Show Review: The Sunn O))) Show on Nov. 25 Engulfed the Bay Area in a Wall of Sound
Edtior’s note: Our good friend and super talented photographer Derek Tobias was on hand at the Shoshin (初心) Duo show on November 25 in Monterey, California. What follows aren’t just his photos, but his thoughts and experiences at the show.
November 25, 2023.
On a cold (for the Bay Area’s standards) evening, just two days after Thanksgiving and when most decent folks are still gorging on turkey leftovers, a collection of black clad heavy music aficionados found their way to the Golden Gate Theater in Monterey, California. They gathered to bare witness to the masters of drone metal, Sunn O))) as their two-piece concept, Shoshin Duo (初心).
Powering through their Shoshin Duo (初心) tour, Sunn O))) founding members Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson were on the road to celebrate 25 years as a band by creating a minimalist, yet maximalist version of their work.
The night started out slow with Jesse Sykes, Phil Wandscher and Bill Herzog playing some of their psychedelic folk music, which most metal crowds might have questioned having on the bill. Yet the crowd that evening gave them the respect they deserved during their set. Jesse’s vocals rang through the massive concert hall and Phil’s sustained guitars proved to be just the right appetizer for the main course that would be Sunn O))).
After a brief intermission, Sunn O))) took the stage amidst a thick wall of fog and light. Dressed in their iconic cloaks, their movements were as slow and methodical as the tones they created.
Most bands you go to see live, you actually want to see their performance. Yet with Sunn O))) you go to be engulfed in their world of sound. Throughout the night, you could count on your fingers the amount of times that the duo actually revealed themselves. Most of the time they were shadowed in darkness or hidden behind smoke.
This was not the concert to forget your earplugs at, as Sunn O))) blasted so much sound through the theater that even the walls in the upper balcony were vibrating. For nearly two hours, Sunn O))) took the audience on a journey of epic proportions using only a handful of lights, but a wall of stage monitors.
Although it was hard to tell when one song ended and another began, it didn’t matter. The crowd was kept in a trance up until the last tone rang through. Ending their set, Sunn O))) moved to the front of the stage, raising their hands into a diamond shape and giving thanks to the audience, as the distortion reverberated over and over. As the sound finally cut out, the crowd erupted in applause and cheers.
Sunn O))) will be finishing out this leg of the tour throughout December 6. If you have the chance to make it to one of these shows, I highly recommend it. Even if drone metal isn’t your thing, this show is an experience not to be missed.
Jesse Skyes
Sunn O))) – Shoshin Duo (初心)
Sunn O))) Shoshin (初心) Duo tour
November 29 Austin, TX @ The Paramount Theatre *
November 30 Dallas, TX @ The Texas Theatre *
December 1 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall *
December 3 Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel *
December 4 Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre *
December 5 Knoxville, TN @ Bijou Theatre *
December 6 Birmingham, AL @ The Saturn *
^ w/ Earth (playing Earth 2), Jesse Sykes with Phil Wandscher
* w/ Jesse Sykes with Phil Wandscher
