Mastodon performs at Concord Pavilion in Concord, Calif. on April 20, 2023. Sean Liming/STAFF.

CONCORD, Calif. — Metal mainstays Mastodon and Gojira brought their Mega-Monsters Tour to the Concord Pavilion on Thursday, shaking the hills with driving beats and shredding guitars.

Mastodon was appropriately ready for April 20 occasion with its signature psychedelic aesthetic, seamlessly blending shredding riffs with progressive groove metal. The band burst out the gate fast and furious with “Wolf is Loose” before sailing into the more progressive “Crystal Skull,” the video backdrop giving the effect of a moving blacklight poster. Pyrotechnics added to the shock and awe on “Fallen Torches.”

Mastodon performs at Concord Pavilion in Concord, Calif. on April 20, 2023.

Drummer Brann Dailor and bassist-keyboardist Troy Sanders were on separate raised platforms, while. guitarist Bill Kelliher moved about, stalking the stage, often arching his back while playing with the energy and exuberance of that belied his age. The band progressed to “Steambreather,” “Iron Tusk” and “Marching of the Fire Ants,” before concluding the show with lots of pyrotechnics during “Blood and Thunder.”

Surprisingly, the band played only a couple of songs from its latest album, 2021’s Hushed and Grim: “More Than I Could Chew” and “Pushing the Tides.”

The other headliner, French rockers Gojira, skewed much more to the thrash side, with a heavy dose of death metal. What initially looked like a sparse, minimalist staging with drummer Mario Duplantier on a large raised platform and the other members spaced far apart in front exploded with a deep, complex light show that filled the space.

In addition to the expected metal show pyrotechnics and effects—fireballs from the floor, sparks from the ceiling, jets of smoke shooting over the pit, and an unexpected confetti cannon—the performance had an especially cinematic quality. The flow of the songs and the videos on the screens that covered every vertical surface on the stage combined to give it a level of subtle theatrics missing from many heavy music concerts. And the singalong for “The Chant,” the titular chant which was a vocal melody rather than lyrics, created an eerie, communal feel. A fair chunk of Gojira’s set consisted of songs from its latest album, 2021’s Fortitude.

Gojira performs at Concord Pavilion in Concord, Calif. on April 20, 2023.

One of the strongest parts of the performance was Duplantier’s drumming. The machine-gun cadence fully kicked off with “Backbone” and continued rattling bones and making the music almost tangible with its ferocity. Unfortunately, at least nearer to the stage, it was so intense that the kick drums often overshadowed the vocals of Joe Duplantier, as well as his guitar playing and that of Christian Andreu and bassist Jean-Michel Labadie. The excellent guitar work especially often got lost in the mix, which was a shame.

The opening act was death-core band Lorna Shore. Its half-hour set was technically polished and Will Ramos’ vocals were textbook death metal. The band was a fantastic choice as an opener. Its blast of sound and rage woke up the significant portion of the crowd that appeared to be coming directly from work, and definitely satisfied the younger contingent, who screamed along to every word of songs like “Into the Earth” and “Cursed to Die.”

— Daniel J. Willis

Follow photographer Sean Liming at Instagram.com/S.Liming. Follow publisher Daniel J. Willis at Twitter.com/BayAreaData.