Four Thoughts from Minus the Bear at Granada Theater [Show Reviews]

This past Tuesday, indie math rockers Minus the Bear graced The Granada Theater with their current 10 year anniversary tour. Minus the Bear played to a packed house and rolled through a set that included a performance of their debut album, Highly Refined Pirates in its entirety. If nothing else, Minus the Bear got us in a thinking mood, and these are our key takeaways:

1. Minus the Bear is a modern take on Rush

@TheMark23 said it well – and we were already thinking that Minus the Bear owed much more to the prog rock of yesteryear then the math rock trend. A bit jamtastic and devoting more time to instrumentation then vocals. If we’re really honest with ourselves, Minus the Bear is more similar to a modern take on Rush, just without the high pitched vocals of Geddy Lee. Which brings us to our next point…

2. Like contact highs? Granada Theater was the place to be

Never before has the Granada Theater been so hazy. Not that we’re complaining, mind you, but you know, it got us thinking…

3. Minus the Bear fans are super serious

We’re not kidding. They’re so into the band they wear the band’s t-shirt to the show. Yep. Those guys!

4. Minus the Bear fans should see this tour

This is a fantastic tour to go see if you’re a Minus the Bear fan. Usually by the time a band has a full decade and four albums under their belt, they’re not always reaching back into the catalog to play the deep cuts from their first album. Unless you happened to catch them live in 2002, this is probably your first chance to hear many of the songs off that 2002 gem.