On Monday night (10/21), the Melvins and Redd Kross brought the eclectic Escape From L.A. Tour to the Social in Orlando, Florida. With strikingly different but complementary acts, the bands brought the kaleidoscope of musical influences to a near-capacity crowd, with a bit of something for everyone.
Opening the night was solo artist Toshi Kasai, who played a 20-minute session of droning ambient noise, his programmed soundscapes mirrored by laser images projected onto a screen. It was an odd opening for a rock show, more about atmospherics than riffs or beats, but it fit with a Melvins show simply because it was too odd to make logical sense.
The California quartet Redd Kross followed with a deep set of up-tempo alternative rock. Anchored by the Melvins’ Dale Crover on drums and Steve McDonald on bass, the band tore through an energetic performance of songs from the band’s 37-year history. Though songs from each of the band’s albums were featured, this year’s Beyond the Door got the biggest focus, with five songs played. McDonald and his brother, guitarist Jeff McDonald, shared lead vocal duties while romping through the band’s repertoire of classic rock and punk-influenced power pop. Highlights included a rocking cover of the Beatles’ “It Won’t Be Long” and the set-closing medley of “Linda Blair” and “Annette’s Got the Hits,” the latter of which showed the band at its heaviest. Redd Kross’s inspired performance was full of catchy guitar riffs, hummable melodies, and sing-along choruses, things that would be in short supply during the next act’s performance.
After a short break, Crover and Steve McDonald retook the stage flanked by guitarist Buzz Osbourne. Seattle rock icons The Melvins powered through a heavy and experimental set of the band’s iconic music that influenced countless grunge and sludge metal bands. Lacking sing-along choruses or any discernible melody, the Melvins wowed the crowd with its unique rhythms, dynamic structures, and unpredictable experimentalism. Set opener “Sesame Street Meat” showed the band’s penchant for mid-tempo, sludgy riffs on down-tuned instruments, but that song quickly transitioned into the fast riff-heavy “Kicking Machine.” Crover was impressive, furiously pounding out odd rhythms that shifted frequently mid-song, all while singing backing vocals. Osbourne was equally impressive, shouting out his guttural scream while laying down off-kilter rhythms and spacey solos.
The Melvins played songs from eleven albums spanning the storied band’s 36-year history in addition to a cover of Malfunkshun’s “With Yo’ Heart (Not Yo’ Hands)” and Redd Kross’s “Charlie,” on which McDonald took over lead vocals. After an inspired performance of “Civilized Worm” that put the recorded version to shame, the trio powered through “Hooch,” a slow trudging song that exploded into a furious headbanger in perfect Melvins fashion. Toward the end of the set, the Melvins unleashed one of its best head-banging anthems, “The Bit,” a dynamic powerhouse of a song that is built around start-stop rhythms, dynamic tempo shifts, and mean, growling riffs. To close the set, the band brought the rest of Redd Kross onstage for a lively rendition of “With Teeth,” a slow-burning song that began with a slow, trudging rhythm while gradually picking up speed and ending with fast, palm-muted riffing bordering on thrash metal. From the eclectic sludgy rock of the Melvins to the sing-along alt-pop of Redd Kross, the night was full of dynamic alternative music from some of the founders of the scenes.
