Excessive and Dwelling Color introduced their Thicker Than Blood tour to Austin’s Moody Theater on Monday, thrilling the viewers with a mixture of mega-hits, fan favorites, selection covers and staggering technical virtuosity.

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Dwelling Color got here out swinging with an eight-song set that was equal elements aggressive and uplifting. The quartet set the viewers ablaze with Vivid rocker “Center Man” and the Stain one-two punch of “Depart It Alone” and “Ignorance Is Bliss” earlier than paying homage to late MC5 architect Wayne Kramer with a funked-up rendition of “Kick Out the Jams.” Bassist Doug Wimbish additionally obtained to flex his affiliation with pioneering hip-hop label Sugar Hill Data by taking the lead on a medley of “White Traces (Do not Do It),” “Apache” and “The Message.”

Singer Corey Glover sounded a fraction of his 59 years as he alternated between a searing howl and a soulful falsetto croon. The band hit a midset climax throughout “Open Letter (To a Landlord)” with Glover exhorting the gang to “battle in your neighbor.” (The music’s evergreen message had an additional chew because the Moody Theater is nestled in part of downtown Austin the place one-bedroom residences can exceed $5,000 a month.) Guitarist Vernon Reid was as fleet-fingered as ever, tossing off whammy-bar dive-bombs and diabolical tapped runs. It culminated within the compulsory set-closer “Cult of Persona,” which introduced the viewers to a fever pitch and set the stage for the headliners.

READ MORE: Dwelling Color Albums Ranked Worst to Greatest

Excessive seized upon the momentum by opening their two-hour set with back-to-back Excessive II: Pornograffitti cuts “It (‘s a Monster)” and “Decadence Dance.” Gary Cherone bounded throughout the stage like a dwell wire, contorting his physique each which approach and beckoning the viewers to elevate their voices with him. The frontman rasped his approach via among the band’s earlier and extra demanding materials, however guitarist Nuno Bettencourt and bassist Pat Badger’s professional backing vocals helped easy over the rougher edges.

Bettencourt was the indeniable star of the present, charming the viewers along with his four-letter-word-heavy banter and six-string wizardry. The guitarist appeared to exert extra effort flipping his hair out of his face than he did blazing via jaw-dropping solos to “Play With Me,” “Get the Funk Out” and the set-closing Six single “Rise,” which took the guitar neighborhood by storm and has grow to be a real modern-rock sensation. Bettencourt even paid tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen with a snippet of “Eruption” — a transfer that might have simply crashed and burned within the arms of a lesser participant, however as a substitute affirmed his standing as one of many few guitarists match to carry the torch in Van Halen’s absence. (One factor is for sure: Joe Satriani higher convey his A-game when he embarks on a Van Halen-centric tour with Sammy Hagar this summer time.)

Bettencourt basked within the adoration of the gang — who would not? — however he sounded honest when he saluted his fellow guitarists within the viewers and claimed that above all, the love of his instrument made his job worthwhile. “Whenever you put this shit on, it is a fucking superpower. Do not let anyone inform you in any other case,” he mentioned. The gang roared, grateful to have a hero to name their very own.