Godspeed You! Black Emperor at Basilica Hudson, Hudson, NY, September 9, 2023

After the typical half hour wait for any headliner, the murmur of background noise composed of radio transmissions sotto beats and overlaid static brought the audience to attention. Then the opening buzz of “Hope Drone” overlaid with distorted film loops of leaves in the sunlight projected through a glass bowl, distorting the images, complimenting the distortion coming off the instruments on the stage. Beginning with Thierry Amar cradling his stand up acoustic Bass, each member individually, adding their pulse to the Zen like musical chant as the other film projectors came on line, projecting a scrawled image of the word HOPE scratched directly into the film, it’s frenetic plea; hope, Hope, HOPE, over the bands psychedelic musical meditation.

A seamless transition into “First of the Last Glaciers” led by violinist, Sophie Trudeau. Guitarists Efrim Menuck and David Bryant anchored the corners of the stage, slowly increasing their intensity, matching the climbing, surging rhythms laid down by drummer Aiden Girt. Even with the all out aural assault there’s still a beat, a primitive tribal repetition. Not a head banging violence but small and heavy movements that carry your body away like being caught in the undertow of strong surf from a might ocean. Blood red overlays accompany the film projections washing over the band. When the song ends the deafening silence erupts in cheers and applause. The audience, long holding their breath, waiting for a chance to join with the band, release a cathartic wave of emotion.

Once again Sophie Trudeau leads the group into the highlight feel good “hit” of the night “Bosses Hang Part 1”. The audience shivers collectively as the shimmering layers of guitar, bass, strings build to the songs legendary elegiac climax. The heavy swinging rhythm crashing through the packed bodies like a storm with occasional purple flashes of heat lightning visible behind the band through the huge, high windows of the Basilca Hudson warehouse space.

With the mood well established they launch into Cliffs Gaze, guitars coming to the forefront of the sonic wash of notes and noise. The audience is now perfectly in sync with band, their eyes locked, attention rapt. I even see some tears in the corner of people’s eyes.

Then, going all the way back to the year 2000,” World Police and Friendly Fire” fill the hall with the shuffling beat and shrill, nervous energy that made the album “Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven” the genre defining statement of post-rock.

For the show’s climax, the epic storytelling of “Blaise Bailey Finnegan III”, the loud-soft-loud pattern like a church call and respond for the listeners; giving the audience a way to begin to power down and absorb the musical journey they’ve just taken. After the applause and cheers die away and over the static in your ears you can hear the fans talking to each other and to themselves, giving quiet, minimal and precise praise; not wanting to break the spell of collective worship that has been cast.