Live: Neurosis and Mastodon Blow the Doors Off a Temple

It was the perfect setting for a metal showdown: a dilapidated Masonic temple in Brooklyn. Even better: this was the first area show in four years from Oakland experimental metal band Neurosis. The group — fronted by Steve Von Till, wearing what looked like red doctor's scrubs (or a mental patient's pajamas — your pick) — turned in a skull-fucking set that ranged from full-blown thrash to quieter, tuneful dirges ("Season in the Sky" was a highlight). Equally good were Atlanta dudes Mastodon, who opened for Neurosis with a satisfyingly long string of tunes from all their albums. While they didn't unleash any new songs, as fans were anticipating, it was one of the few times they'd performed "Hand of Stone" and "Trilobite" live. And despite the muddied sound (and two false starts at the beginning of "Aqua Dementia"), the four-piece still managed to sync up for some tricky lock-step grooves on jams like "Sleeping Giant."

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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