Back when they came out as a prolific new band that had a more than promising and interesting future in their unique musical world at the time it was no mystery that The Mars Volta were something completely special and fascinating on a live setting. They had been recovering the energy carried in their early days very slowly, but to an impressive degree. Their success had given them enough confidence to keep pushing forward with their needs of expressing themselves freely with their music. 2004 was a particularly prolific and special year for them, with the preparation of their upcoming new album giving place to some of their most important shows at the time.
The band had just finished participating in the Vive Latino music festival in Mexico, and they didn't waste any time, performing on Los Angeles's The Wiltern for two nights not long after their arrival to America. Those two nights are among some of the best and most impressive bootlegs captured from the group, with their talent and charisma being displayed in full with two hour long gigs for the band to expand all their ideas as much as they wanted (even they seemed aware of that, because pieces from each night would later be used in their official live album Scabdates). One of these recordings is more recognized between fans, but both of them have unique individual aspects (while also complementing each other in many ways), making these two some indispensable recordings from The Mars Volta.
The quality on this one is inferior to the bootleg that most people are aware of, with the voices and chat from the crowd being really noticeable (specially the group with the fella speaking his mind about Tool, Radiohead, and Mars Volta, and how the latter was truly something else performing on a live setting), but the band can be heard, and it is not too annoying to the point of interfering with the overall experience. Truth be told, the sound quality is great enough to let people appreciate the fantastic concert that was given that night. This first gig was something that was giving hints at what the band would be able to do eventually just a day later. Their stances on not seeking fame or creating a masterpiece could be felt all throughout their interaction with the public, with Cedric's kindness and preoccupation for just giving a great performance regardless of the situation. Talking about their shyness and being thankful that people are enthusiastic about going to listen to their music being played live. More than anything, Mars Volta truly were a way for all the member to express themselves freely and without any big goals of ambitions in mind. But if it were just that it wouldn't be enough to make up for one hell of a show.
Starting off with a great rendition of Take The Veil, being very energetic and showing Cedric's impressive vocal range, with a dynamic tone and liveliness. The band is truly giving their all, with every member making up for a more than fantastic performance to open a concert with. Eunuch Provocateur does not stay short, being a track that had a hell of an evolution from the first time it appeared on the band's early days, making it for an explosive and worthwhile experience. Jon's drumming was getting more and more accurate and fleshed out, Juan's bass lines were carrying everything to a different level, Ikey's keyboards helped a lot with building atmosphere in the performances, Marcel's minor percussion elements truly helped making everything feel much more alive, Omar's guitar was as dynamic and lively as ever, and Cedric's bleeding vocals (being the key element to the soul of the band and their outstanding concerts). It all made up for really impressive opening tracks that expanded the ideas that were presented on the hour long gigs given early that year in Sydney and Mexico, with more tracks being displayed, showing the true and intense potential of such an energetic band.
The final section in Eunuch transitions with a very immersive atmosphere lead by a looping pedal effect into Eriatarka, contrasting the intensity with a much more sweet and mellow track, being expanded with the jamming section in the middle creating a very immersive atmospheric segment where every member coordinates with the other and creates a truly impressive bit. A showcase of their talent, but every second is used on a great way, and the jamming is not for anything, it all leads rather smoothly to the final segment of the song. After that, a new song is showcased, being the early version of The Widow (then called Never Sleep Alone), dedicated to Jeremy Michael Ward. It is still obvious that the members miss their old friend and band member, but they still keep pushing forward with their project, leading to their future projects slowly, but certainly building it on a very passionate way. A mellow track, but still performed on a fantastic manner. After that, the crowning jewel of this recording comes into place, with the behemoth forty minute version of Cicatriz ESP.
This is the version that would be used in Scabdates, separated into tracks, with the introduction and build up to the song being named Haruspex. The build up to the segments, the sudden but smooth transitions, the use of improvisation on a fantastic way, climaxes for every segment presented, with Cedric's voice leading everything while being on point, the introduction of elements from Cassandra Gemini, the wonderful musical coordination lead by an intense and energetic performance; it all makes up for one of the best versions of Cicatriz, perhaps even the best, to be performed until that point in the band's career. Frantic and intense parts transitioning to atmospheric segments that shift the mood but eventually come to a bombastic build up, all leading to the final section of the song. It feels odd to hear such a great version managed and edited with snippets from the band on the live album, making it even longer. But still, the original recording found here is definitely special. This version of Cicatriz may not be of the liking of many, some might even call the improvisation a waste of time or a meaningless showcase of sorts, but the jams that happened during these segments were all for a reason. Witnessing this live, and even hearing it now on bootleg form, is nothing short of impressive. Its a peak of sorts of all the things that the band stood for artistically, looking to express themselves on a free way with their music. And for what it is, it is nothing but breathtaking, carried on by the chemistry, talent, and noticeable passion of all the members of the band, making it something that is worth a try for anyone who appreciates what this band was achieving with their sound.
The concert doesn't end there. After this, Televators comes to present a short break in mood and tone from what was displayed before. Mellow, but certainly passionate for both the band and the crowd singing along. It all builds up to an energetic rendition of Drunkship of Lanterns dedicated to Saul Williams, with an extended atmospheric segment that carries slowly for some minutes, until changing to the final part of the song on a very sudden way, closing the concert while still maintaining the tone presented form the very beginning. Overall, this first performance at The Wiltern was something really special, and something that no fan should miss in any way. It was a showcase of the band's passion and dedication to their music, expanding the idea of their hour long gigs into a longer and more impressive behemoth, managing to be consistent and impressive throughout all its entirety. The improvisations, charisma, talent, chemistry; it all had a purpose, and no second was wasted, making up for truly outstanding shows.
If it weren't for the minor annoyances with the crowd noise, if the band released the polished recordings of these gigs officially, they would certainly be some iconic live album material. But still, the bootleg remains, and what happened that first night in Los Angeles was something that is still preserved to this day. But that wouldn't be all that the band had to offer during that time, expanding their ideas just the a day later.
The second night of the Wiltern performances is one of the most recognized and recommended bootleg recordings from any big Volta fan, and there are many reasons for why that is the case. Sound quality here is much cleaner, much more polished, without the crowd noise being audible and interfering with the performances. It is not perfect, since sometimes elements, mostly the vocals, can feel too much in the background, but it is good enough for all the instrumentals to be heard and appreciated by anyone. It is a shame that the quality is not polished or a little bit better, because if it had broadcast quality or a much more stable sound it would definitely be perfect. The setlist is different from the night before, some songs are added, guests are brought along, and the energy flows in a way that makes everything be one of the best recordings available from this period.
All the chemistry, talent, and charisma that the band presented the night before is back once again, but it is much more lively, and it all shows from the very first track. Kicking things off with one of the best renditions of Roulette Dares up to that point, with all the elements presented by the members being used on a great way, performed with an unmatched energy. Small segments are extended for a bit, but then it all leads to the outro segment being an extended jam, with everything carrying smoothly until transitioning to an intense finale not seen before on other concerts. After Cedric tells assholes in the crowd to stop throwing stuff onstage (telling them to do that at 3 Doors Down or Limp Bizkit funny enough), one of the segments that would later be used in Scabates comes into play. The small buildup leading to Concertina, named Caviglia in their live album, is extracted from here, with an atmospheric focus, Cedric's voice almost humming calmly, leading to a great rendition of Concertina (it is a mystery why this version wasn't used, since this is a much more intense and energetic performance than the one used on Scabdates), with an intensity matched by the performances from early in the band's career.
After that, the build up jam that will transition into Drunkship of Lanterns is presented, as lively as ever, giving space to a very energetic rendition of the track, very similar to the one seen a night before, with everyone in the band giving their very best to push the track forward. The key difference here is that all the details that were hard to notice due to the sound quality in the previous bootleg are much more noticeable here, with the percussion taking a big presence (showing that, without any sort of doubt, the inclusion of these new percussive elements, like the bongos and the violin, were certainly something very beneficial to the band's sound). After that, the loop sound that ended the concert is used to build up expectation for the next song, slowly fading away to give space to the mellow guitar jam that would evolve into Eriatarka. This is, perhaps, the most interesting and essential recording of Eriatarka available for any fan to check out. Saul Williams's feature here, something that was certainly not that big of a presence in previous concerts, is definitely one of the highlights of the set. His spoken word segment, reciting one special poem that should be heard in order to be appreciated, is something that goes surprisingly well with the instrumental backing it up. His strong tone of voice contrasting Cedric's sustained mellow vocal notes, being very passionate about what he is stating make this a very unique feature and rendition of the track in the entire career of The Mars Volta. Everything flows as normally as ever, with every member displaying their talent with their respective instruments, building up until the explosive outro.
Cedric's charisma with his usual disapproval of people slamming each other in the crowd and encouraging them to dance, picking up the maracas and then incorporating himself in the slow transition towards Eunuch Provocateur, having the same energy as the previous night but being able to be more appreciated due to the focused sound quality. Similar thing happens with the acoustic rendition of The Widow, with it being a short break from everything that was going on, very passionate in the vocal delivery. It all slowly builds up towards another long version of Cicatriz ESP, that, while not being quite the same as the night before, is still jaw dropping. Something that certainly needs to be heard in order to be fully understood, being a definitive highlight of that night, with thirty six minutes that showcase the tremendous potential and talent from the band and their ability to replicate studio qualities live while also expanding their ideas, going from something very calm and atmospheric to frantic and bombastic segments. Televators, another short break, carrying the same spirit as The Widow in execution, with the passion being something very noticeable.
Then, finally, it all leads to the best performance of the night, the extended version of Take The Veil, where the band is joined onstage by none other than John Frusciante in guitar. This rendition does, on its very essence, what Cicatriz did the night before. Every member has the spotlight at one point given, and the coordination is simply unique and extremely impressive. Juan's bass solo with Marcel's bongo percussion, Jon's non-stop calculated beating of the drums, Ikey's subtle but essential keyboards, Cedric's dynamic and bleeding vocals having an impressive range, and Frusciante's guitar duel with Omar, where it all leads slowly to the final segment of the track, where everything comes to an end, closing an outstanding concert on a fascinating way (making a sort of full circle when it comes to these two nights, using the old opener as the now closer).
The band managed to expand all the ideas presented on an already marvelous way, but the details added it all makes up for completely fleshed out concerts where the members are able to coordinate and display their talent as much as they wanted, showing them at their peak during this era, pushing forward despite all the difficulties, being something unique and timeless within music.
The Wiltern, Los Angeles
These two nights were nothing short than special coming from such a band. Everything that made the band unique came together on a very impressive way, with their never ending potential being felt in their complete dominance of the stage. From Cedric's bleeding and haunting vocals to Marcel's subtle use of percussion; it all has a reason to be used, and that truly shows here. Some of the best track renditions from the band can be found here, but the entire shows are engaging and fun to listen to. The band is more loose, being able to flesh out their ideas however they wanted. This sort of energy was unique to them, making complex songs have a very approachable mood, but still pulling it off on a way that keeps impressing and engaging with every new listen. It is a shame that the polished recordings were never released on full, because if so these would be without a doubt some of the best live albums to be released in the 2000's. But even then, these bootlegs have a good quality, and the concerts are still highly enjoyable.
After this point of showing their full potential, the band would return to the style of three long song/hour long sets seen on presentations like Sydney early that year (be it, with different track arrangements). By November of that year (now with the fans having even more expectation for the new album), after diving into those long shows that expanded their live potential and talent at the time, the band went back to this sort of "condensed" live experiences, replacing Cicatriz ESP for Take The Veil, still carrying their energy and charisma, but with some noticeable differences in the execution of tracks. Such differences can be seen on their Santiago, Chile performance extracted from a fm broadcast (also available on video form). While the audio quality and the performances were not on point tonight, some major differences can be noticed in how the songs are played. All of the segments that would eventually be played in Frances The Mute (such as Facilis Descenus Averni in Drunkship of Lanterns) would be replaced with completely different, and new, jams, with the tracks still being performed with the same intensity as always. Their charisma (with Cedric interacting with the audience in Spanish and mocking Morrisey for making them get onstage at an early hour) and talent is still felt all throughout, and even if the sound quality is not perfect, it still points out to great shows to come, further reinforced with the fascinating long gigs displayed months before.
But still, before transitioning to 2005 with the promotion of their second album, The Wiltern performances are nothing more than essential recordings from the band. Its The Mars Volta's passion blossoming with their musical creativity and unique attitude onstage; and that is certainly special to witness, even if its just in such enjoyable audio form.
Sound Quality: 8/10
Overall Rating: 9/10
Favorite Song: Cicatriz ESP (Wiltern 12) / Take The Veil Cerpin Taxt (Wiltern 13)
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