Swedish powerhouse Meshuggah took to the stage at the Yuengling Center in Tampa Florida to an enthusiastic crowd. Fans erupting into screams not as the band took the stage, but as George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” blasted over the speakers, a telling sign that the band would be up next. The song ended, and the arena went dark, then was quickly illuminated with red and white strobing lights, matching with the heavy riffs of Meshuggah’s first song “Broken Cog.” It was only up from there with this band. Their eleven song setlist played to every level of fan, from newbie to veteran, each about from the band getting at song shoutout.
This was my first time seeing Meshuggah live and they did not disappointed. Their songs are undoubtedly “metal”, but to me, tame enough for them to be considered easy listening when driving in the car, the riffs and baseline, blending seamlessly to give you a song that has you absentmindedly banging your head on the way to work. Their lighting display was one of the best I had ever seen. The second song showcasing laser displays you would see at an EDM show, instead cascaded over the fans and surged with the same intensity of the drums in each song. Meshuggah decided to close out the night with two iconic songs from their discography, “Bleed” and “Demiurge”, the two songs totaling just over 13 minutes, and grossing over eighty-eight million streams on Spotify alone.
If you ever have the chance to see this band live, take it, not only are the vocals spot-on, but the production value will have your eyes locked in the entire night.My final note of the night is that I currently have a crick in my neck from headbanging all night, but it was so worth it to see these legends live!
