Mastodon and Gojira in Portland, Maine – August 19, 2023

Making their presence heard in Portland, Maine, Gojira and Mastodon’s co-headlining Mega Monsters tour filled up the Cross Insurance Arena on August 19th, 2023.

Lorna Shore

Kicking off the night was New Jersey based deathcore band Lorna Shore. Having been a fan, this was my first time witnessing Lorna Shore live and I couldn’t have been further from disappointed. Lead vocalist Will Ramos commanded the stage opening with their song ‘Sun//Eater’. Fans were treated to songs such as ‘Cursed to Die’ and ‘Pain Remains: I, II, and III’. They were a perfect start to the mayhem that Gojira followed up with.

Gojira

The first of the power house co-headliners, Gojira, fired up the crowd to set the tone for the rest of the night. Starting their set off with, ‘Ocean Planet’, it only went up from there. Gojira is an Ondres, France based band from with talents including brother duo Joe and Mario Duplantier, Christian Andrei, and Jean-Michel Labadie. Their unmatched live talent truly makes them a force to be reckoned with.

Gojira had a total of thirteen songs during their set, which included ‘The Art of Dying’, ‘Another World’, and ‘The Gift of Guilt’. Every song was filled with more energy than the next, which had the crowd fired up from the pure chaos that ensued. Closing their set with ”, it was the perfect transition in Mastodon.

Mastodon

Anyone who I spoke to in the crowd who had seen Mastodon remarked on the absolute monstrous energy they bring to the stage and how this tour name was the most fitting thing for them. Mastodon consists of a fusion of various metal genres, which makes their sound extremely unique and distinct. I was extremely impressed with the visuals that played while the band performed, and remember I couldn’t look away with how interesting it was. Paired with their remarkable lyrics and the artwork, I would without a doubt recommend anyone to see their live performance.

Starting off their set with ‘The Wolf is Loose’, Mastodon had a whopping seventeen song list to follow up Gojira’s with. Fans heard songs such as ‘Andromeda’, ‘Fallen Torches’, and ‘Iron Tusk’. Mastodon closed the night out with ‘Blood and Thunder’, to which the stadium which was filled with individuals who gathered for both co-headliners celebrated the ending of the night.

The amount of energy and effort that all three bands went noticed and truly paid off. If you ever have an opportunity to catch any of these acts, you will truly appreciate the passion that goes into their sets and must witness it in person.