The Mars Volta was something very unique and special at the time that it came out, and their live performances kept on proving that again and again. The band rose from the ashes of the El Paso act "At The Drive-In", and the reputation gathered from that project is what lead to huge expectations for what was to come. Ward, Hinojos, and Hajjar followed the conventional post-hardcore and alternative rock elements on their band Sparta, but it didn't gather enough attention to be considered something outstanding, being more of ATDI without Cedric's vocals or Omar's experimentation. On the other hand, the two remaining members, with the help of other talented musicians, experimented in The Mars Volta using many influences, from progressive rock to jazz, and even some latin music, creating a blend that lead to a unique sound that was also carried by the complexity and talent that the group displayed onstage. However, this was received on a mixed way at first, with fans asking the Omar and Cedric to play stuff from their previous project or them simply rejecting this new style. The band carried on, and with the release of their debut album everything was sealed.
Despite the difficulties and tragedies, they kept performing in every place they could, proud of what they were doing, but also proud of their roots. This new project was only pushing forward, and with every concert the reputation of the band as an act that shouldn't be missed by any chance started to be much more relevant. 2004 was specially high in creating expectations from what was to come, with some of their most outstanding and well known performances from them, and the news of a second album being in the making, being guilty of this. After their participation in Australia's Big Day Out, the band kept touring while also preparing the recording of their sophomore record, and on May of that year the band would arrive to Mexico to appear in the Vive Latino music festival. This show was anticipated even more with the band being interviewed on the Orbita FM radio station during a live segment where Omar and Cedric spoke in Spanish and giving an introspective look at what The Mars Volta meant at the time. (highly suggest that people, if they know Spanish that is, give this full interview a listen, since it is very informative about the band).
The things that were stated certainly showed a strong resolution in what Omar and Cedric were doing. For them it was really evident that The Mars Volta was a musical project that had a lot of personal emotion involved. Everything was open to interpretation regarding their lyrics and imagery, and it was just their way to express themselves, with the music just happening to take that form. The band didn't look to make any profit or create a masterpiece, it was more of just playing their music, separating themselves from the previous project that they were a part of (also explaining why they appreciated bands such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, or artists like Saul Williams). The reason why At The Drive-In broke up was also mentioned briefly, with Omar and Cedric looking to expand their sound and creating something new, but the other members choosing to stay in what made then recognized, leading to the separation of the band (with Paul Hinojos being the only member with which they maintained a relationship of sorts, since he was helping with the sound manipulation duties after Jeremy died in 2003).
"At The Drive-In is dead, it doesn't exist, it was a moment in time. It was something special for us,
but it is in the past"
Anticipation for their second album was also rising hard, with them being very secretive about what was going on, but subtly stating that snippets were being performed live (which was eventually realized by people who followed the concerts and noticed the improvisational segments with sections from future songs being performed). Their musical influences also came into play, with King Crimson, Genesis, The Beatles, Queen, Can, but also other kinds of artists like Jodorowski; everything being very evident in how they displayed their music (and even then joking about their position on mainstream music at the time). Omar's solo career was also coming into play, starting with the upcoming A Manual Dexterity, also linked to a personal side. Their charisma was also really special, with them joking around and improvising with a piano, but showing that everything had a relaxed feeling to them. And everything culminated on their live performances a couple of days later in the Vive Latino festival. This particular performance had a big importance for the festival itself, with them being the first foreign band to take the main stage, but also for the band in finally transitioning and disassociating from their previous project in order to create something completely new. But despite all that, this performance would definitely be something outstanding coming from such a group of talented musicians.
Getting the negative things out of the way first. This concert appeared on broadcast before the exclusive use of HD to preserve the shows, so the quality is low, image and sound wise. Telehit transmitted the concert on parts, but in the end it was preserved on full. Roulette Dares, Concertina, Drunkship, and Cicatriz would end up being performed; with the first three having the same quality due to being emitted the same day, but Cicatriz having a different sound quality (being that the broadcast would be captured with only one speaker channel being used, having to be modified in order to be properly appreciated, but still being lower quality than the rest of tracks). But even then, despite the complications and condition of the sound, this concert is something outstanding in the overall performance that was showcased by the band, taken by many as one of the best concerts ever given on the festival.
As said many times before with previous Volta bootlegs, this is something that should be listened to in order to be understood. The entirety of the set is lead by a band that is clearly passionate in what they were doing, with every member giving their all and making up for an outstanding performance that bleeds of talent and dedication from the band. Roulette Dares is as strong as ever, with the soft outro segment being expanded with improvisation, but still being carried on by the great coordination from everyone. Concertina's performance recovers the energy from the 2002 performances, being bombastic in every single way. Drunkship has a snippet of the Frances The Mute's title song riff at the beginning, and there is a special improvisation that goes into an atmospheric focus, with Cedric's vocals exploding at every given moment, bleeding out, while the instrumentals are as tight as they could ever be. Finally, the second half is pulled off with a Cicatriz ESP rendition close to being forty minutes long, one of the longest ones available, and it keeps on being the definitive highlight of the entire show. It is something that is pulled off in such an impressive way, with the band showing their complexity, charisma, and coordination, that it needs to be seen and heard in order to be fully appreciated, closing off a fantastic concert on a high note.
It is definitely a shame that the quality is so low as it is, because if it was somewhat polished or well preserved it would definitely be among some of their best and most essential recordings. A lot of things are missed, details get lost in the low sound quality. But still, the potential of the band is truly unmatched, and the way they display everything that made them unique was something to behold. These live jams between tracks, expanding the original ideas further and further each time, were something truly special and pulled off on an impressive way, making up for concerts that stole the spotlight wherever they went. This would also make people wonder what a more extended concert, with much more tracks being performed, would be like coming from them, something that they would dive into eventually, making their concerts longer but full of intensity and dedication from them.
Still, despite the low sound quality, this is truly something highly recommended for any fan of the band, with the full first half that appeared on Telehit being available on youtube. The band was still showing that they had a long way to go with the music that they created, being something so unique and special to them. Truly wonderful.
Getting the negative things out of the way first. This concert appeared on broadcast before the exclusive use of HD to preserve the shows, so the quality is low, image and sound wise. Telehit transmitted the concert on parts, but in the end it was preserved on full. Roulette Dares, Concertina, Drunkship, and Cicatriz would end up being performed; with the first three having the same quality due to being emitted the same day, but Cicatriz having a different sound quality (being that the broadcast would be captured with only one speaker channel being used, having to be modified in order to be properly appreciated, but still being lower quality than the rest of tracks). But even then, despite the complications and condition of the sound, this concert is something outstanding in the overall performance that was showcased by the band, taken by many as one of the best concerts ever given on the festival.
As said many times before with previous Volta bootlegs, this is something that should be listened to in order to be understood. The entirety of the set is lead by a band that is clearly passionate in what they were doing, with every member giving their all and making up for an outstanding performance that bleeds of talent and dedication from the band. Roulette Dares is as strong as ever, with the soft outro segment being expanded with improvisation, but still being carried on by the great coordination from everyone. Concertina's performance recovers the energy from the 2002 performances, being bombastic in every single way. Drunkship has a snippet of the Frances The Mute's title song riff at the beginning, and there is a special improvisation that goes into an atmospheric focus, with Cedric's vocals exploding at every given moment, bleeding out, while the instrumentals are as tight as they could ever be. Finally, the second half is pulled off with a Cicatriz ESP rendition close to being forty minutes long, one of the longest ones available, and it keeps on being the definitive highlight of the entire show. It is something that is pulled off in such an impressive way, with the band showing their complexity, charisma, and coordination, that it needs to be seen and heard in order to be fully appreciated, closing off a fantastic concert on a high note.
It is definitely a shame that the quality is so low as it is, because if it was somewhat polished or well preserved it would definitely be among some of their best and most essential recordings. A lot of things are missed, details get lost in the low sound quality. But still, the potential of the band is truly unmatched, and the way they display everything that made them unique was something to behold. These live jams between tracks, expanding the original ideas further and further each time, were something truly special and pulled off on an impressive way, making up for concerts that stole the spotlight wherever they went. This would also make people wonder what a more extended concert, with much more tracks being performed, would be like coming from them, something that they would dive into eventually, making their concerts longer but full of intensity and dedication from them.
Still, despite the low sound quality, this is truly something highly recommended for any fan of the band, with the full first half that appeared on Telehit being available on youtube. The band was still showing that they had a long way to go with the music that they created, being something so unique and special to them. Truly wonderful.
Sound Quality: 6/10
Overall Rating: 8/10
Favorite Track: Cicatriz ESP
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