Buckethead
Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA
07.10.16
It has been over four years since Buckethead has toured the US, so it was a pretty surreal evening seeing the Neptune Theater packed wall-to-wall, looking sold out. The stage setup was pretty simple, two Marshall amps, two EVH heads, a few pedals, and some rope lights for floor illumination. A spare white Gibson Les Paul sat on the stand beside the amps.
Buckethead took to the stage at exactly 8:30pm, dressed in an all-black long-sleeve spandex top and a t-shirt with his trademark white mask and bucket. He wasnât wearing the traditional KFC bucket atop his long curly head of hair, though it has become the trademark of his namesake. A guitar and bass virtuoso who has been a solo artist since 1985, he played in Guns Nâ Roses for a 4-year stint, along with a number of other collaborations.
The tall, lanky guitarist demonstrated his dexterity through those long skinny fingers all over the fret board. On the second song he pretended to lip sync his playing with a grotesque mask throughout the song. The varied evening made it clear that Bucketheadâs playing defies categorization. From straightforward shredding, to slapping, and pull-offs, he played his guitar like a bass. There was progressive metal, funk, blues, jazz, bluegrass, ambient sounds, and quirky avant-garde music. It is impossible to actually define the musical ability of the mystery man himself, as his playing style is so unique.
He was an entertaining musician to watch, as he expressed himself through his guitar, and some funny robot like dancing many times during the performance. There was even a moment where he was doing some moves with nunchakus as his experimental soundtrack played. He had a set list, but it seemed all improvised and played on the fly. He broke out several familiar riffs and songs like âStar Wars Themeâ and âPurple Haze.â When I asked the sound engineer if he had a set list for this review he simply laughed and said he plays for about 2 hours, makes it up and improvises. How can it be though, when bass and drum audio back him to the songs? Pure musical genius!
He had no verbal interaction with the audience, but at one point held his guitar out to those in the front row to participate in strumming or picking some random elements of sound. Later he popped out with a large bag, handing out what seemed like CDâs but was unconfirmed.
It was great watching him play and seeing the audience reaction. Several fans were seen wearing his KFC bucketheads throughout the crowded room. Whether or not you can make of his look, you cannot mistake the sound of brilliance and diversity that we all witnessed. The wait was worth it.
Review and photos by Neil Lim Sang
Buckethead
