with concertgoers handing out friendship bracelets and goodie bags, creating a warm and welcoming environment.
A fan group known as Projekt Atlantic handed out orange and purple colored stickers for fans to place over their phone flashlights to create a sea of colors during “Damocles” as a way of expressing gratitude to Vessel and the band.
The stage the band occupies is every bit as impressive as the music they play.
Modeled to look like a large rocky grotto, the stage features Roman archways, alcoves for the musicians to play in spanning four stories of elevation, and even a central water feature flowing over the band’s illuminated logo.
Rating: 5/5
