GOJIRA
w/ Loathe
9/23/25 – The Sylvee – Madison, WI
©Justin Nuoffer / NuofferMedia.com
No better way to spend the night than at a sold-out Gojira show at The Sylvee. After all, tomorrow is the rapture. Fans started lining up around 10 a.m., proudly repping Wisconsin and Madison. Anticipation built to a fever pitch as people mingled in the warm fall air, with chants of “Go-Jir-Ah!” breaking out along the sidewalk. The venue’s glass front shimmered in the sunlight, setting the stage for a perfect evening after a long day’s work.
Beneath the marquee reading “Gojira Tonight SOLD OUT,” the crowd funneled through security and into the venue. To the right, a cutout housed Gojira’s tour merchandise, and the line instantly stretched and wrapped around the room. Straight ahead, stairs led down to the general admission floor, where fans rushed the barricade, filling it in the blink of an eye. To the left, a long bar buzzed with patrons shaking off the day’s stress. Just past it sat Loathe’s merch table, positioned in front of the stairs leading up to more GA space and wraparound seating. At the very top, the third floor held suites overlooking the action.
Having already played The Sylvee earlier this year, Loathe were no strangers to the crown jewel of Madison’s live music scene. The crowd was just as eager to welcome them back. As the massive screen spanning the back wall turned blood red and stayed that way for their entire set. The room shifted into their atmosphere. Guitarist Erik Bickerstaffe held down the right side of the stage, bassist Feisal El-Khazragi the left. As they tore into “Revenant,” vocalist Kadeem France stormed the stage, his silhouette looming large at the center.
Musically, it was a masterclass in fusing modern alternative metal, progressive metal, and metalcore. The setlist leaned almost entirely on their 2020 release, I Let It In and It Took Everything, and the crowd’s familiarity was clear. But when “New Faces in the Dark” and closer “Gored” hit, the room shifted into a new gear, darker, heavier, and more intense. Loathe’s live show carries a cinematic quality: visually simple, sonically immersive, letting the music speak for itself.
As the changeover wrapped up, the massive screen behind the drum riser lit up, running the intro in sync with the smaller screen mounted at the front of the kit. Gojira took the stage under dim lighting, and The Sylvee erupted into deafening applause. Mario Duplantier slowly built up the beat, and within moments “Only Pain” thundered through the venue, rattling the floor. Suddenly, pyro cannons blasted toward the ceiling—something almost unheard of in this venue. The surprise of flames and CO₂ erupting with every crushing bass kick stunned the crowd. The visuals were breathtaking, and the spectacle perfectly captured who Gojira are.
As the guitars rang out from “The Axe,” frontman Joe Duplantier shouted, “Madison, it is good to see you again! Thank you for having us. Help us jam out this next song—Back fucking Bone!” The response was explosive, the roar piercing eardrums. What followed was a vicious assault, packed with pyro and CO₂, during a run of signature tracks like “Stranded,” “Flying Whales,” and “The Cell.”
On the right side of the stage, bassist Jean-Michel Labadie unloaded crushing low-end that shook every inch of the building. His eyes burned with intensity, almost possessed, reflecting the golden glow of the pyro. That same ferocity was mirrored by the maniacs pressed against the front barrier, their screams and headbanging amplified by every note. Hair whipped through the air as a steady stream of crowd surfers poured forward. Madison came to play and take care of business.
At one point, the Duplantier brothers took time to explain their love of Madison and why they make sure to play the city. Joe Duplantier explained that their mother was born and raised here. She went to France, met a man, and never came back. Their lineage is part Wisconsin. That moment of connection was felt. The pride we have as Wisconsinites runs deep.
The massive screen along the back wall often showed music videos or imagery related to the track being performed. The strobes and stage lights flashed and twirled around like laser beams. The optics elevated the effectiveness of each track. With “Another World” and “Silvera,” the heat pouring off the stage turned the room into a sweatbox. This was everything a good old-fashioned metal show should be. The guitar lead during “Silvera” had Christian Andreu standing in front of his monitors, taking it in and vibing along. His smirk made it look effortless, while Joe Duplantier’s guitar licks matched stroke for stroke as he unlocked deeper growls that soared over the jam-packed floor below.
One of the undeniable highlights came as Duplantier once again took to his microphone to explain how they were asked to open the Olympics and use a French song of resistance. The music video began with Marie Antoinette’s body holding her head, singing the intro, and then the fire launched upwards. The chorus of “Ça Ira, Ça Ira” is a direct quote from Benjamin Franklin, and in times like these the quote couldn’t fit more. The song is a fan favorite and altered the view of metal music for many people. The precision of the sound was on point and perfectly in sync with the video. There was no doubt left that Gojira cherish the anthem as much as the fans do, and that pushed them into “The Chant” with the crowd’s vocals joining theirs to sing along to the chorus. That togetherness was powerful. That harmony as a unit was a next-level experience.
This experience then led to “Amazonia,” which on its own was an adventure. One of the singles off Fortitude, it was a favorite for its unique, primitive voice. Mario Duplantier, perched on top of his kit, waved and encouraged more noise out of The Sylvee. Tonight was a night of amazement from him. Considered one of the best drummers alive and a force within the genre, he performed as if he were a human metronome. Always on time and never missing a beat with his complex playing. It was truly beautiful, and this led us into the encore break.
The encore break was extremely short, and for good reason, the crowd never let up, chanting the band’s name over and over. Gojira emerged and pushed the audience further, screaming at them to get louder. They delivered a relentless face punch with the grinding and prodding “Vacuity.” CO₂ filled the air above the general admission floor as hair, arms, and bodies flew across the mosh pit. The chaos that makes the brutality of their music so attractive was on full display.
It was short-lived, though. Joe Duplantier took a moment to praise Ozzy Osbourne, who had passed away not long ago. The band then performed the Black Sabbath tune “Under the Sun/Every Day Comes and Goes,” which felt poetic in its placement. The song was a departure from their typically oppressive riffs, but naturally, only a temporary one. They closed the evening with “The Gift of Guilt” from L’Enfant Sauvage, a perfect choice. The hypnotic finger tapping of Duplantier and Andreu carried the track as the pit gave one final release of energy. Though it’s a song they routinely close with, it remains captivating every time.
Check out the Gojira concert photo gallery below:
There is no band on Earth as loud or as perfect in a live setting as Gojira. Madison clearly holds a special place in their hearts, and with this being the only U.S. club date of the tour, fans were treated to something special once again. With a setlist spanning their career, Gojira delivered everything the crowd could have hoped for. They are golden gods of metal, and every visit feels like a rare gift. Tickets always sell out quickly, proof that Madison and Gojira share a unique bond beyond the familial connection. All that was left for the night was to bask in the excellence and hold onto the memories. Gojira once again left a sold-out crowd in their wake, and we couldn’t be any happier for it.
