Vancouver BC @ PNE Forum, 4/15
Seattle WA @ Paramount Theater, 4/16
When announcing their reunion in 2009, Faith No More described themselves as “… some sort of unique beast: part dog, part cat—its music almost as schizophrenic as the personalities of its members.”
Indeed, there is something very special about Faith No More. When these five human beings get together they create beautiful, challenging, and interesting music that defies categorization. Not only is the band responsible for some of the more notable rock singles of the early 1990s (“Epic,” “From Out of Nowhere”), individual members have been recognized as prolific and diverse talents in their own right, producing avant-garde music, operas, even Hollywood film scores.
Canadians have not seen the likes of Faith No More for the better part of 18 years. Vancouver was the band’s only stop this side of the border on the Album of the Year tour, mere months before the band’s break-up in 1998. In 2015, Vancouverites could once again count themselves lucky: Their city had been chosen for the kick-off of Faith No More’s North American tour in support of the forthcoming album, Sol Invictus (May 19, Reclamation/Ipecac).
I’ve been a Faith No More fan since a copy of Angel Dust appeared under the Christmas tree in 1992 and have internalized the band’s music over the better part of a lifetime. I missed the reunion shows, waiting out a Canadian date that never materialized, and had resigned myself to the fact that I would never see the band perform live.
Even after the Sol Invictus tour was announced and my travel plans were set, the significance of what was about to happen didn’t sink in. My brain could not compute the fact that Faith No More was alive and well, touring, and that I would be there for not one, but two shows. This mindset allowed me to go into the show with zero expectations for how events would unfold.
I arrived in the early afternoon April 15 at the PNE Forum grounds, where a dozen fans had gathered in hopes of meeting the band. Some had flown in from as far as Toronto and New York to be there. Others had driven several hours, from the United States and the B.C. Interior, just to take in the show. They were rewarded by an autograph session with drummer Mike “Puffy” Bordin and bassist Billy Gould, and a few words about the forthcoming album.
Closer to show time, they were joined by 4,000 fans on the floor of the PNE Forum. The sold-out crowd was remarkably consistent in age. Most fans I spoke to described themselves as discovering The Real Thing during high school. Many had seen Patton or Faith No More before, but some were FNM virgins and anxiously anticipating the evening’s events. Little was known about what the band had planned, and with a new tour there is always the possibility of a new set or a few surprises.
Christeene
The opening act for both Vancouver and Seattle was CHRISTEENE, a self-described drag terrorist from Austin, TX. Carried by her two back-up dancers, Christeene’s arrival on stage was marked by the release of a rainbow assortment of helium balloons into the air, anchored by a butt plug.
Dressed in a matted black wig, ripped clothing, ass-less underwear, press-on nails and smeared in greasepaint, Christeene rapped and danced through various forms of undress to songs like “Fix my Dick” and “Bigshot.” The trio put on a raw, depraved and well-choreographed performance that brought aggression and humour in equal parts. The performance left some in the audience stunned, others laughing and cheering (anecdotally, Christeene’s performance seemed to be the biggest hit among the Mr. Bungle fans in the room).
Christeene
It would be a mistake to dismiss Christeene as mere shock value. Through her performance Christeene confronts celebrity, popular culture, and heteronormativity. There was a strong undercurrent of social commentary in her comments to the audience—from our inability to unplug from our smart phones and televisions, to the times we lost ourselves in the woods as children and the loss of those experiences today. While Christeene’s initial performance in Vancouver left me a bit dazed, the Seattle show was highly entertaining, and by the end I came to appreciate her unique performance art.
FAITH NO MORE warmed up for the North American tour in February, when they played a handful of dates in Australia and Japan. Those shows saw the unveiling of a new stage design: A whitewashed backdrop, with amp stacks, floor and monitors shrouded in white linen, the front and sides of the stage lined with tall and colourful flowers.
When the band opened the set with “Motherfucker,” each member appeared on-stage, one by one, clad in white from head to toe. Rather than being clinical, the design gave the band a feeling of lightness, perhaps representing the tabla rasa that is the current state of the band.
Prior shows have seen singer Mike Patton donning a hairnet, face mask, latex gloves or religious paraphernalia during the opening song. In Vancouver, he wore horn-rimmed glasses, which quickly came off as the band launched into an adrenaline-fuelled performance of “Land of Sunshine” and “Caffeine.”
Did the band live up to the hype and the anticipation of the thousands of fans in the room? Abso-motherfucking-lutely. If the band was feeling any pressure, they didn’t show it. And they certainly did not perform as though it was opening night—it was clear from the get-go that Faith No More had already hit their stride.
Patton was bounding, gesturing, squatting, roving in circles, lunging forward and backward, conducting the flow of the music and punctuating well-trodden songs like “Midlife Crisis” and “King for a Day” with looped vocal samples, bullhorns and other vocal distortions controlled from a small station at the centre of the stage.
Keyboardist Roddy Bottum served as the narrator and voice of the show, while Patton engaged the crowd in random stage banter throughout: “Why are Canadians so nice?” “How are you feeling? Thumbs up or thumbs down?” “Was that song OK for you?” In Seattle, he solicited a cigarette to accessorize his rendition of “Easy” and high-fived a crowd-surfing wheelchair.
Patton is the focal point on stage, not just because of these antics but because of his awe-inspiring and dynamic vocal performance. In both Vancouver and Seattle his vocals were spot-on, from screeches and growls to beautiful clear high notes complete with vibrato, all within the same song. He hit virtually every note (the only exception being the harmonies for the world premiere performance of title track “Sol Invictus” in Vancouver, but all is forgiven) and it was a pleasure to hear him deliver on his full vocal range in a live, two-hour plus show.
The band seemed to gain steam as the night wore on, feeding off the fans and the sheer enjoyment of playing music together. The band’s best technical performances of the night were found in the most intense King for a Day tracks, including “Cuckoo for Caca” and “Digging the Grave.” But the crowd seemed to react most strongly to the two tracks from Album of the Year played in both Vancouver and Seattle (“Last Cup of Sorrow” and “Ashes to Ashes”).
The new material was a welcome addition to the set. There was also a notable energy and engagement to the band’s performances of “Superhero” and “Sunny Side Up.” It has been said that the band is 100% behind the new project, unlike previous albums where there has been some division between members. It shows in the performance.
Both nights got a little something special. The Seattle show featured a tribute to former guitarist Jim Martin (a special performance of “Mark Bowen”) while the Vancouver show got a second encore featuring the world premiere of “From the Dead.” Of the two nights, I would say the Vancouver performance had the edge, but everyone in Seattle seemed to have more fun.
While the current incarnation of Faith No More is firing on all cylinders, by their own admission they face an uncertain future. I am happy that the ride has lasted long enough to allow me the opportunity to see Faith No More play, for them to release new music, and that by all accounts the band is in a good place
If you are a Faith No More fan, or have ever been, do not hesitate to make your way to one of these shows. A word of warning, however: You may find that once is not enough.
Set list – Vancouver BC 4/15 (as posted to Last.fm)
Motherfucker
Land of Sunshine
Caffeine
Ricochet
Evidence
Epic
Sunny Side Up
Get Out
Midlife Crisis
Last Cup of Sorrow
The Gentle Art of Making Enemies
Easy
Cuckoo for Caca
King for a Day
Ashes to Ashes
Superhero
First Encore:
Sol Invictus (Live debut)
We Care a Lot
Digging the Grave
Second Encore:
From the Dead (Live debut)
Set list: Seattle WA 4/16 (as posted to Last.fm)
Motherfucker
Land of Sunshine
Caffeine
Ricochet
Evidence
Epic
Sunny Side Up
Get Out
Midlife Crisis
Last Cup of Sorrow
The Gentle Art of Making Enemies
Easy
Spirit
King for a Day
Ashes to Ashes
Superhero
Encore:
This Guy’s in Love with You
Cone of Shame
Mark Bowen
