Godspeed You! Black Emperor Kickoff North American 'Luciferian Towers' Tour

On Tour Now

Last updated: 17 May 2018, 18:40:51
Published: 17 May 2018, 18:40:51
Written by: Asal Shah
Photography by: Maria Jefferis
Categories: On Tour Now Tagged: Godspeed You! Black Emperor Luciferian Towers

The Canadian experimental rock collective, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, kicked off the North American leg of their 'Luciferian Towers' tour at the gorgeous Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale, Pennsylvania last night (May 16.) The tour is in support of their sixth studio album Luciferian Towers which was released last year. Some critics dubbed this album as their best since 2000 opus Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven.

The instrumental music spans across many genres including noise, dark ambient, post-rock and drone. The influential post-rock band is a collective with many members who play an array of instruments, including a string section, tape loops, percussions, and members who focus solely on film projections during the live performance. The film projections alone are an integral part of their live experience.

"Hope Drone" - Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Their dedicated cult following made it out to Mr. Smalls for their kickoff show and were blown away with a seven-song setlist. Their songs can last anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes long, especially when performed live, so seven songs is more than enough to fill an entire hour, if not more. Although the tour is in support of their 2017 release, they only played three tracks off the album: "Bosses Hang," "Fam/Famine," and "Undoing a Luciferian Towers." The rest of the setlist was made up of songs off previous EPs, and the epic opener "Hope Drone," which is solely a live track that gets changed up with every tour. The setlist is an average one for the band, containing some of their most played songs live: "Hope Drone," "Moya" and "BBF3." Keep in mind, though, that these songs always get reworked and reinvented.