DOWN: Quarter Century Throwdown Live Stream – Review

by , September 28, 2020

You missed the Down Quarter Century Throwdown Live Stream? Got busy? Forgot? Maybe you didn’t know about the gig? No worries. You came to the right place. I’m going to give you a rundown of the Throwdown which was a damn good show. Events like this will not alleviate your need for a live show where we can slam perniciously, but it can ease the pain. And isn’t Down all about pain? The pain in Phil’s voice and the pain in the lyrics are the very epitome of Down.

The Introduction 

Phil Anselmo comes on to welcome you to the event! The music is coming shortly, but first, Phil wants you to hear from the Houma Nation. Down shows a deep connection with the Native American Tribe that lives precariously in deep Southern Louisiana. Principal Chief Creppel, Sea Eagle Dances, introduces himself and proceeds to effectively educate us. This five minute Cultural short is worthy of watching. Don’t worry, we will see Chief Creppel later. There is also the offer to buy a T-shirt that celebrates the connection of Down to the Houma Nation. You can order yours @ https://shop.down-nola.com/products/houma-down-tee . Of course, I have to note the plugs for Kirk Windstein’s new solo album, Dream in Motion, and Anselmo’s side project, En Minor; When The Cold Truth Has Worn Its Miserable Welcome Out. 

In the blink of an eye, a visual of a very enraged Hulk emerges from a taunting by Phil in a local bar and proceeds to punch a framed Falcons helmet picture! The hilarity ensues while the song Lifer is playing and Phil’s head is ripped off his body by The Hulk. Next comes a very nice collage of pictures and videos of Down and we settle down with the Band. Phil and Kirk sit on one couch, Pepper and Jimmy sit apart from them; they reminisce about their times together.  These anecdotes are sprinkled with videos, like one when Kirk was duct taped to a chair! Talk about hysterical!! Sprinkled in with our sit down are full and partial videos of Stone the Crow, Season of the Storm, and Witchtripper. We also get more Kirk shenanigans and videos of the guys just goofing around. This intro would be amiss without an Anselmo-in-his-prime video of Phil wanting to fight the blonde woman interviewing him at Download Fest, and then Hail the Leaf live at Download Fest plays. The closing of the Introduction honors all the fans who sent in videos of themselves. At six and a half minutes of fans, you certainly get the sense of love the fans have for Down. It’s a very fitting and touching end to a well-done introduction. 

The Show!

The stage is lit with blood red lights, and screens behind the drum kit hold dancing flames within the Down logo.  As our eyes adjust, we can see the band is already on stage. Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein on guitars, Pat Bruders on bass, Jimmy Bower at the kit, and our man Phil Anselmo at the mic. Cue our first song, Eyes of the South!  After a terrific opening, the lights turn to a familiar green and it’s time to Hail the Leaf!  Phil dedicates Hail the Leaf to everyone, and he means everyone. Our next song, Lifer, is dedicated to all the bands that they’ve toured with. LIFER!!! This song is a total Down classic!  Phil announces that the next song, Rehab, is dedicated to the Japanese people, Rehab hasn’t been played live since 2014.  The visuals of red and green lights in the previous songs are replaced by standard whites, and it’s too bright.  The stage is flanked by two additional video screens showing innocuous shapes.  The chemistry between Kirk and Pepper is unmistakable as the band slides into Losing All

The lights are dimmed a bit which creates a unique atmosphere. Australia gets the dedication from Phil for the next song, Pillars of Eternity. Pillars of Eternity kicks in with camera quick cuts on each member of the band. Phil is definitely one of those performers who draws his energy from the audience, and the effort of keeping up the intensity without a crowd is noticeable. Phil is a warrior though and he will drive himself despite this unwitting obstacle. Temptation’s Wings is dedicated to the U.K. Phil confesses this is a hard one for him to sing (maybe that’s why it hasn’t been played live since 2014). For a 52 year old Metal singer, he’s belting the hell out of it!  Underneath Everything is dedicated to Europe. Underneath Everything has also not been played live since 2014. How can Phil sing like that and chew gum? The Brothers and Sisters of South America get the dedication for Swan Song. After Swan Song, Pepper makes a request for Phil to dedicate the next song to the people of southwest Louisiana! Phil says, “Abso-fucking-lutely. Man. Everybody, everybody, how else can I put this? Everybody fucked by that Goddamn Hurricane Laura.” The ones that paid $9 to watch this live stream just got their money’s worth.  Stone the Crow is arguably the best song on NOLA – perhaps the best of the entire Down discography. To watch it live is worth the price of admission alone. 

You can probably YouTube this by now, that’s cool, but if you love watching this on YouTube, you really should get a T-shirt or make a donation to Houma Nation. This band deserves that respect. 

Jimmy comes out from behind the kit and sits down with the bongos. Ross Karpelman rises with keyboards. Jail hasn’t been played since 2008, the longest drought of all songs played during the livestream. This song is perfect for an at home pandemic live stream – – so powerful. The next three songs will be taken from Down II: A Bustle In Your Hedgerow. Mexico gets the dedication this time for Lysergik Funeral Procession. Almost immediately there’s a technical problem, but the band quickly regroups and continues to throw down relentlessly. After the song, Pepper apologizes that he was in the wrong key and Phil wants to blame Jimmy!  Phil loves so many people and Scandinavia gets the next dedication for Ghosts Along the Mississippi. Canada, Korea, New Zealand, Phil is running out of songs to dedicate to and has a big list! New Orleans also gets the shoutout for New Orleans is a Dying Whore (2013 was the last time this song was played live).  

For the finale, Phil proudly announces that the last song is dedicated to the Houma Nation.  Remember Chief Creppel? He joins the band on stage for this extended version of Bury Me in Smoke.  He dons his Houma Hand Drum and boldly chants in rhythm. At the closing of the song, three other people, one woman and two men come on stage and take over the strings.  Their identities are unknown at the time of writing. They sound great and play out the last three minutes. 

Denouement

Whether you are an extreme Down fan or you just like them, this live stream is worthy of watching. You won’t be disappointed. Everything about it is Down. Certainly, a DVD should be released before Christmas, but no announcement has been made. This live stream gets 4.9/5 stars. 

Thank you Matt Bacon and MB for your help on this article!

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