CONCERT PHOTOS + REVIEW: Baroness at the Majestic Theatre in Madison, WI

CONCERT PHOTOS + REVIEW

BARONESS

6/7/24 at the Majestic Theatre in Madison, WI

Review + Photos ©Justin Nuoffer / Nuoffermedia.com

Outside the historic vaudeville theater known as the Majestic, the streets were filled with folks enjoying their Friday evening. The classic marquee hanging above the glass doors of the venue was illuminated with the word: “Baroness.” The line of patrons stretched up the road toward the state capital building just a block down. The warmth of the sun hitting the pavement and the bright blue skies without a cloud in sight kept the early Summer vibes high. On top of the capital building, the Wisconsin statue’s gold flakes glimmered. One could not have asked for a more perfect evening in Madison. Inside the red and white bricked majestic, Baroness came to deliver their own form of perfection.   

Two openers accompanied Baroness on their current tour, Gozu and Portrayal of Guilt. The two couldn’t have been more polar opposites, but it worked. The crowd reaction was purely electric. Gozu warmed the Majestic crowd up with a sludge-filled grind of a set. Five of the six songs performed came from their release Remedy. The material was fantastic and shared Baroness’ influences. Once their set was finished they were in the crowd for the rest of the night, enjoying the show.

Portrayal of Guilt is the definition of dark and heavy and definitely worth the watch. Most of the setlist came from the two albums Christfucker and Devil Music. They performed in pure darkness with only soft purple lighting moving across the stage. The mood was perfection. The heavy riffs, room-shaking bass lines, and speedy snare snaps lead the assault from the stage.

You could classify them as a new wave of American deathcore with a punk vibe to it. Even a small group of fans broke open a mosh pit and heads were bobbing. There was no doubt Portrayal of Guilt won a lot of people over and was a fantastic supporting act. Despite this not being their normal touring package, they were the cherry on top.

Baroness, led by founder John Baizley, hit the stage promptly to an eruption of applause. With the rest of the band in tow, they waved to the crowd and launched into two of three songs from STONE, which was released in September of 2023 and received many praises for its creativity. The lead single “Last Word” and “Under The Wheel” set the tone. With Gina Gleason ripping a quick solo during “Last Word,” the crowd slowed to watch in amazement, and rightfully so. If there ever was an underrated guitar player in the world of rock and metal music it is Gina.

Having the venue completely general admission allowed fans to get as close as possible to the stage with no barricades holding them back. The tiered levels behind the main floor were filled with fans singing and watching in wonder. This was even more noticeable when they launched into set staple, “A Horse Called Golgatha”. The noise level within the room was elevated. The pure artistry of the song hasn’t aged a day. The track was released 15 years ago and is as fresh as anything being released today.

Baroness delivered their faithful a nice surprise by adding “Cocainium” to the setlist. It has not been performed yet on this tour and was the perfect transition into the rest of the songs of the show. Bassist Nick Jost unleashed a wall-shaking fury of bass lines, while his demeanor remained cool and calm. Often he hovered right on the edge of the stage in front of the friendly faces below. Behind him on a riser, sat drummer Sebastian Thomson. He is incredibly slick and perfect. Jost and Thomson have a remarkable chemistry and are in complete unison, and the entire pace and speed of the band is driven by them.

The room lit up when they kicked into the intro of “Shock Me.” Normally, a song that popular is the closer, but that is the fun of Baroness. They know they have bigger fan favorites in their back pockets. The harmonies of Gina and John allow the chorus to bounce around the room. Their vocalizations were full of strength and tonally aligned. As they lead themselves into the grimy and grinding “The Sweetest Curse,” it was obvious that this well-oiled machine was firing on all cylinders. Impressive guitar riffs, incredible high-hat work, and pure energy blasting over the crowd were just the tip of the iceberg.

During the encore, the crowd was still buzzing and hungry for more. Small chants of “bar-o-ness” rang out. The band emerged from behind the curtains and launched into the timeless “Take My Bones Away”. The bluesy and progressive riffs accentuated with solos grabbed the attention of one’s ears. The perfect blending of rhythm behind it produced that out-of-body feeling you get when you know you are witnessing something amazing. The song flew by too quickly and led directly into “Isak” from the RED album, which closed the entire show. There may have been no better way to finish than with a near-instrumental piece that encompasses everything that is loved about Baroness.

Baizley said it himself, “Madison is beautiful”. It rang completely true as fans exited the historic and repurposed vaudeville theater. The streets were still full of people enjoying the surrounding nightlife and those who had the pleasure of witnessing the musical precision of Baroness were allowed to let the euphoria reverberate a bit longer. This tour stop hit all of the right notes. Nothing beats watching a band completely in control of their art delivering a perfect product to their fans. Baroness is and will always be one of those artists.

Check out our Baroness concert photo gallery from the show below:

View Gallery 31 images