The Dillinger Escape Plan Unleashe a Glorious Assault of Brutal Chaos on Austin (SHOW REVIEW)

Last Saturday night at the Mohawk in Austin, the Dillinger Escape Plan appeared to close out their career the way it began: on the floor, surrounded by a horde of screaming maniacs grabbing at clothes, skin, guitars, and microphones. The raucous math rockers announced this run of shows would be their last around the time they released their latest record, Dissociation, late last year. The farewell tour won’t conclude for some time (a European leg starts soon), but this presented likely the final opportunity for fans in Texas to see the band in all their insane glory.

The tour itself has been marred by difficulties since it began, with a bus accident forcing Dillinger to reschedule those aforementioned European dates earlier this year and the tragic suicide of Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell (whom they paid tribute to with a brief interlude of Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage”) nixing Dillinger’s opening run for that band. Still, Dillinger has persevered, refusing to cancel their lone headlining date in the Lone Star State.

Solid opening sets from San Antonio’s Illustrations and Austin’s own American Sharks primed the sold out crowd. In particular, American Sharks’ brand of stoner garage metal seemed to resonate heavily with the audience. While presenting a very different style of metal than the spastic Dillinger, American Sharks have recently been proving themselves a formidable live force, opening for other metal legends like Sleep and holding their own.

As soon as the brutal attack of Dillinger’s classic “Panasonic Youth” started things off, the amped up audience lost their fucking minds. It didn’t take long before crowd and band members were both jumping off stages, drum risers, and speakers. Guitarist Ben Weinman and vocalist Greg Puciato took turns climbing the balconies and even the awning which covered the outdoor stage and diving off into the waiting arms of their adoring fans.

After the show, Dillinger posted on their official Facebook page that they thought “nothing could be better than the last time (second to last time now) we were at the Mohawk, but this time was something else.” Truly, somehow they topped the ridiculous energy and stellar performance of that previous 2013 date in spades. This final Austin show could have been one of their greatest performances ever, if Dillinger didn’t seem to top themselves every single night.

By the end of the show, half the attendees had taken the stage with the band for an encore of early Dillinger fan favorites “The Mullet Burden,” “Sunshine the Werewolf,” and “43% Burnt.” The madness took over and chaos reigned. Staring down retirement, the Dillinger Escape Plan are riding off into the sunset at their absolute peak, like a Super Bowl MVP announcing their retirement after hoisting the Lombardi.

The Dillinger Escape Plan Setlist Mohawk, Austin, TX, USA 2017

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