Amon Tobin ISAM 2.0 - Live at House of Blues Boston [9.12.12]

Amon Tobin‘s ISAM project is the epitome of “pushing the envelope” of today’s live concert experience. Leading the pack by a lap in visual-auditory integration, ISAM is as stimulating as it is mesmerizing. The near-capacity crowd at the House of Blues for Amon Tobin’s performance in Boston was older and more mature than the average electronic music show, poised and ready for the experience as it began around 9pm. While most knew not to expect an all out dance party, with the exception of the very occasional frustrated bro who was hoping to grind on babes all night, it seemed as if many there had no premonition of having to reassemble their mind’s contents by the conclusion of the show.

My second time experiencing ISAM, the first being Camp Bisco XI in July, I was well aware of what to expect, but none the less could not wait to catch the show indoors in an acoustically sound concert hall setting. Not to mention, ISAM 2.0 is supposedly twice as large as the first version. While photographs do the performance more justice than words could ever do, I must add I was not disappointed for a second. Textural layers of organized sound blended perfectly with visual sequences projected over a 3-dimensional tetris of video-mapped blocks, allowing those in attendance to sonically interpret what they were seeing to a level of psychedelic nirvana. Enclosed dead center in the middle of the blocks was Amon Tobin’s control booth, which could be concealed and revealed at will. As the visual display captivated attention like a black hole, Amon Tobin manipulated the audience like marionettes, appropriately doing his thing in a space suit for the majority of the performance.

Be sure to catch ISAM 2.0 in a city near you, currently on the west coast leg of their tour, I’d highly recommend it for electronic music fans of all ages and inclinations. Enjoy the photo album below and check out the behind the scenes video for more information on the ISAM project.