Failure
by M. K. on 10/3/22The Regent Theater - Los AngelesRating: 5 out of 5Great music, a little crowded because General Admission only.
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FAILURE IN CONCERT:
Failure are masters of textural nuance, setting themselves apart from their '90s alt-rock counterparts with painstaking attention to sound design, complex signal processing, and creative use of guitar effects. After breaking up in 1997, Failure's cult popularity steadily grew as big-name acts like A Perfect Circle and Paramore paid tribute to the band with covers of their beloved recordings, so it's no surprise that their 2014 reunion has fans chomping at the bit for a chance to see them live. It's been more than 16 years since the trio have played together, but the band's extensive rehearsals in anticipation of the tour have them ready and raring to deliver the goods.
BACKGROUND SNAPSHOT:
Formed in Los Angeles in 1990, Failure carved a niche for themselves among alternative rock circles with their unique attention to sonic detail and sound design. Their Steve Albini-produced 1992 debut Comfort was a moderate success and landed them on tour with Tool, but when they returned to the studio to record a follow-up the band decided to assume production duties themselves. The result was 1994's Magnified, a critical success that earned the band recognition for the album's intricately layered production set the stage for extensive touring. Their third album Fantastic Planet was released in 1996, landing them on MTV and earning them their first chart success with single "Stuck on You." Despite the praise and popularity, stress and tension within the band proved too much and in 1997 they disbanded citing personal differences. In 2014 the band reunited after a 16-year hiatus, thrilling fans with the announcement of a highly anticipated reunion tour.
Great music, a little crowded because General Admission only.
Failure never disappoints. One of the loudest, cleanest, shows you can ever attend.
What an honor to be part of this awesome concert documentary. These 3 fellas should be filling arenas!
The Regent reeks of history. It’s quaint and welcoming. Props to the Sound Techs for making such a small venue feel so vast. Failure was amazing. Spectacular! Terrific! Everything one could hope for. They covered at least one song from every album in their catalogue. It was great to see them smiling and enjoying the moment, the crowd, but specifically each other. They ended the night with a 6 song encore wherein all 6 songs were off of the album Fantastic Planet. I can’t wait to see them again.
For a band with such layered and intricate music, they really blow the top off sonically! Ken Andrews is a music god and everything he touches turns to gold!
It was an amazing show. I think the preview of the doc could have been a bit shorter. It certainly left me wanting to see the entire piece, but I was anxious to get onto the music. I will also say it seemed a bit too self serving. All of the interviews were basically saying exactly the same thing. Over and over. It could have been edited down to a few and left more for the entire piece. But regardless it left me wanting to see the entire doc. The music was just as amazing as I expected. Baltimore Soundstage has unarguably the best sound in the city. Hands down. The staff at BSS is top notch. Even when the band lost power…completely…they handled it like total pros and just started the song from the top after a laugh. While I never saw Failure at their height in the 90’s, my understanding is an error like completely losing power wouldn’t have been handled with such professionalism. A sign of great growth and maturity. It’s fantastic to see the band…in its original form…has survived the ups and downs of life and can still make great music and NOT sound or act like an nostalgia act 30 years after they formed. Please come back to Baltimore soon. Thanks for a great show.
The show was amazing and the Baltimore Soundstage staff was great!!
I have been to 4 shows this year and Failure is by far my favorite performance!! Kelli slayed the drums and Ken and Greg sounded perfect!! Listening to them live was just sublime. Thank you to Failure for giving your all and sharing yoir music with us! ???
One of the best shows I have ever seen! This band is so good! Highly recommend.
My brother and I first saw Failure when they were the openers for Tool back in either '92 or '93 in Boston. At that point we were already fans of Tool and we won backstage passes and tickets to a show we already had tickets to. That show was great but we left knowing that we really loved Failure. Backstage we hung out around a large garbage can filled with ice & beer talking to mostly members of Failure. Adam Jones popped in for awhile, Maynard was off in a corner wearing a cowboy hat talking to some older folks - could have been someones grandparents. : ) Anyway, we love the music especially the drums (Kelli!). We have been following them and going to concerts since then. I have seen Failure at least twice at The Stone Pony. What an awesome place to see them! Both times the venue has not been over crowded allowing you to move about easily. We could get to the bar at will, sit in seats that still had good views and, most importantly enjoy the music. The band played their new music as well as did some time traveling through their older music. It was awesome! We sat near the light board and we had a fun time watching GiGi lights at the controls. We also saw Kelli's wife moving about taking pictures. So good. Until next time!