Progressive rock pioneers Failure played the Bluebird Theater on June 8th, 2022. As with so many bands emerging from their Covid-induced cocoons, this was their first tour in nearly three years. Not only do they have a new record in tow, they also brought along an unlikely opener. In place of a performing act, the fans were treated to an exclusive sneak peak of their new full length documentary feature. This gave a new look into the history and evolution of the group as told by some surprising fans and fellow musicians alike.
After the half an hour sneak peak, the trio dove right into a pair of songs off of their latest release, Wild Type Droid. They started off the set as if the last few years never happened, they were well practiced, tight and fluent with each other, just as long-time fans have come to expect. After the sonic openers, they took the audience on an ethereal journey sampling tracks from their entire catalog. The only pauses in the set were the seconds in which members Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards traded off duties on the guitar and bass as they so often do. Drummer Kellii Scott kept the momentum blazing forward playing flawlessly in tandem to the otherwordly images being projected throughout the set.
After an hour or so and a dozen songs later, the cheering of the crowd brought to light the elephant in the room. Not a single song from their flagship album, Fantastic Planet, had yet to be played. After a brief intermission, Andrews lovingly remarked how the the last half of the seemingly omitted album had such a special place in all of our collective hearts, and we had a feeling that this encore was going to be well worth the wait. The trio definitely delivered, as they played the second half of the album in its entirety, starting with the short Segue 3 right into the fan favorite “The Nurse Who Loved Me”
Heralded as “A bands band,” Failure shows time and time again that their special and uniquely trailblazing place in music history is undeniable, and will trickle down across multiple genres for years to come.
VIEW A FULL PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE SHOW HERE.