Between the Buried and Me brought their signature blend of precision and genre chaos to The Nile Theatre in Mesa, AZ this past week, co-headlining a night that was as musically cerebral as it was aurally crushing. Sharing top billing with Hail The Sun, the night’s lineup promised a romp through the prog rock and metal spectrum and absolutely delivered.
UK openers Delta Sleep set the tone early, weaving their intricate math-rock melodies and rhythmic quirks into a hypnotic performance that primed the crowd for the technical maelstrom to come. Because they don’t tour the states often, the masses came out early to catch their opening set; rarely will the opener draw a crowd large enough to fill half The Nile themselves, but that certainly was the case for Delta Sleep as their fans came out in force. Hail The Sun was next up, and unleashed absolute chaos during their near hour long set, igniting The Nile Theatre crowd into a frenzy of flailing limbs and relentless crowd surfing. Their performance blurred the line between highly intentional musicianship and pure mayhem, with each breakdown hitting with eardrum-crushing force that shook the room to its core. Vocalist (and part-time drummer) Donovan Melero commanded the theater with a near manic energy, blurring the line between stage and crowd, while turning the venue into a whirlwind of sweat, sound, and controlled destruction.
When Between the Buried and Me took the stage, it was clear they were eager to showcase The Blue Nowhere, their latest studio triumph. The setlist leaned heavily on the new material, with standout performances of “God Terror,” “Things We Tell Ourselves in the Dark,” and “Absent Thereafter” pulling the audience deep into the album’s sprawling, genre-defying soundscape. Led by Tommy Giles Rogers Jr (lyricist, keys, and lead vocals), the band’s mastery of dynamics, shifting seamlessly between blistering polyrhythms & classical music breakdowns, soaring vocals & guttural screaming, jazzy riffs & atmospheric interludes, BTBAM reminded everyone why they remain one of progressive metal’s most uncompromising acts.
The night culminated in a thunderous encore featuring the title track off their latest album, “The Blue Nowhere,” which brought the performance full circle in both tone and theme. Under the dim blue stage lights and surrounded by fans who hung on every mindbending rhythm change, BTBAM proved once again that technical brilliance doesn’t have to come at the expense of emotional intensity. With Hail The Sun’s melodic aggression still ringing in the rafters and Delta Sleep’s grooves echoing in memory, BTBAM demonstrated at the Mesa stop that the boundless creativity of modern prog rock isn’t going anywhere.
