The world changed on October 27, 2012. The messiah wasn’t born, we didn’t stumble across the meaning of life, but on that hallowed day, Devin Townsend set foot on the stage of the Camden Roundhouse and unleashed something that had been meticulously planned and mulled over for the better part of a year. This was the biggest headline show of the man's entire career.
Since rising from the ashes of former band Strapping Young Lad, Townsend has experienced a stratospheric surge of popularity. Various albums have been critically lauded, collaborations have been undertaken and Ziltoid became something of a cult hero. But after a string of sold out shows in 2011, Townsend was thinking bigger. He was thinking better. On this night, it all culminated as Hevy Devy's entire career was put under the spotlight for close examination.
Starting with an ethereal, other-worldly introduction from Steve Vai's face (told you it was a big show), the Roundhouse was engulfed by the Circus. Given that Vai's speech was comically out of sync during the actual show, it's nice to see that it's all been fixed for the DVD. Vai introduces a character, Harold. Harold is the archetype of the human species: he has hopes, dreams, fears etc. Harold is tucked into bed and proceeds to fall instantly into a slumber.
And then, in possibly the coolest dream sequence ever, a full-on choir marched onto stage, clad in white and bursting straight into Effervescent. It was a true feast for the eyes of mortal men, retinas seeping at the sheer grandeur of it all. Anneke Van Giersbergen stood aloft the top tier of the stage, angelically serenading the audience with the opening lines of True North, before Townsend proceeded to grant London his god-like presence, all dressed up in a white tailcoat a top hat. He was looking fine.
To sum up what happened next is nigh-on impossible. It was an extravaganza of eccentricity that cannot be measured and Townsend is the ultimate showman. Despite his pant-wetting shredding on Planet Of The Apes and his heavenly operatic bellow during Kingdom, he remained genuine and down to earth, constantly thanking the crowd throughout and even baiting them to be 'gayer' during a ballad.
The stage show was just something else. Alright, it wasn't Rammstein. But for a musician of Townsend's non-existent commercial calibre to pull off such a show was an incredible victory. There were fireworks and hydraulics spewing from the stage during War, a giant vagina gave birth to an alien during Babysong, and there were pole dancers in frighteningly tight spandex during Bend It Like A Bender!. Hell, Ziltoid The Omniscient even got a Skype call from his wife to tell him that she's pregnant halfway through the set.
And then there were the special guests. Having been previously unannounced, they could have been anyone. But, over the course of the night, The Retinal Circus spewed out a plethora of people to help celebrate Townsend's career. There was Metal Hammer scribe Dom Lawson, who donned a cape and crown during Planet Smasher, grunting his way through while looking suitably scary in King Diamond-esque make-up. There was a guy on accordion, tinkering away to the tune of Wild Colonial Boy. You had Vai on the screens (who turned into a skull halfway through).
Teasing Townsend, Vai (again, he's a skull) demanded that he play Strapping Young Lad. Townsend refused, instead opting to play a new-age ballad. This was met by a gigantic boo, and as if the prayers of the entire room had been answered, Strapping guitarist Jed Simon crept on stage behind Townsend, ripping straight into the relentless row of Detox. In retort, the crowd lost its collective shit. The duo looked chummier than they ever did in Strapping Young Lad, and when they kicked into the monumental classic that is Love?, no head in the entire room was left un-banged. That, boys and girls, is how you do a 'special guest'.
On the DVD, the camera work is magical, capturing the perfect balance of on-stage action and, equally the awe-struck faces of those lucky enough to be in the audience. If you were there, buy the DVD so you can re-live the best night of your life. If you weren't there, buy the DVD so you can watch what could have been the best night of your life.
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