The Mars Volta's debut album, De-Loused In The Comatorium, was a critical and commercial success back in 2003. It was not usual for a band to be doing something labeled as "progressive rock" in the 2000's and managing to pull off something accepted by a big crowd. The band had pulled through managing to deliver an album that surprised everyone that decided to dive into their sound, with technical, condensed, and loud musical passages balanced with calm/atmospheric and soft moments, displaying emotion at the same time as complexity. It wasn't a conventional listening, since it demanded an hour to digest the full experience, and even then, the music had so many layers that it simply rewarded multiple replays. The amount of influences that the band from El Paso managed to mix together creating a coherent sound was certainly astonishing, from their previous project At the Drive-In, to jazz, salsa, and progressive rock; blending all the passages creating a coherent and consistent sound that had much more to offer than what could be seen at first. The word "concept album" was also thrown around a lot, and most people interpreted Cedric's cryptic and surreal lyrics trying to give them a sort of meaning, but not knowing the fact that these were part of a bigger narrative, with a book that came with the album narrating the entirety of Cerpin Taxt's journeys, written in tribute of an old friend of the band. Certainly unconventional for the rock musical scene back then, challenging for some, innovative for others, but at the end of the day marking the beginning of one of the most unique acts of the 2000's.
However the thing that drove The Mars Volta to start with their studio career were their incredibly energetic, intense, and astonishing live performances. Despite the music having unconventional song structures, every member of the band had an important function on the end sound, making the tracks feel more like a collective effort than anything. They had also managed to pull through with the loss of some band members. After the release of their debut EP, Tremulant, Eva Gardner, their first bassist, had to leave the band due to personal problems, and Ikey Owens also left the band for a short period, these roles were replaced by Ralph Jasso and Linda Good respectively, but both of them were kicked out of the band for not following Omar's view to the full extent. Eventually, and starting the recording of De-Loused, Ikey Owens would return, and due to the lack of a bassist at the time, Flea from the RHCP stepped in to play in most of the songs (doing a more than great job at that), with even John Frusciante being featured on Cicatriz ESP. However, the band's ambition at first was to replicate the chaotically loud and balanced energy that their live shows provided, but were limited by producer Rick Rubin removing and changing segments to make the music more digestible for the listener. All of this turned out into a more "studio-like" Volta record, but it still managed to be successful and portray their main views on an official release.
And after the recording of the album, the band took touring duties in promotion of the release, touring with the RHCP, and implementing their long time bassist, Racer X's Juan Alderete. The second leg of the tour had to cancelled due to sound manipulator and founding member Jeremy Michael Ward dying of a heroin overdose less than one month before the release of the album. This was a huge wake up call for the band, one of the most important and founding members had passed away due to something that most of the members were doing. This meant a change in habits for everyone, but also lead to a period where the band was considering breaking up. Still, the release of De-Loused marked the breakthrough of the group to a higher ground, and the members stayed together to keep going with the touring and further promotion of the release. One thing that many people are not aware of is the fact that sound manipulation started being handled by Paul Hinojos (bassist of At The Drive-In), helping out with those duties on a nice way. Many things came out from the band at this point, and a good look at this is one of Mars Volta's most iconic bootlegs: Live At The Electric Ballroom July 9. 2003
(This was part of the tour made one month after the release of De-Loused, with the band performing the debut on its entirety, using Concertina as a closer. The bootleg issued here is incomplete and rearranged, with Concertina taking the center space of the album instead of Eriartaka, being of a shorter length than what the actual concert was like. Thankfully, the entirety of this live performance was recorded for TV, and has recently been given a proper cleanup for a complete appreciation.)
This live era in The Mars Volta's run is certainly something interesting, mainly due to the fact that it started to mark a before and after on the band's live energy. Considering the circumstances, the band's performance is very similar to what was seen on the album (of course, mainly due to the fact that it was a tour supposed to promote it), the chemistry and coordination of the lineup at the time was started to be much more appreciated (specially with the clear talent that Alderete had on bass), their ability to replicate studio elements on a live setting and making all the instruments sound more clear and coherent, even expanding on what was seen on the album on some brief segments, with no instruments overshadowing each other, but it is also felt like a somewhat uninspired performance compared to what was seen before, and specially after, this period.
Explaining this is a bit odd, and certainly feels as something that has to be seen and heard in order to understand. The energy is still there, there is truly a passion on the performance, but the band felt as it was still recovering from a recent death and trying to adapt to the new found success of their music. The overall concert was still something to behold, with a huge amount of dedication being poured in the performances, and the classic live Volta characteristics being provided to a certain extent (the movement across the stage, the coordination, the precision, the improvisational segments). Everything made up for an still impressive stage presence and a more than great rendition of the album on all its glory, but it just can't be compared to the chaos that came before and that would come soon after.
Regarding the music itself, the first three tracks are almost identical to their studio counterparts, with Alderete's bass and Owen's keyboards being much more appreciated in the overall sound, providing a much more complete atmosphere. After the end of Roulette Dares, Omar starts showing his impressive improvisational skills with the guitar, the ability to switch between pedals to offer a more dynamic sound, with atmospheric passages replacing the Tira Me A Las Arañas interlude before going into Drunkship of Lanterns. The beginning and end of the song are the same energetic bonanza seen on the album, but there was also the implementation of a new middle section between the two. This would be the first time the band would be showing what would eventually become part of Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus, showing early signs that Omar was already writing new material in the road and making the band rehearse them to keep developing them into a full version.
Eriatarka performs similar to the studio version, without much of the added layers seen on the album, but Omar keeping on adding pedal soundscapes on the end section, with Alderete keeping the rhythm, Cedric improvising and showing his ability on the vocals, Isaiah keeping the subtle tones, and Jon showing his impressive drumming, leading to a final section being the stand out of the entire track. Then the long track starts with Cicatriz ESP, being introduced by improvised atmospheres and lyrics. The impressive talent of the band by being able to replicate the studio quality of the song on this live setting comes into play, and what is even better is the fact that the stretched and relatively long middle section gets replaced by a live jamming part where all the members show passion on their performances, each one shining on their part, vocally and instrumentally this is a highlight of the era, a taste of the big and fleshed out jamming sections that they would present on future live settings, replacing and improving the segment that seemed to fail on the album. Jam section followed by Omar's pedal atmospheres and then slowly returning to the song, with Cedric even bringing back the signature maracas to a great effect, getting to the end part of the song with high energy.
After a small transition, the chaos and intensity of Apparatus takes over the show. This is one of the most faithful renditions of the album counterpart, and one of the highlights of the show, with all the members losing it all the way through, before entering the break that means Televators. Due to what happened to Ward, this track was dedicated to him in tribute after the release of the album (even announcing it as such on another bootleg of this tour, eight days before the performance of this one), and it is evident why. A melancholic and passionate performance, full of emotion and dedication from the members, even without the percussion elements of the original it still feels like a very powerful song (with the bird recordings being extended to all the song), finishing with a guitar part leading into Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt.
The climax of the album tracklist is replicated here on all its glory, with the energy from Apparatus being transferred to this track, with an extended Alderete bass solo at the middle section, being a showcase of this talent and technicality that would go incredibly well with the band, leading to a jam section slowly building up to the final section of the song, closing the De-Loused section on an intense and energetic way. Finally, Concertina gets performed on a very nice way, but not getting close to the 2002 performances, ending up the concert in a very nice way. What is interesting is the way the members leave the stage, with a very "I am done with this shit" kind of attitude (nothing wrong with it, but it is definitely a very different energy to what was seen, and what would be conveyed, on other concerts).
Despite this being a more than admirable performance of their debut album on its entirety, it is definitely a different mood and attitude overall. No exaggeration, just enough with someone watching their performance in may of that same year (specifically one of the last ones with Jeremy, while on tour with the RHCP, with John Frusciante coming in for guitar con Cicatriz, just looking at the setlist it sounds like something much more dynamic and intense: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-mars-volta/2003/northsix-brooklyn-ny-63d30a1b.html), with much more energy and intensity from their part, performing the tracks on a much better and passionate way overall (not just saving the energy for specific moments). But as it was mentioned, it would be something pretty self contained and understandable at the time, with performances with just one month of difference being much more lively and expressive for them, like the one on Lowlands Festival in august that same year (and even then it shows their original view and potential of songs, with extended jams that flesh out on a much better and immersive way than the original album, showing the road that they would take when getting ready for the recording of their next album).
However the thing that drove The Mars Volta to start with their studio career were their incredibly energetic, intense, and astonishing live performances. Despite the music having unconventional song structures, every member of the band had an important function on the end sound, making the tracks feel more like a collective effort than anything. They had also managed to pull through with the loss of some band members. After the release of their debut EP, Tremulant, Eva Gardner, their first bassist, had to leave the band due to personal problems, and Ikey Owens also left the band for a short period, these roles were replaced by Ralph Jasso and Linda Good respectively, but both of them were kicked out of the band for not following Omar's view to the full extent. Eventually, and starting the recording of De-Loused, Ikey Owens would return, and due to the lack of a bassist at the time, Flea from the RHCP stepped in to play in most of the songs (doing a more than great job at that), with even John Frusciante being featured on Cicatriz ESP. However, the band's ambition at first was to replicate the chaotically loud and balanced energy that their live shows provided, but were limited by producer Rick Rubin removing and changing segments to make the music more digestible for the listener. All of this turned out into a more "studio-like" Volta record, but it still managed to be successful and portray their main views on an official release.
And after the recording of the album, the band took touring duties in promotion of the release, touring with the RHCP, and implementing their long time bassist, Racer X's Juan Alderete. The second leg of the tour had to cancelled due to sound manipulator and founding member Jeremy Michael Ward dying of a heroin overdose less than one month before the release of the album. This was a huge wake up call for the band, one of the most important and founding members had passed away due to something that most of the members were doing. This meant a change in habits for everyone, but also lead to a period where the band was considering breaking up. Still, the release of De-Loused marked the breakthrough of the group to a higher ground, and the members stayed together to keep going with the touring and further promotion of the release. One thing that many people are not aware of is the fact that sound manipulation started being handled by Paul Hinojos (bassist of At The Drive-In), helping out with those duties on a nice way. Many things came out from the band at this point, and a good look at this is one of Mars Volta's most iconic bootlegs: Live At The Electric Ballroom July 9. 2003
(This was part of the tour made one month after the release of De-Loused, with the band performing the debut on its entirety, using Concertina as a closer. The bootleg issued here is incomplete and rearranged, with Concertina taking the center space of the album instead of Eriartaka, being of a shorter length than what the actual concert was like. Thankfully, the entirety of this live performance was recorded for TV, and has recently been given a proper cleanup for a complete appreciation.)
This live era in The Mars Volta's run is certainly something interesting, mainly due to the fact that it started to mark a before and after on the band's live energy. Considering the circumstances, the band's performance is very similar to what was seen on the album (of course, mainly due to the fact that it was a tour supposed to promote it), the chemistry and coordination of the lineup at the time was started to be much more appreciated (specially with the clear talent that Alderete had on bass), their ability to replicate studio elements on a live setting and making all the instruments sound more clear and coherent, even expanding on what was seen on the album on some brief segments, with no instruments overshadowing each other, but it is also felt like a somewhat uninspired performance compared to what was seen before, and specially after, this period.
Explaining this is a bit odd, and certainly feels as something that has to be seen and heard in order to understand. The energy is still there, there is truly a passion on the performance, but the band felt as it was still recovering from a recent death and trying to adapt to the new found success of their music. The overall concert was still something to behold, with a huge amount of dedication being poured in the performances, and the classic live Volta characteristics being provided to a certain extent (the movement across the stage, the coordination, the precision, the improvisational segments). Everything made up for an still impressive stage presence and a more than great rendition of the album on all its glory, but it just can't be compared to the chaos that came before and that would come soon after.
Regarding the music itself, the first three tracks are almost identical to their studio counterparts, with Alderete's bass and Owen's keyboards being much more appreciated in the overall sound, providing a much more complete atmosphere. After the end of Roulette Dares, Omar starts showing his impressive improvisational skills with the guitar, the ability to switch between pedals to offer a more dynamic sound, with atmospheric passages replacing the Tira Me A Las Arañas interlude before going into Drunkship of Lanterns. The beginning and end of the song are the same energetic bonanza seen on the album, but there was also the implementation of a new middle section between the two. This would be the first time the band would be showing what would eventually become part of Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus, showing early signs that Omar was already writing new material in the road and making the band rehearse them to keep developing them into a full version.
Eriatarka performs similar to the studio version, without much of the added layers seen on the album, but Omar keeping on adding pedal soundscapes on the end section, with Alderete keeping the rhythm, Cedric improvising and showing his ability on the vocals, Isaiah keeping the subtle tones, and Jon showing his impressive drumming, leading to a final section being the stand out of the entire track. Then the long track starts with Cicatriz ESP, being introduced by improvised atmospheres and lyrics. The impressive talent of the band by being able to replicate the studio quality of the song on this live setting comes into play, and what is even better is the fact that the stretched and relatively long middle section gets replaced by a live jamming part where all the members show passion on their performances, each one shining on their part, vocally and instrumentally this is a highlight of the era, a taste of the big and fleshed out jamming sections that they would present on future live settings, replacing and improving the segment that seemed to fail on the album. Jam section followed by Omar's pedal atmospheres and then slowly returning to the song, with Cedric even bringing back the signature maracas to a great effect, getting to the end part of the song with high energy.
After a small transition, the chaos and intensity of Apparatus takes over the show. This is one of the most faithful renditions of the album counterpart, and one of the highlights of the show, with all the members losing it all the way through, before entering the break that means Televators. Due to what happened to Ward, this track was dedicated to him in tribute after the release of the album (even announcing it as such on another bootleg of this tour, eight days before the performance of this one), and it is evident why. A melancholic and passionate performance, full of emotion and dedication from the members, even without the percussion elements of the original it still feels like a very powerful song (with the bird recordings being extended to all the song), finishing with a guitar part leading into Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt.
The climax of the album tracklist is replicated here on all its glory, with the energy from Apparatus being transferred to this track, with an extended Alderete bass solo at the middle section, being a showcase of this talent and technicality that would go incredibly well with the band, leading to a jam section slowly building up to the final section of the song, closing the De-Loused section on an intense and energetic way. Finally, Concertina gets performed on a very nice way, but not getting close to the 2002 performances, ending up the concert in a very nice way. What is interesting is the way the members leave the stage, with a very "I am done with this shit" kind of attitude (nothing wrong with it, but it is definitely a very different energy to what was seen, and what would be conveyed, on other concerts).
Despite this being a more than admirable performance of their debut album on its entirety, it is definitely a different mood and attitude overall. No exaggeration, just enough with someone watching their performance in may of that same year (specifically one of the last ones with Jeremy, while on tour with the RHCP, with John Frusciante coming in for guitar con Cicatriz, just looking at the setlist it sounds like something much more dynamic and intense: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-mars-volta/2003/northsix-brooklyn-ny-63d30a1b.html), with much more energy and intensity from their part, performing the tracks on a much better and passionate way overall (not just saving the energy for specific moments). But as it was mentioned, it would be something pretty self contained and understandable at the time, with performances with just one month of difference being much more lively and expressive for them, like the one on Lowlands Festival in august that same year (and even then it shows their original view and potential of songs, with extended jams that flesh out on a much better and immersive way than the original album, showing the road that they would take when getting ready for the recording of their next album).
There is no doubt that anyone that enjoyed the debut is going to enjoy these performances, but the energy is certainly very different and sort of inferior compared to what would come after (which much more impressive and outstanding bootlegs). It doesn't end up feeling like a full expansion of their album up to that point (something that they would definitely do later in the 2004 tours), but it is a very nice look at how the band was handling things at the time. The Live At The Electric Ballroom recording was released on its entirety in 2005, as a sort of promotion for Frances The Mute, but two songs from this performance would already see the light on 2003 on an official release, with Cicatriz ESP and Televators being put on the Live EP released that same year. There had already been a recording of this tour, as it was mentioned before, since an early concert from this tour recorded eight days before this one already had bootleg form (where one can see the initial speech that Cedric gives before Televators, dedicating it to their close friend, and showing the very early use of Fistful of Dollars as their opening theme before starting the concert and the collaboration with Saul Williams, which was very common those years, but overall its a very similar experience, just with a much inferior sound quality).
In the end, De-Loused is De-Loused, and hearing it live is certainly something that is appreciated. I certainly encourage whoever wants to listen to this bootleg to check the full concert. Highly recommended.
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Favorite Track: Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt / This Apparatus Must Be Unearthed / Cicatriz ESP
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