explosions in the sky tour reddit

Space and Distance: A Joint Interview With Balmorhea and Explosions in the Sky

How austin’s landmark instrumental outfits soundtrack the state of texas, by austin powell , fri., dec. 10, 2021.

Chris Hrasky wishes there was a better backstory to Big Bend (An Original Soundtrack for Public Television) , Explosions in the Sky's first new album in five years. A grueling hike on the South Rim Trail. A moment of clarity crossing the Rio Grande. A fleeting glimpse of the Pallid bat, stalking its prey under the stars. Something. Anything.

"There was no grand pilgrimage," Hrasky laments during an hour-long Zoom, his fraying beard marking the months of the pandemic. "That would've been awesome, but we're scattered across the map."

Explosions in the Sky – Hrasky on drums, guitarists Munaf Rayani and Mark Smith, bassist/guitarist Michael James – relied instead on their own vivid memories of Big Bend and the remarkable footage captured for the episode of PBS's longrunning Nature series that premiered in February. (Read our 2011 cover story with EITS for more.)

EITS is inextricably linked to West Texas. The band wrote 2003 landmark The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place hunkered down in Midland – where all but Hrasky originally hail from – and drew inspiration from the nearby Monahans Sandhills State Park. Their subsequent soundtrack for the film adaptation of Friday Night Lights captured the high-stakes drama and romanticism of small-town Texas football – and catapulted the group to national acclaim.

Big Bend operates on a different scale. The album's 20 compositions, extended from specific scenes in the documentary, piece together aspects of Texas' last frontier – the weathered cliffs, volcanic peaks, and staggering canyons – and score the remarkable rituals of the wild creatures that roam there. From the plight of the acorn woodpecker (which trust me, you really need to see) to the flight of Anna's hummingbirds, Explosions in the Sky captures what makes this National Park such a treasure.

To celebrate the release of the album, Hrasky sat down for a long conversation with Rob Lowe, co-founder of Balmorhea, another serenely dramatic Austin-based instrumental band whose deep catalog is imbued with Texas' natural beauty. The group's latest, The Wind , recorded at Nil Frahm's Funkhaus Saal 3 studio in Berlin and released in April on Germany's prestigious Deutsche Grammophon, offers an exercise in deep listening, contemplating the effects of climate change with understated sophistication and grace.

Hrasky and Lowe shared their thoughts on West Texas, breaking out of post-rock, and soundtracking these strange times.

Austin Chronicle: The Big Bend soundtrack strikes me as more of a personal project, something that hits close to home. How did it come to be?

Chris Hrasky: They contact us – I can't discern the movement of time anymore – definitely pre-pandemic, and we went out to lunch with the filmmakers and talked about it. We were just wrapping up touring and thought it would be an interesting thing to do. It seemed like a nice, low-stakes project to work on. It wasn't a Ken Burns documentary or anything [laughs]. It was just an hour-long episode of Nature, the PBS show. The guy who was the cinematographer of the episode lives in Austin and is a fan of the band. We just thought it would make sense.

We sent demos to each other over a year, a couple of years. I don't know how long it was. We finished it about a year ago, but it's just seeing the light of day now.

AC: What did the band do to prepare for the soundtrack? Did you spend any time out there together?

CH: No. That would've been awesome, but we're scattered across the map. Mike [James] is in Los Angeles these days, Munaf [Rayani] is in Detroit, Mark [Smith] and I are in Austin. There's kids, and we had just finished two years of touring.

We started just sending stuff back and forth. There was no real timeline or pressure. Honestly, we looked at it as a way to start working on some new stuff. We tend to write a record, record it, release it, and then tour it for a couple of years, and in that time, we don't write music at all. We're not good at that sort of thing. We're slow.

Eventually, last summer, for about three months, we really focused on it and finished it up last fall. There was no grand pilgrimage out to Big Bend. We've spent a lot of time out in West Texas, for sure. The other three dudes are obviously from Midland.

Rob Lowe: Which is also where I'm from, coincidentally. It's a strange place to share in that way.

CH: And I lived in Midland for about six months in 2002. We all left Austin and moved to Midland because we could live really cheaply, and we got this practice space that we could go to in the basement of some downtown building that we could go to from 9 at night until 6 in the morning, if we wanted to. That's mostly where we wrote The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place.

RL: I would've been a junior in high school. I would've been dumbfounded to know that was happening there. I graduated in 2003 and moved to Austin. That's probably when I actually heard Explosions in the Sky.

CH: We were in these apartments right behind Albertsons, next to this decrepit old movie theater.

RL: That's probably the most heat musically Midland has ever felt, those six months.

CH: On my own, I've gone to Big Bend, and we have some friends in Terlingua, which is weird to have more than one, because there are so few people there.

AC: It's my understanding that in that Midland phase you also spent a lot of time out at Monahans [Sandhills State Park] and took some inspiration from that experience.

CH: We did. I had never been out there. I grew up outside of Chicago. We'd go out there every once in a while, late at night. We had this giant boombox, and we'd play back recordings we did or just listen to records lying out there. It was like being on another planet. We don't do stuff like that anymore because we're all old. But I do miss some of that, "Let's go out to the desert and listen to music." We probably should.

AC: We would all benefit from that.

RL: It's kind of a function of growing up out there. Any small town would be similar. There's not a lot to do so you just find yourself creating your own situations. I didn't have any shows to go to. There wasn't a scene at all.

CH: What high school did you go to?

RL: I went to Lee High School for my freshman and sophomore years, and then I transferred to a private school, Trinity, for my junior and senior years. But I grew up in public schools, so I really understand and relate to the football side of things, though I hated that world when I lived there.

CH: So did those guys.

AC: That's quite ironic.

CH: It is. I mean, we're all sports fans, but they were going to school with these guys, and they're not the nicest dudes in the world.

RL: And at that age, you're building your world. If you're into music, or I was into theater, that becomes diametrically opposed to football. You have to choose one.

CH: The battle lines are drawn pretty clearly.

RL: It is ironic. You guys basically created the sound of football.

CH: It's still a weird thing for us. We did the soundtrack to the movie 17 years ago, and there are people who tell us how much they love the Friday Night Lights soundtrack and tell us it's the best thing we've ever done. It's not. But we're thankful for it. It helped us a lot.

AC: Reflecting on Big Bend – the landscape, the scale of it all, and the soundtrack – do you feel a connection between Explosions in the Sky and West Texas?

CH: I'm the drummer, so I'm really reacting to the melodies that they're writing, and I can feel it filtered through their experiences, just growing up weirdos in Midland. But there's nothing specific about it to me. It's not the sound of West Texas. To me, this music sounds like Northern Illinois, because that's where I grew up, and that weird loneliness is everywhere, whether it's in the desert or the suburbs of Chicago.

It's weird. We came up with a lot of ideas, but we didn't score it until the end, really the last couple of weeks. It ended up being about two weeks of crazy amounts of editing. They didn't have a music editor or anything. We were just editing things to the scenes. In the past, the movies have had music editors, and we'd just give them the stuff and they'd figure out how to place it properly. I don't think that answered the question at all.

AC: I think it speaks to an element of both Explosions and Balmorhea. There are specific places and scenes that have become associated with the music, but it's still really open and personal.

CH: Being instrumental certainly lends itself to that. But I don't think of our music as the sound of West Texas. And when I listen to [Balmorhea], I don't get that sense. It makes sense that you're on [German record label] Deutsche Grammophon. It fits into that world. It feels bigger to me than West Texas.

RL: With instrumental music, you're often trying to express stuff without language, sometimes simple emotions, sometimes complex, sometimes any number of things that could be interpreted differently by different people. But I think a lot of times it's easier to assign meaning through a place – a sense of what a desert evokes, or for us, it's often the ocean – than it is to get in and talk about what this music is making us feel emotionally in this moment.

AC: That said, Rob, as I was watching the documentary, I was reminded of was that [William B. DeWees] quote [from Letters From an Early Settler of Texas to a Friend] that's on the inside cover of All Is Wild, All Is Silent: "I have never witnessed a sight of the kind, which, in my opinion, was more beautiful than this. The color of it is far deeper and richer than any I have ever before seen. ... Yet we are in a country with which we are entirely unacquainted; no road, no compass, and at the point of starvation." That record really seemed grounded in a sense of place.

RL: I think that's why I think we found meaning in that particular journal at that time. This experience that you often get with a place, and it doesn't have to be in a desert or a national park – it could be in your neighborhood or wherever – but in a lot of ways I think that what we do correlates to those types of experience that have a sense of awe. It felt like a good analogy for us to use that quote for that record and those writings as a parallel for the types of ideas we were exploring.

CH: When I think about the stuff we did for Big Bend, a lot of it fits the movie well, but there's a lot of playfulness to it, much more so than what we typically do. I love Big Bend, but it's a very intimidating place – not just because it's out in the wilderness. It's not the Smoky Mountains or Yellowstone. It's harsh. It's an intimidating, inhospitable place. It's humbling to be out there. You don't matter. This place will kill you if it needs to. I don't know if the soundtrack reflects that very well.

RL: The thing with Big Bend is you need to just pick one thing and stick to it. It's too big. There's too much to try to accomplish more than one hike in a day. You just need to settle into one thing. It's one of my favorite places. I went there a lot as a kid and still go frequently, but it is a little intimidating.

CH: It offers a stark reminder: We don't matter. You go to Yellowstone and there's gift shops everywhere and bad traffic. You go to Big Bend, it's the least-visited national park [in the lower 48], which makes sense, because the closest airport is El Paso, four hours away. There's something about the isolation there that I find really attractive and terrifying. I fantasize that I could go live out there, but I don't think I actually could. I think I would go crazy.

RL: It's been really important for us to try to get outside of our home and try to spend time in similar remote places when we're trying to write music. Just for us focus-wise, that gets harder and harder the older we get.

CH: That's totally what we want to do, but like I said, we're scattered. Now it's about trying to cram in as much as we can when we can. We meet up every few weeks these days, usually here in Austin to work on stuff. But the idea of us going somewhere open-ended to work on stuff, it's just difficult.

RL: It becomes a party of 20 or whatever.

CH: It just doesn't seem possible for us right now. Maybe in 20 years, but who knows what we'll be doing in 20 years. It's just what happens. We started the band when we were young. Other things come into your life. We have to figure out a way to get out into the middle of nowhere for a while. That would be ideal.

AC: I'm glad you mentioned the playfulness. There's a difference between what you hear in the movie and what's on the soundtrack. It's much lighter, almost whimsical at times on the screen.

CH: That's true. The soundtrack feels very different.

AC: I loved that, actually. You can't have that dark, desolate sound if it's a scene of a beaver's grooming ritual.

CH: They had sent us clips, so we knew there was a lot of funny footage of goats playing and things of that nature. There's a lot we left off the soundtrack because it was way too playful. It sounded like cartoon music. It worked for the scene, but not really for us.

RL: Did you guys have fun with that? Did it come easily?

CH: Almost too easily. Here's this cute, little funny sound. Put that in. It was easy, but it's not what we necessarily wanted to present on the record.

AC: From my perspective, there was a struggle for a while to figure out how to sound like Explosions without sounding like Explosions, how to keep moving forward. The soundtrack seems like a good vehicle for that.

CH: It's interesting because I feel the soundtrack is really streamlined, and there's some bright stuff on it. But then the stuff we've been working on the last few months is sprawling and fairly unpleasant, which is a new realm for us. We've had stuff that's heavy, but the new stuff kinda makes me feel unsettled, which is clearly a reflection on how everyone is feeling these days.

The problem with us is that anytime there's time off between projects, it's like, "What are we doing? How did we write songs in the past?" There seems to be no map or path for us. I don't mean that in a cool, we-just-go-with-it way. It's like, literally, how do people write songs? It's very difficult, and it takes us a while.

RL: I feel the same way. It doesn't get easier.

CH: If anything it's gotten harder. We used to be way more prolific. Obviously circumstances change, but you also just become so critical. It takes way longer for us to write music than it used to.

AC: For you, Rob, with each new release, Balmorhea seems very intentional about turning a new page. Can you tell me about the inspiration for The Wind?

RL: We recorded it in Germany in October of 2019, and finished mixing and tracking in December, so it was right before the pandemic. It really feels like a different world, a different era to look back on. For us, we had closed a certain chapter with Clear Language . We viewed that as a set in a way. We didn't have any obligation to a record label. We didn't have a sense of where we wanted to take it, except that we wanted to take it back to the roots of the beginning – not necessarily in terms of the music but how we went about writing it. Mike [Muller] and I wanted to spend a lot more time in a room together just trying to write songs that work with just a piano and a guitar. Let's see if we can get the core of these songs to work in a real place instead of getting into the studio and layering.

We recorded the album in Germany and just working in that studio was really incredible and had such a strong sense of place. It's a studio called Saal 3 out of Funkhaus. It's a historical studio, and that added a lot to the sound, but it was really about Mike and I trying to write and connect in a way we hadn't in a few years.

AC: Going back to those early days of Balmorhea, you started in the shadow of Explosions in the Sky. Even if you could avoid their influence, the comparisons were inescapable. How did that impact your approach?

RL: You guys were such a huge inspiration. Mike and I were talking this morning, and we both have such a vivid memory of seeing you guys at The Parish. It must've been 2004. The energy that we got from that show, and a time when Mike and I were just starting to become friends. You guys were a huge influence and helped us commit to what we wanted to do, even though I think musically it was quite different.

CH: It's a totally different thing, to my ears at least.

RL: Yeah, but being in this city, at that time, writing instrumental music, it was inescapable, in the best possible way. I would venture to guess, for the majority of our career, if we went to an interview that didn't mention Explosions in the Sky, that would be in the 2% rare category.

CH: For us, if the term post-rock was not used, it's like it didn't happen.

RL: People are always looking for those categories. That's just how life is. Honestly, our music is not very easily classified. So I think "post-rock" helped us find an audience early on that has become maybe less relevant now. You're always going to push against whatever category or box people put you in, but as a much smaller band, we felt grateful just to be included in the community.

AC: Can you both just bring me up to speed on what you've been working on lately and how you're staying connected?

CH: We've been meeting up in Austin every six weeks or so, and we'll all be here for four or five days. And in that time, we'll spend all day, all night working on stuff and recording demos. In the interim, when we're apart, we're emailing recordings back and forth and snippets of ideas. "We can build this the next time we see each other," or, "We can focus on this for a few days." It's pretty regimented. You just have to adapt to life and family. It's just how it goes.

RL: Mike moved to LA just about a year ago, during the pandemic, and at the start of it, we didn't get together at all. But to the extent that it's been possible, when we weren't going through a crazy surge or having a baby, in my case, we've been getting together throughout this year. We're well on our way to our next record, but it's a weird time to be an artist. How do you know what you want to present? There's a lot that I've written that just feels like it doesn't fit anymore.

The whole world feels so pressurized. Music is such a release for both of us and a way to focus on intangible things and not have to look at all of the insanity that's in front of us, but it can be difficult to see what to present at a time like this, and it gets harder when you have a wave that keeps you apart for two months. It's challenging, but it's been challenging for everyone in the whole world. Some certainly more than others.

Chris, there are times when Mike and I are just not inspired. It's hard to write right now.

CH: Yeah. We have a ton of stuff, snippets of things here and there. We've finished two songs over the course of a few months, but sometimes you're working on things, and it's like you're doing it just for proof you've been doing something. Romantically, you'd like to think that these difficult times in the world will fuel you to create these great works, but I don't know. I have a very easy life, and I'm just exhausted. It's about trying to channel that anxiety into something productive, and that's difficult – not just with what's happening now but the encroachment of everything else that's coming. It can sap your energy.

RL: I was listening to this podcast with Jeff Tweedy the other day and he was talking about how part of his job is to protect his inspiration, and how difficult that can be as an artist. I found that to be very true of this moment in particular for myself – looking for that thing that propels you to create and contribute. It's a hard time to find that, when we're all stuck in our houses and contracted in a lot of ways. But I also know that when I look back on my own history of doing this kind of work, I'm always the most confused right before something comes into focus.

CH: It's that battle. You're in these weird depths that you feel like you're never going to get out of, and then you do, and everything snaps into focus a bit more. It's definitely weird. There's part of me, and I have to try to subdue it, but part of me that just thinks: Who cares anymore? That's an awful feeling, but you just have to push back on it. That feeling, of being doomed, washes over me a lot, but this is just the situation we're in right now. You have to try to contribute in some way or put some order to things.

RL: It's really easy to lose the sightline of why music matters when you're faced with real crisis. I have to remind myself very regularly that in the hardest moments of my life, music has been one of the only things that's a very tangible lifeline. I've been going back and listening to some very uncool things from my childhood. Everyone finds that comfort in their own way. In some ways, art or music, from my point of view over these last 18 months, is one of the things that grounds me.

I read this book a couple of years ago by Lewis Hyde called The Gift. It's a fantastic book about art. To reduce the idea of the book, he talked about art in its truest form operates mostly as a gift. I think there's a lot of things that go along with that, but when I look at my life and my own experiences, I feel that to be true. It can be difficult to remind yourself that you're part of this gift economy. To whatever extent you have any control or sense about who else out in the world might receive your gift, but I know I'm part of that chain, and that it's a gift to me too to be able to contribute. It's important to try to hold onto that, your part in this larger web of feelings and music and ideas that's being exchanged.

CH: The temptation to take that for granted is always present, but I get to make music with my best friends. This is my life.

RL: It's not just that, Chris. The music you've made has touched people in a very real way. It may be hyperbole to say you've saved some people's lives, and maybe it is in some ways, but music I do think has the power to really affect people that way.

CH: I can think of that only in the most abstract terms sometimes, like, "Oh yeah, people actually listen to this music." It doesn't really occur to me. I know that's the case. I know when we put something out, people are listening to it, but it doesn't really occur to me.

RL: Live shows are the easiest way to get that exchange, and we've all been deprived of that for so long. That's a bunch of people agreeing to come together in a place to share an experience. And when that gets taken away, it gets even more difficult.

CH: We haven't played since February 2020. We got home and two weeks later the world shut down. That's the longest we've ever gone as a band without playing live. It's just weird.

Balmorhea celebrates the release of The Wind at the Paramount Theatre on Friday, Dec. 17. Marisa Anderson & William Tyler open.

Balmorhea’s Michael A. Muller Reviews the New Explosions in the Sky

Big Bend (An Original Soundtrack for Public Television)

By Michael A. Muller

My first exposure to Explosions in the Sky was in 2001, shortly after their debut album, How Strange, Innocence , was released. For a photo-journalism class, I chose "live music" as my final project and, coincidentally, saw a show listing for EITS at Emo's soon thereafter. Just before their set began, I climbed onto the side edge of the dirty, thinly carpeted stage where I watched and photographed a wordless masterpiece in what would be the first of many performances of theirs I would witness over the years. Two plus decades later, EITS relegates their prescribed quiet-loud-quiet adage for broader, sensorial motifs in the original soundtrack for Big Bend: The Wild Frontier of Texas , which premiered this fall on PBS. Amid the hour-long journey, spacious percussion, acoustic guitars, subdued strings and sparse electronic elements ripple through the canyons and bluffs. A lighter, sweeter air surrounds this music. These are intimate motets that feel familiar yet hazy, like a half-forgotten dream. The music is encompassing – as rich and complex as the wide landscape it's in concert with here. With the bulk of the score hopeful and less intense than their earlier studio work, EITS still softly punches the emotional buttons they know best: simple, repeated melodies that imbue some nostalgic triumph with a brushstroke of solemnity. On my last listen through the final piece, "Human History," I close my eyes as spectral echoes gently slap off of the cliff face. The darkening stormhead forming above the mesa glows at the edges from the bright Texas sun just behind it.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

Support the Chronicle  

Austin Powell, Sept. 29, 2023

Libby Webster, April 8, 2016

Doug Freeman, Oct. 20, 2017

Austin Powell, Sept. 28, 2012

Nov. 3, 2023

Sept. 29, 2023

Explosions in the Sky , Balmorhea , Rob Lowe , Chris Hrasky , Munaf Rayani , Mark Smith , Michael James , PBS , Friday Night Lights , Big Bend , Michael A. Muller

Explosions in the Sky have announced their first tour since 2020. They’ll spend much of September crossing the United States before heading to Europe in November. Find the full list of dates for the band’s The End Tour below.

In 2021, Explosions in the Sky recorded the score for a nature documentary about Big Bend National Park . Two years prior, they celebrated their 20th anniversary with a world tour and reissues of their 2000 debut, How Strange, Innocence , and their 2005 LP, The Rescue (Travels in Constants Vol. 21) . Their last studio LP was 2016’s The Wilderness .

All products featured on Pitchfork are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Explosions in the Sky:

08-11 Portland, OR - Pioneer Courthouse Square 08-12-13 Seattle, WA - Day In Day Out Festival 08-16-19 Coura, Portugal - Vodafone Paredes de Coura 09-15 Houston, TX - The Lawn at White Oak Music 09-16 Dallas, TX - South Side Ballroom 09-18 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium 09-19 Atlanta, GA - The Eastern 09-21 St. Louis, MO - The Pageant 09-22 Omaha, NE - The Admiral Theater 09-23 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue 09-25 Chicago, IL - The Salt Shed 09-26 Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theater 09-28 Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater 09-29 Philadelphia, PA - Franklin Music Hall 09-30 New Haven, CT - College Street Music Hall 10-01 Boston, MA - Roadrunner 10-03 Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club 10-05 Brooklyn, NY - Kings Theatre 11-06 Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street 11-07 Manchester, England - Albert Hall 11-08 London, England - Troxy 11-09 Brussels, Belgium - Ancienne Belgique 11-11 Antwerp, Belgium - De Roma 11-13 Utrecht, Netherlands - TivoliVredenberg Grote Zaal 11-14 Berlin, Germany - Astra 11-15 Koln, Germany - Kantine 11-17 Paris, France - Bataclan 11-18 Lyon, France - L’EpicerieModerne 11-19 Barcelona, Spain - Sala Razzmatazz 11-20 Madrid, Spain - Riviera

By signing up you agree to our User Agreement (including the class action waiver and arbitration provisions ), our Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement and to receive marketing and account-related emails from Pitchfork. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

By Matthew Strauss

By Nina Corcoran

• Nov 14, 2023

Explosions In The Sky - The End Tour -Review

All 📸 by Alexis Panidis

The majestic Albert Hall came alive with the entrancing melodies of Explosions in the Sky, weaving an auditory tapestry that continues to resonate within me. This band takes me on a trip down memory lane, back to the days when my understanding of good music was, admittedly, a bit naive. I vividly recall rifling through my friend’s extensive vinyl collection when 'The Wilderness' caught my eye. Its vibrant, geometric cover stood out amidst the sea of plain black records. Curious, I turned to my friend and asked, "What's this?" His face lit up with excitement as he held the album aloft, proclaiming, "This is post-rock; this is Explosions in the Sky," with a reverence as if he had just been given the Ten Commandments by God Himself.

From the very first note that resonated from the turntable, I was spellbound. My musical horizons were broadened like never before, ushering me into an awe-inspiring world of exploratory sounds, mesmerizing riffs, and lush soundscapes. Since that moment, I had harbored an ardent desire to experience their music live and to own my personal copy of 'The Wilderness'. Attending their gig at Albert Hall was more than just another concert - it was a milestone, a culmination of my musical journey with them. And indeed, it was everything I had hoped for and more.

Doors opening at 7pm, we got to the venue at 10 past with the job of securing an incredible spot which I would suggest anyone going to Albert Hall to follow suite. Top left is my go to place, we waited - should have brought a cushion as the benches do numb your arse giving me flashbacks to year 6 in primary school when you can sit on the benches at assembly.

The Texas superstars asked Stockport band Derailer to open the night. Tasked with setting the tone, these musicians took to the stage well, delivering a set well in line with the explorative sound of Explosions In The Sky. They commanded the audience, who perhaps may not have known them, but warmed our hearts and sufficed our appetite for a while longer as we eagerly awaited EITS.

In the intermission's buzz, heightened by Derailer's rocking set, I found myself running donw the steps to gain a copy of 'The Wilderness' vinyl, a treasure that will has given me a full circle moment into good music, a tear dropped I was happy and omplete as I then had to run up two flights of stairs, pain in my chest to sit down for the opening moments that we were all waiting for.

As the lights dimmed and the atmospheric smoked oozed out into the crowd Explosions in the Sky, the band that ushered me into the expansive realm of post-rock, took to the stage. the people erupted, they struck their chords and so the hour and half of pure instrumentalism began.

As masters of post-rock, Explosions in the Sky have a unique gift for creating soundscapes that are both intimately personal and grandly cinematic. Their performance at Albert Hall was a testament to this, taking the audience on a profound auditory journey.

The concert opened with " First Breath After Coma ", its delicate strums blossoming into a powerful crescendo, setting the tone for a night of dreamlike transitions and emotional depth. This opening piece seamlessly gave way to " Catastrophe and the Cure ", from their 2007 Album (and another of my faves) ' All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone ', a track that, like a rollercoaster, swayed between introspective melodies and peaks of euphoria, capturing a spectrum of emotions in its wake.

As the evening progressed, " All Mountains " emerged as a standout performance. This track, like a climb to the summit of a high peak, brought the audience to new heights of sensory experience, each guitar strum echoing the band's remarkable musical prowess.

Building on this crescendo, " The Only Moment We Were Alone " unfolded like a grand narrative. This epic composition, embodying the quintessence of the band's sound, enveloped the audience in a wave of emotive force, creating a moment suspended in musical transcendence.

In perfect synchrony, each member of Explosions in the Sky meshed like gears in a well-oiled machine, their harmonious interplay a testament to their profound connection and extraordinary capabilities as artists. The audience, whether seated or standing, was utterly captivated, swept up in the band's commanding presence and the sheer intensity they brought to the stage. Given that much of their performance is instrumental, it was impossible to divert one's gaze even for a moment. Each composition seamlessly transitioned into the next, their graceful flow punctuated by waves of applause that seemed to reverberate through the venerable walls of Albert Hall.

The concert drew to a close with " Your Hand in Mine ", a track that felt like a serene afterword to the evening's emotional storm. This closing piece left the crowd in a reflective hush, a fitting conclusion to a night that was less a series of performances and more a continuous, flowing odyssey of sound.

In essence, Explosions in the Sky's show at Albert Hall wasn't just a concert; it was an intertwined narrative of music and emotion, a journey through sound that resonated with the soul. Their ability to connect a sequence of individual tracks into a cohesive, emotive experience is what continues to define them as luminaries in the post-rock genre. We cannot wait to see them again and add another vinyl to our collection!

Explosions in the sky - Instagram // Spotify // Web

• Live Music Reviews

Recent Posts

WHP | Repercussions 16.09.23 Review

An Interview with Taurine + Single Review

City And Colour - Albert Hall MCR

Coco Varda Music Links

• Moscow concerts Moscow concerts Moscow concerts See all Moscow concerts ( Change location ) Today · Next 7 days · Next 30 days
• Most popular artists worldwide
• Trending artists worldwide

• Tourbox for artists

Search for events or artists

• Sign up Log in

• Get the app
• Moscow concerts
• Change location
• Popular Artists
• Live streams
• Deutsch Português
• Popular artists

Explosions in the Sky  

• On tour: yes
• Explosions in the Sky is not playing near you. View all concerts
• Moscow, Russian Federation Change location

359,646 fans get concert alerts for this artist.

Join Songkick to track Explosions in the Sky and get concert alerts when they play near you.

Nearest concert to you

Acieloaperto Festival

Touring outside your city

Be the first to know when they tour near Moscow, Russian Federation

Join 359,646 fans getting concert alerts for this artist

Upcoming concerts (12) See all

The Powerstation

OLT Rivierenhof

Paradiso Grote Zaal

Ypsigrock 2024 / Day 2

Rocca Malatestiana

Galvanizers, SWG3

Boiler Shop

View all upcoming concerts 12

Similar artists with upcoming concerts

Tours most with.

Explosions in the Sky (formed in 1999) is an American post-rock band that has surpassed the popularity of the post-rock genre with their instrumental-driven, symphonic playing style, hailing from Austin, Texas, U.S.

Formerly of the moniker Breaker Morant, Explosions of the Sky was formed in 1999 by drummer Chris Hrasky and guitarists Michael James, Munaf Rayani, and Mark Smith. The band made their debut recording at KVRX with the track “Remember Me as a Time of Day”, followed by the group’s full-length debut “How Strange, Innocence”. Distributed locally on CD-Rs, the album earned Explosions in the Sky a small local following and rehearsal footage found its way onto the feature film “Cicadas”, which later won an Austin Film Festival award.

Shortly after, the band signed with Temporary Residence Limited after fellow Austin band The American Analog Set submitted an Explosions in the Sky demo. The group’s sophomore album “Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever” came under particular scrutiny for the connections with the September 11 World Trade Centre attacks. The album art work depicted an airplane with the caption “This Plane Will Crash Tomorrow” and was released on September 4, 2001. Explosions in the Sky supported the release opening for post-rock band Fugazi in 2002 and went on to release their poignantly-thick third studio album “The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place”. The album continued the band’s luscious and layered trend of musical production, however introduced an element of predictability that had been absent on its predecessors.

In 2004 the band scored the soundtrack to the 2004 film “Friday Night Lights”, and a year later re-released “Explosions in the Sky” to a growing and enthusiastic fan base. 2007’s “All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone” once again introduced a beautifully layered and unpretentiously chaotic album, followed four years later by “Take Care, Take Care, Take Care” once again on Temporary Residence. With the success of “Friday Night Lights” the band scored the soundtrack to the David Gordon Green film “Prince Avalanche” in 2013 and “Manglehorn” in 2014.

Live reviews

Let's start with the fact that I came in 40 minutes before the opening of the Roxy, did not expect, but in front of me stood 40 bodies, I met a friend from Russia, which left at the end, during this time i could see the bus for group and transport equipment. Czech warm-up appeared, they started playing music in the post-rock genre with psychedelic vocals in some moments, it is not surprising to me. After an hour they said goodbye, got good applause, and the time of waiting, when the first not much goes their chief technician and part of their main Rowdy and begins to check the equipment with other techniques, all of course professionally and very quickly. Well, that's the time when the band takes the stage smoothly, fly obligatory applause in length to the first composition, they are starting to make a re-review of its instruments, the setting, the group makes a lot of preparations before the concert, so the first few minutes of an organized moment. Traditionally Munaf says something on the language of the country where they stand, but he says that the Czech complicated language and could not understand it, in other matters, I understand it. When they played the first notes of Wilderness, I have as much goose bumps, next I'll be a little philosophize, Catastrophe, which is just awakened and opened the accumulated rage and let it go, it was very relaxed and easy on the soul. Greet Death, oh, it is simply a positive aggression that tells you "do in the life what you want and do not listen to anyone," a third-minute begins incredibly beautiful ambient instrumental that made me open it on a new, and love. Ecstatics returns positive energy and gives the mind a rest, First Breath After Coma, for me it is something more because combines motivation, struggle with himself, however this is not true obsession. Under The Birth and the Death I just withdrew into himself,i closed eyes, I had so many bright colors, sensations, I just enjoyed it. With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, for me it has always been a kind and difficult, but on a ninth minute waiting for a very nice surprise melancholic. Here eits acted very cleverly, Colors in Space, is perhaps the most relaxing for me, and it is smart because it really gives time to relax before two very beautiful and emotional creatures. I knew every song from the set list so it was very easy to listen and anticipate each note, it was clean, no bugs, traveled of delays, lost fingers on the other trouble, smooth, even too much, all perfectly trained. By tradition, the last 3 of the track: Your Hand in Mine, on something bracing, in my case it Disintegration Anxiety, to be prepared for a rather emotional and, in my opinion, with respect to the best The Only Moment We Were Alone, which may seem incredible if you listen to it several times.

At the last note Munaf effectively cut down the light, the rest of the band left to applause. That's all, my hands were given automatic applause for 5 minutes, as well as everyone do.

Report as inappropriate

Where, so often, post-rock live shows can represent exercises in overblown self-indulgence, Explosions in the Sky do their best to bring things back to basics. The Texans tick all of the right boxes for instrumental rock; setlist staple ‘The Only Moment We Were Alone’ has the exhilarating, sudden jumps between loud and quiet guitars covered, whilst cuts from latest record Take Care, Take Care, Take Care - such as the gorgeous ‘Postcard from 1952’ - have delicacy and nuance covered, too. They seem to have fallen into the positive habit of avoiding most of the obvious post-rock pitfalls, too; their sets tend to run to around the ninety minute mark, relatively pithy for their genre, and there’s no paranoid over-reliance on garish visuals to somehow make up for the lack of a frontman - the Texan state flag draped over an amp is about as showy as the spectacle usually gets. They’re living proof that instrumental music can be life-affirming without resorting to melodrama, and genuinely evocative without needing to be overly dark; with a seventh studio album surely not too far away now, it shouldn’t be long before a protracted UK absence is brought noisily to an end.

The post rock quartet Explosions In the Sky have been touring for over fifteen years and in this time they have become masterful instrumentalists due to the ability to continuously tweak and develop a live show whilst constantly testing out new material and differentiation with the baying crowds that continue to flock to their stage.

Despite having recently took off commercially in the US, they are still considered an acquired taste in the UK yet their latest tour could have easily turned around even the most skeptical of critic. Beginning with a celestial, dreamy 'Postcard From 1952' the band briskly gets to work proving exactly why they have garnered such critical acclaim.

The audience is instantly transfixed beneath the hazy multicoloured smoke as the band weave tales through their riffs and percussion. The poignancy of the vocal found on 'Catastrophe and the Cure' is chilling and by the finale of 'The Moon Is Down' the crowd is so secure and comfortable within the ethereal, majestic world of Explosions In the Sky it makes reality seem somewhat of a disappointment.

I've been lucky this summer. I've seen Explosions In The Sky twice. Thankfully, one of those shows was at a venue with a decent sound system. Or a decent sound guy. Or both.

Sadly, last night's show was a disappointment based purely on the sound. The visuals, marrying the amazing, emotive soundscapes with such atmospheric lighting creates a wildly impressive experience which worked in the Academy as well as at a much smaller venue earlier on this tour.

What really disappointed was the quality of sound coming from the stacks at the numerous drops, either screeching with feedback and little else or filling the room with the dull thud of the bass and low-range drums. I left well before the end, disappointed that a band with such captivating music failed to truly excite a partisan crowd.

Surely I wasn't the only one to feel sorry for both the band and the crowd who'd made as much effort to be there as the five guys on stage? The connection was clearly there, just not through the sound.

When I discovered Explosions in the Sky I was at least 15 years old and I was very impressed by the feelings they gave me when listening to their music, 15 years later the feeling is still alive and seeing them live has been, personally, one of the experiences most rewarding of my life, for the long wait, for the reward. The sound was beautiful, as far as they are concerned, its performance was impeccable (maybe the sound of the room was not the most appropriate but let's say that in terms of quality we give it 85%). Each passage of the concert has been magical and unforgettable. Many thanks to Explosions in the Sky for reviving me once again.

This was one of the very best live shows I have ever seen. The band hardly talks at all--they just show up and play with feeling. They didn't miss a single note, and the audience gets a chance to see how some of the more creative sounds are made (i.e., Munaf Rayani letting the reverberations from the different amps play the strings of his guitar). The music only stops when silence is the appropriate sound; the rest of the show is nonstop, one song bleeding over into the next. The synchronized lighting was true art. The band's capacity for putting 100% of their emotion into each song was amazing to see.

It's been a long 5 years since I've seen them and wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't think they could get any better than the last time I saw them live, but I was wrong. It was an Amazing show at Terminal 5. They've added another musician to the live act, which I was not aware of before the show. Originally wasn't crazy about the newest album, but I grew on me and after seeing 4 of the new songs performed live, I am now a huge fan of the new album. Setlist available at:

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/explosions-in-the-sky/2016/terminal-5-new-york-ny-bfde93e.html

The venue is really nice and the performance was flawless. It was done in a way where one song blends with the next.

Acoustics of the Fox Theater suck for loud concerts though, the reverb was making it sound very busy at times and the subtleties of the new album's glitches and electronics were mostly gone.

As for the band, they not only don't have lyrics, they also don't speak to the audience at all. And there's no encores. So that was unusual.

All in all though, we enjoyed the concert a lot.

Incredible and moving. They played a continuous set for over 90 minutes, seamlessly bridging each song. It was a sonic opera/opus. I've never had a concert experience like it before. They gave a true gift to the audience, and as I was watching I had the repeated thought, "Thank God for artists!" Restored my faith that there are really good people in this nation even if crooks, liars and power-hungry scum dominate our media, corporations and politics.

Seeing EitS live compared to listening to them on a home setup is a completely different experience - their concert could best be described as a living wall of noise, with almost no let-up between tracks. A stunning lightshow further adds to the intensity of the experience.

My main gripe would be that they didn't play Your Hand In Mine live, which was heartbreaking as it was the deciding factor in making me buy tickets to go see them.

Photos (56)

Posters (101)

Past concerts

Rotunda 2, KITEC

Capitol Theatre

Cain's Ballroom

View all past concerts

Explosions in the Sky tour dates and tickets 2024-2025 near you

Want to see Explosions in the Sky in concert? Find information on all of Explosions in the Sky’s upcoming concerts, tour dates and ticket information for 2024-2025.

Explosions in the Sky is not due to play near your location currently - but they are scheduled to play 12 concerts across 7 countries in 2024-2025. View all concerts.

Next 3 concerts:

• Auckland, New Zealand
• Brisbane, QLD, Australia
• Deurne, Belgium

Next concert:

Popularity ranking:

• The Libertines (1033)
• Explosions in th... (1034)
• Kurt Vile (1035)

Concerts played in 2024:

Touring history

Most played:

• Austin (24)
• Los Angeles (LA) (21)
• New York (NYC) (18)
• SF Bay Area (17)
• London (17)

Appears most with:

• Eluvium (66)
• Lichens (32)
• Four Tet (24)
• Nine Inch Nails (22)
• Zammuto (22)

Distance travelled:

Similar artists

• Most popular charts
• API information
• Brand guidelines
• Community guidelines
• Terms of use
• Privacy policy
• Cookies settings
• Cookies policy

Get your tour dates seen everywhere.

• But we really hope you love us.

• Consequence

Explosions in the Sky Extend “The End Tour” with 2024 Dates

In support of the band's latest album

Explosions in the Sky have extended their “The End Tour” to include a number of new dates in North America and Asia.

The band’s latest album, End , arrived this past September, marking their first full-length release in seven years. In support of the record, they embarked on a tour of North America and Europe this past fall. Now, they’re heading back out on the road for the new leg, which’ll begin with a pair of shows in Austin, Texas later this month.

Then, the band will take a few weeks off before heading to San Antonio, Texas for a show on January 19th. From there, they’ll bop around the Southwest and West Coast, playing cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, and more. After that, they’ll head to Asia for a handful of dates. Tickets will first go on sale via an artist pre-sale (sign-up here ), and will become available to the general public via Ticketmaster on Friday, December 8th, at 10:00 a.m. local time.

Once tickets are on sale, you can also find them at StubHub , where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. As for the band’s overseas dates, you can secure your seats via Viagogo .

For each of the new dates, Explosions in the Sky will be joined by local opening acts. According to the press release, the band’s plan to “curate local opening acts rather than selecting one established support band for the entire tour” is meant to “embody the album’s thematic embrace of the cycle of life.”

Get Explosion in the Sky Tickets Here

In November, Explosions in the Sky unveiled vinyl reissues in celebration of the 20th anniversaries of both 2001’s Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Live Forever and 2003’s The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place . Those albums, as well as End , are still available to purchase, with orders ongoing.

Explosions in the Sky 2023-2024 Tour Dates: Dec 15 – Moody Theater @ Austin, TX Dec 16 – Moody Theater @ Austin, TX Jan 19 – Paper Tiger @ San Antonio, TX Jan 20 – Lowbrow Palace @ El Paso, TX Jan 21 – Rialto Theatre @ Tucson, AZ Jan 22 – Van Buren @ Phoenix, AZ Jan 24 – The Wiltern @ Los Angeles, CA Jan 25 – The Wiltern @ Los Angeles, CA Jan 26 – Majestic Ventura Theater @ Ventura, CA Jan 27 –SOMA @ San Diego, CA Jan 29 – House of Blues @ Anaheim, CA Jan 30 – The Warfield @ San Francisco, CA Jan 31 – The Crown Room @ Lake Tahoe, NV Feb 2 – The Depot @ Salt Lake City, UT Feb 4 – Mission Ballroom @ Denver, CO Feb 6 – The Truman @ Kansas City, MO Feb 7 – Tower Theatre @ Oklahoma City, OK Feb 8 – Cain’s Ballroom @ Tulsa, OK Feb 28 – Capital Theatre @ Singapore Feb 29 – Jiospace Odeum @ Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Mar 2 – Pelupo Festival @ Pattaya City, Thailand Mar 4 – Rotunda KITEC @ Hong Kong, China

Personalized Stories

Around the web, latest stories.

Luke Combs' 2024 Stadium Tour: How to Get Last-Minute Tickets

April 6, 2024

How to Get Tickets for Andrea Bocelli's 2024 Holiday Tour

April 4, 2024

Built to Spill Announce There's Nothing Wrong with Love Anniversary Tour

Glass Animals Announce 2024 "Tour of Earth" Dates

How to Buy Tickets to $uicideboy$'s 2024 "Grey Day Tour"

Ben Folds to Reprise His "Paper Airplane Request Tour" in Summer 2024 [Updated]

April 3, 2024

How to Get Tickets to Adele’s Final Las Vegas Residency Shows

Goose Add New Slate of 2024 US Tour Dates

April 2, 2024

• Album Streams
• Upcoming Releases
• Film Trailers
• TV Trailers
• Pop Culture
• Album Reviews
• Concert Reviews
• Festival Coverage
• Film Reviews
• Cover Stories
• Hometowns of Consequence
• Song of the Week
• Album of the Month
• Behind the Boards
• Dustin ‘Em Off
• Track by Track
• Top 100 Songs Ever
• Crate Digging
• Best Albums of 2023
• Best Songs of 2023
• Best Films of 2023
• Best TV Shows of 2023
• Top Albums of All Time
• Festival News
• Festival Outlook
• How to Get Tickets
• Photo Galleries
• Consequence Daily
• The Story Behind the Song
• Kyle Meredith
• Stanning BTS
• In Defense of Ska
• Good for a Weekend
• Consequence UNCUT
• The Spark Parade
• Beyond the Boys Club
• Going There with Dr. Mike
• The What Podcast
• Consequence Uncut
• Behind the Boys Club
• Two for the Road
• 90 Seconds or Less
• Battle of the Badmate
• Video Essays
• News Roundup
• First Time I Heard
• Mining Metal

Theme Weeks

• Industrial Week
• Marvel Week
• Disney Week
• Foo Fighters Week
• TV Theme Song Week
• Sex in Cinema Week

Follow Consequence

• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Credit card rates
• Balance transfer credit cards
• Business credit cards
• Cash back credit cards
• Rewards credit cards
• Travel credit cards
• Checking accounts
• Online checking accounts
• High-yield savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Car insurance
• Home buying
• Options pit
• Investment ideas
• Research reports
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

Explosions in the Sky Announce 2023 “The End Tour” Dates

The post Explosions in the Sky Announce 2023 “The End Tour” Dates appeared first on Consequence .

Explosions in the Sky have very mysteriously announced a run of 2023 tour dates. The post-rock group will embark on “The End Tour” beginning this fall, and as for what the “end” actually entails here, your guess is as good as ours!

Much like Explosions in the Sky’s music, press materials for “The End Tour” are composed 0f very few words. We  do  know the dates, which begin on September 15th in Houston. The band will then make stops in cities including Dallas, Nashville, Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, and New Haven, before heading off to Europe; that leg will include shows in London, Dublin, Berlin, Barcelona, and more.

Still, no clues as to how “The End Tour” gets its name. For all we know it could be a farewell tour, a new album, or the anticipation of societal collapse. Either way, a ticket pre-sale begins tomorrow, April 19th, at 10:00 a.m. local using the fan code THEENDTOUR  or the LiveNation code VINYL . General sale follows this Friday, April 21st at 10:00 a.m. local, and you can grab yours at Ticketmaster .

Once tickets are on sale, you can also find them at StubHub , where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand. See Explosions in the Sky’s “The End Tour” itinerary below.

In 2021, Explosions in the Sky provided the score to the PBS documentary Big Bend: The Wild Frontier of Texas . They also landed on our recent list of the top 10 post-rock albums .

Explosions in the Sky 2023 Tour Dates: 09/15 – Houston, TX @ The Lawn at White Oak Music 09/16 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom 09/18 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium 09/19 – Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern 09/21 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant 09/22 – Omaha, NE @ The Admiral Theater 09/23 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue 09/25 – Chicago, IL @ The Salt Shed 09/26 – Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theater 09/28 – Cleveland, OH @ Agora Theater 09/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall 09/30 – New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall 10/01 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner 10/03 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club 11/06 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street 11/07 – Manchester, UK @ Albert Hall 11/08 – London, UK @ Troxy 11/09 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique 11/11 – Antwerp, BE @ De Roma 11/13 – Utrecht, NL @ TivoliVredenberg Grote Zaal 11/14 – Berlin, DE @ Astra 11/15 – Koln, DE @ Kantine 11/17 – Paris, FR @ Bataclan 11/18 – Lyon, FR @ L’Epicerie Moderne 11/19 – Barcelona, SP @ Sala Razzmatazz 11/20 – Madrid, SP @ Riviera

Explosions in the Sky Announce 2023 “The End Tour” Dates Abby Jones

Popular Posts

Blondie Dazzles Coachella with Help from Nile Rodgers: Video + Setlist

Soundgarden and Vicky Cornell Reconcile, Band's Final Songs to Be Released

Nicolas Cage Reveals His Five Favorite Nicolas Cage Movies: Watch

Matthew McConaughey Says He and Woody Harrelson Might Literally Be Brothers

Drake Bell Found After Reported Missing [Updated]

Gene Simmons Falls Ill During KISS Concert in Brazil, Performs While Seated: Watch

Subscribe to Consequence’s email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox.

Recommended Stories

Andrew siciliano, face of 'red zone channel,' and others out at nfl network, per report.

NFL Network is laying off four of its most popular and talented on-air personalities.

Stephen Strasburg retiring after years of injury struggles, and months-long standoff with Nationals

Stephen Strasburg made eight starts after signing a $245 million contract in 2019.

Rashee Rice didn't learn from the past, maybe other NFL players will learn from Rice

Rashee Rice should have taken a lesson from recent history.

Why gas prices in California ‘have gone ballistic'

California's gas prices have surged more than the rest of the nation as the state grapples with less output from its refineries.

NFL mock draft: Patriots trade out of No. 3 but still get their QB, and what do Bills do after Stefon Diggs trade?

As we turn toward the draft, here's Charles McDonald and Nate Tice's latest lively mock.

Vontae Davis, former NFL star, found dead in Miami home at age 35

Davis published a children's book about his life in 2019

Warriors take Rockets' Tari Eason to task for wearing taunting T-shirt on bench

The Warriors blew out the Rockets 133-110.

Royals owner's wife warns team could move to Kansas after ballpark funding proposal voted down

Marny Sherman, the wife of Kansas City Royals owner John Sherman, warned that Missouri could lose both the Royals and Kansas City Chiefs after a stadium funding proposal was voted down.

Welcome to MLB: Padres rookie strikes out on pitch to helmet, which ump got wrong

Graham Pauley has had better at-bats.

Rashee Rice apologizes for 'my part' in crash while injured couple reportedly lawyer up

Rice reportedly owned the Corvette and leased the Lamborghini involved in the crash.

Deep Friday Blues – The Grateful Dead (Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan) Shines On “It Hurts Me Too” Live ’72

LISTEN: Charlie & Margo Traverse From Calm To Blissfully Chaotic On “bug”

LISTEN: Jazz Collides With Synth Surrealism On Max Foreman’s “Letter of Resignation”

Cody Dickinson Announces Solo Album ‘Homemade’ Shares Rowdy First Single “Walk Right In”

New Orleans Musician Lynn Drury Finds Dockside Inspiration For Lively New LP ‘High Tide’ (ALBUM PREMIERE/INTERVIEW)

Hey You: Caitlin Cary Formerly of Whiskeytown Evolves Into Accomplished Multi-Media Artist (INTERVIEW)

John Fred Young Of Black Stone Cherry Serves Up Another Round of Candid Hard Rock Insights (INTERVIEW)

Hey You: Catching Up With Barrett Martin of Screaming Trees/Mad Season/Tuatara/Skin Yard

Album Reviews

Old 97’s Return to Clash-Meets-Cash Roots on ‘American Primitive’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Show Reviews

A Perfect Circle, Primus and Puscifer Help Celebrate Maynard James Keenan’s 60th at Boston (SHOW REVIEW/PHOTOS)

Television & Film

Music World Gives Payback To An Overlooked Legend On ‘Lee Fields: Faithful Man’ (FILM REVIEW)

DVD Reviews

1982’s ‘Around The World’ Covers The Police On Their First World Tour (DVD REVIEW)

Other Reviews

Bill Janovitz Chronicles the Story of Leon Russell in ‘The Master of Space and Time’s Journey Through Rock & Roll History’ (BOOK REVIEW)

Film Reviews

‘Licorice Pizza’ Can’t Carry Weight Of Its Parts (FILM REVIEW)

‘Loki’ Gives Us Loki vs. Loki in Episode 3 (TV REVIEW)

All the Movie Trailers from Super Bowl LIV

Commentary Tracks

2021 Holiday Movie Preview: ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife,’ ‘The Power of The Dog,’ ‘House of Gucci’ & More

50 Years Ago Today – Blue Öyster Cult Release ‘Secret Treaties’ Album

SONG/VIDEO PREMIERE: Cole Gallagher Displays Explosive ’70s Era Rock Chops On “Don’t You Know”

Ministry & Gary Numan Bring Dark Themes & Vigorous Anthems To Minneapolis’ Filmore (PHOTOS)

20 Years Later: Modest Mouse Breaks Beyond Cult Status With Accessible ‘Good News For People Who Love Bad News’

Vinyl lives.

Portland’s Record Pub Serves Up Vinyl, Brews & Weekly Gatherings (VINYL LIVES)

These Walls

Amherst’s The Drake Is Making New Musical History In The Pioneer Valley (THESE WALLS)

Vintage Stash

The Replacements’ ‘Tim’ Let It Bleed Edition Proves Worth As Discerning & Durable Retrospective

TIME OUT TAKE FIVE: Falkner Evans, Franco Ambrosetti, Jan Hammer & More

One Track Mind

Emerging Artist J.S. Ondara Makes Voyage From Kenya to Minnesota & Astounds With ‘Tales of America’ (INTERVIEW)

Suds & Sounds

Suds & Sounds: Beale Street Brewing Co. Celebrates Memphis Music Through Craft Beer

Hidden Track

Movie Review: Louis C.K.’s ‘Tommorow Night’

VIDEO PREMIERE: Thunder Boys Invest in Transformation with Guitar-driven Psych-folk on “Sorry Jars & Shooting Stars”

VIDEO PREMIERE: Jenny Don’t And The Spurs Show Off Serious Country Guitar Chops on “Pain In My Heart”

VIDEO PREMIERE: Yarn Return With Vibrant Americana Grooves On “Heart So Hard”

• September 14, 2023
• Album Reviews , Reviews

Explosions In The Sky Fire Up Another Slow Burning Epic On ‘End’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

photo credit Nick Simonite

• By Ryan Dillon
• One Comment

Explosions In The Sky has done exactly that. In a burst of pure musicianship, the band has gone further than most instrumental rock groups can say they’ve gone, racking up a plethora of soundtrack work and formulating a discography filled with timeless classics. The band has garnered a following through grandiose arrangements that span genres and tones all with no sense of urgency. The careful manipulation of their instruments forces their music to be measured but Explosions In The Sky still find ways to make their albums feel loose and warm. Such is the case for End , the band’s seventh studio outing. The album title is not referring to the band itself and thankfully so, Explosions In The Sky continue to expand on their signature sound over the course of seven face-melting tunes. Explosions In The Sky sounds as ambitious as ever on their latest outing, creating instrumentals that allow the most nuanced moments of these dense arrangements to shine in a daring attempt to create music that is vague yet direct in its messaging. 

End comes packaged with just over 45 minutes worth of music packed into a condensed tracklist. This makes this emotional rollercoaster of songs even more palpable, The fact Explosions In The Sky was able to follow a concept without sacrificing what makes the band so great is a true testament to their creative mindstate. These slow-burning instrumentals carry no sense of urgency but rather the excitement and conflict stem from the structure of these songs. Like a trick birthday candle, even the more intimate and sentimental dips in these songs never seem to extinguish the undeniable energy that flows through End . The band uses soft tones that explode in their signature style, and take notes from both tragic ending and happy ones to find the sonic direction of their seventh LP.  

Whether it’s rolling pianos or weeping guitars, Explosions In The Sky knows exactly how to manipulate their instruments to evoke such visceral feelings. The gentle balladry of “Peace or Quiet” boils over to distorted chaos while the intro, “Ten Billion People” follows a bouncy drum pattern to welcome you to End . The unpredictability of these songs stirs up butterflies in your stomach with each passing minute, giving the band the element of surprise backed by years of experience and unfiltered creativity. End feels very cinematic with each crescendo feeling like a plot twist. “All Mountains” features swooning string sections that are quickly juxtaposed by heady drum patterns, every element bleeding over the next for otherworldly textures. 

Explosions In The Sky didn’t miss a step on their first proper release in seven years. End combines the band’s veteran status with their love for soundtracking, except this time around there is no movie to accompany these songs. End feels like the soundtrack to life, placing you as the main character as the band crafts dynamic instrumentals that melt like gold and shine just as bright for their best album in recent memory. 

Related Content

One response.

This is the best album i have heard from this band/ and i own all of them. i have had it on repeat on a good set of headphones for 2 days and i feel a birth not death. this really seems there is no ‘end’. i am leaving this album on for at least another day. it will take you away. it bleeds and weeps and seeps. you will soar. spread your wings and take a deep breath.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

CAUSTIC COMMENTARY: Marcus King, Vampire Weekend, Old 97’s, Sinkane, Khruangbin & More

New to Glide

On ‘Language’ Circles Around The Sun and Mikaela Davis Keep It Cosmic & Fruitful (ALBUM REVIEW)

Cedric Burnside Wraps Tight Skeletal Arrangements On Honest To Death ‘Hill Country Love’ (ALBUM REVIEW)

Haley Blais Engages Philadelphia’s Tiny World Cafe With Unreleased Folk Soul Cuts (SHOW REVIEW)

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Email Address*

• Latest News
• San Antonio News
• Abortion Rights
• Immigration
• Assclown Alert
• Cityscrapes
• Digital Issue
• San Antonio Guides
• News Slideshows
• News Archives
• Latest Arts
• Arts Stories & Interviews
• Things to Do
• Sports & Recreation
• Arts Slideshows
• Arts Archives
• Latest Music
• Music Stories & Interviews
• Live Music in San Antonio This Week
• Concert Announcements
• Concert Reviews
• Music Slideshows
• Music Archives
• Latest Movies
• Movie Reviews and News
• Movie Times
• Find a Theater
• Movies Archives
• Latest Food & Drink
• Restaurant Reviews
• Find A Restaurant
• Food & Drink Slideshows
• Food & Drink Archives
• Latest Cannabis
• Cannabis News
• Legislative Updates
• CBD Dispensary Directory
• Cannabis Slideshows
• Cannabis Archives
• Today's Events
• This Weekend
• Free Events
• Submit an Event
• Best Of Home
• Around Town
• Food & Drink
• Best Of Slideshows
• Shop Best Of Awards
• San Antonio Facebook
• San Antonio Twitter
• San Antonio Instagram
•  Login
• View Profile
• Edit Profile
• in Articles & Posts
• in Locations
• in Slideshows

Live Music in San Antonio This Week: Explosions in the Sky, Elvis Costello, Madball and more

A musical celebration of the 50th anniversary of legendary new york punk club cbgb is also among this week's options..

By San Antonio Current Staff on Tue, Jan 16, 2024 at 10:00 am

Editor's Note: This story was updated to reflect a rescheduling of Drake's San Antonio concerts and correct the date on Jake Muir's performance. While many San Antonio music fans will be drawn to the performance of legendary singer-songwriter Elvis Costello, there's an abundance of other shows offering stellar talent in smaller venues. Let's run down the highlights.

Wednesday, Jan. 17

Formed from the ashes of influential New York hardcore punk band Agnostic Front, Madball is now nine albums and nearly two decades deep into a career of delivering angry, metal-tinged beatdowns. Expect a loud and aggressive show with rippin' riffs for miles. $20, 7 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary's St., papertigersatx.com . — Bill Baird

Friday, Jan. 19

Explosions in the Sky

Austin post-rock purveyors Explosions in the Sky is bringing its dynamic soundscapes to San Antonio as the first stop on a tour supporting the September release END . The band's intense, often-intricate sound first garnered wide acclaim in 2004, after it was used as the soundtrack for the film adaptation of Buzz Bissinger's bestseller Friday Night Lights. $39.50, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary's St., papertigersatx.com . — Danny Cervantes

Jake Muir, Space Available, Colin Andrew Sheffield, Patina Lush, Mt. Borracho

Pitchfork recently crowned headliner Jake Muir's latest LP one of the 30 Best Jazz and Experimental Albums of 2023, citing its hypnotic mix of synthesizer, field recordings and samples. That makes Muir the key draw on this bill of inventive electronics, experimental soundscapes and provocative ambience, but don't sleep on the rest of the lineup, which also promises plenty of bold sonic exploration. $15, 8 p.m., Warehouse Diner, 125 West Grayson St. — BB

Saturday, Jan. 20 The Texases

The Texases have emerged as one of San Antonio's most compelling cover bands. Specializing in classic country hits from the '60s through the '90s, this group led by Travis "DT" Buffkin and Jerid Morris delivers the goods every time, including crowd singalongs and folks actually dancing. It helps that the band is filled with seasoned and accomplished songwriters in their own right. Free, 9 p.m., The Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary's St., thelonesomerose.com . — BB

Love in the Doorway: A 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Golden Era of CBGB

What's not to like about Texas scenesters celebrating the seminal NYC punk club that gave birth to the Ramones, the Talking Heads and other legendary acts? Highlights include Sedated, a Dallas-based, nationally touring Ramones tribute, and San Antonio Misfits tribute Psycho 78. Other acts will give nods to the Cramps, the Plasmatics and Richard Hell and the Voidoids. $13-$18, 7 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary's St., papertigersatx.com . — Sanford Nowlin

Sunday, Jan. 21

Life Cycles, Flagrant Foul, Fortunes, WithAllSincerity, Open World, Born Savage, The Opposite Number

A benefit show for Jimmy King, the vocalist for San Antonio thrash band Executioner, this hardcore-slash-metal lineup features headliner Life Cycles — a heavy-hitting local act known for its uncompromising extreme metal. The group recently signed to Massachusetts' 1126 Records, and its debut EP, Portal to the Unknown , is expected to drop next month. The rest of the bill is packed with similarly bruising metal and hardcore outfits. $10, 6 p.m., B Side, 823 Fredericksburg Road, instagram.com/bsidesatx . — Dalia Gulca

Monday, Jan. 22

Damas de Jalisco, Mariachi Las Coronelas

For mariachi aficionados, this show is a must. Damas de Jalisco and Las Coronelas both boast all-woman lineups, and the groups are made up of some of the finest mariachi performers anywhere, regardless of gender. The show promises a San Antonio-appropriate baptism for the Pearl's new venue, Stable Hall. $27, 7 p.m., Stable Hall, 307 Pearl Parkway, stablehall.com . — BB

Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Charlie Sexton

Legendary singer-songwriter Elvis Costello is taking his Imposters on a 15-city Southern tour with San Antonio sitting at the midpoint. Expect the artist to draw on a wide variety of material from a decades-long catalog that's run the gamut from punk to just about every other genre of popular music. His recent work includes critically acclaimed post-pandemic album The Boy Named If . $39-$500, 7:30 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com . — DC

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed

• things to do in San Antonio ,
• concerts in San Antonio ,
• live music in San Antonio ,
• San Antonio music venues ,
• Explosions in the Sky ,
• Paper Tiger ,
• Jake Muir ,
• Space Available ,
• Colin Andrew Sheffield ,
• Patina Lush ,
• Mt. Borracho ,
• The Texases ,
• Lonesome Rose ,
• Life Cycles ,
• Flagrant Foul ,
• WithAllSincerity ,
• Open World ,
• Born Savage ,
• The Opposite Number ,
• Stable Hall ,
• Damas de Jalisco ,
• Mariachi Las Coronelas ,
• Elvis Costello & The Imposters ,
• Charlie Sexton ,
• Majestic Theatre ,
• Frost Bank Center

KEEP SA CURRENT!

Since 1986, the SA Current has served as the free, independent voice of San Antonio, and we want to keep it that way.

Becoming an SA Current Supporter for as little as $5 a month allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls.

Join today to keep San Antonio Current.

Another longtime San Antonio Jim's location is closing down

By Nina Rangel

Developer plans 200-foot-high Ferris wheel in downtown San Antonio

By Sanford Nowlin

Newsletters

Join sa current newsletters.

Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox.

Not Just a Phaze: Phazez/Changez Reunion will celebrate 1980s club that brought goth to San Antonio

Totality Tunes: Central Texas music festivals celebrate the coming eclipse

By Bill Baird

Gonzales' inaugural Cattle Country Music Festival releases updated lineup, ticket discounts

Live Music in San Antonio This Week: STRFKR, Meshell Ndegeocello, Movements and more

By San Antonio Current Staff

Also in Music

Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic riding out of Texas to Philly this year

April 3, 2024

View more issues

• News Features
• Politics & Elections
• Today's Events
• Arts Stories & Interviews
• Classical Music
• Sports & Recreation
• Movie Times by Time of Day
• Movie Times by Title
• Movie Times by Theater
• Music Stories & Interviews
• SA Current Events
• Food & Drink
• Food & Drink Slideshows
• College Guide
• Holiday Guide
• Sponsored Articles
• Search Archives
• Search Issues
• Freelance Guidelines
• Jobs and Internships
• Where To Find Us
• Advertise With Us

Chava Communications

Read our sister publications

San Antonio Current

[email protected]

(210) 332-5448

Explosions In The Sky

How good are they live, live rating  , real live certified  , critic consensus, festivals in 2024.

Latest release

Artist info, critic concert reviews, mondo sonoro (spain).

Full Review

musicOMH (UK)

The big takeover (usa), goldenplec (ireland), hot press magazine (ireland), the scotsman (scotland), grimy goods (usa), past critic reviews published in, image credit.

FEATURED ARTISTS

Sign up to our newsletter

Artists on tour.

Nothing But Thieves

Pet Shop Boys

Matchbox Twenty

The Lathums

Dry Cleaning

Lorna Shore

The Prodigy

All artists, featured festivals.

Texas Eclipse Festival 2024

Zermatt Unplugged 2024

Cattle Country 2024

Coachella 2024

Roadburn Festival 2024

The Metal Fest 2024

All festivals.

How good are they LIVE?

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR Newsletter

Cosmic explosion will be visible to the naked eye in once-in-a-lifetime stargazing event

A rare cosmic eruption is expected to occur in the Milky Way in the coming months — an outburst so bright that a “new” star will seemingly appear for a short time in the night sky.

The event, known as a nova, will be a once-in-a-lifetime skywatching opportunity for those in the Northern Hemisphere, according to NASA , because the types of star systems in which such explosions occur are not common in our galaxy.

The stellar eruption will take place in a system called T Coronae Borealis, which is 3,000 light-years away from Earth. It contains two stars: a dead star, also known as a “ white dwarf ,” closely orbited by a red giant . Red giants are dying stars that are running out of hydrogen fuel in their cores; the sun in our solar system will eventually become one, according to NASA.

In systems like T Coronae Borealis, the two stars are so near to each other that matter from the red giant is constantly spilling onto the surface of the white dwarf. Over time, this builds up pressure and heat, eventually triggering an eruption.

“As matter accumulates on the surface of the white dwarf, it heats up and you get higher and higher pressure until bang — it’s a runaway reaction,” said Bradley Schaefer, a professor emeritus of physics and astronomy at Louisiana State University.

He likened the nova explosion to a hydrogen bomb detonating in space, adding that the resulting fireball is essentially what people will be able to see from Earth. (A nova is different from a supernova explosion , which occurs when a massive star collapses and dies.)

At its peak, the eruption should be visible to the naked eye, Schaefer said: “It’s going to be bright in the sky, so it’ll be easily visible from your backyard.”

Astronomers predict that the nova explosion could happen anytime between now and September. The last time this particular star system erupted was in 1946, Schaefer said, and another eruption will likely not occur for another 80 years or so.

Astronomers around the world are monitoring activity in the T Coronae Borealis system. Once an eruption is detected, Schaefer said, the best and brightest views will likely come within 24 hours, when it reaches roughly the same brightness as the North Star. The outburst may remain visible to the naked eye for a couple of days before it begins to fade.

Even after it dims, skywatchers will likely still be able to spot the eruption for around a week using binoculars, according to NASA.

The T Coronae Borealis system is normally too dim to see unaided, but skywatchers can find the outburst by locating the constellation Corona Borealis, or the Northern Crown. The constellation will appear as a small, semicircular arc between the more widely recognizable constellations of Hercules and Bootes.

Schaefer, who has done extensive research on the T Coronae Borealis system, said it’s worth trying to catch a glimpse.

“This system happens to have a recurrence time scale under a century, but most of them have cycle times longer than 1,000 years or so,” he said.

In a paper published last year in the Journal for the History of Astronomy , Schaefer discovered two “long-lost” T Coronae Borealis eruptions in historical records — one documented by German monks in the year 1217 and another seen by the English astronomer Francis Wollaston in 1787.

“These monks near Augsburg, Germany, didn’t know what it was at the time, but they highlighted the eruption as being one of the two most important events of the year,” Schaefer said. “They called it in Latin ‘signum mirabile,’ which translates to ‘wonderful omen.’ It was thought to be a good sign.”

But pinpointing the exact time when skywatchers will have a chance to see this “wonderful omen” is tricky business.

“It could maybe even happen tonight,” Schaefer said. “More probably it’ll be within the next couple of months, and very probably before the end of summer.”

Denise Chow is a reporter for NBC News Science focused on general science and climate change.

site categories

Cbs reporter tracy wolfson gets a ladder for post-game interviews, origin of fireballs that blazed across los angeles sky identified by experts.

By Tom Tapp

Deputy Managing Editor

More Stories By Tom

• Coachella 2024: All Six Livestream Links, Day-By-Day Lineup And How To Multiview Up To Four Stages
• Disney Offers Details On “Beyond Big Thunder” Project, Called The Biggest Expansion Ever At Walt Disney World
• “We Were Targeted Deliberately,” José Andrés Says Of IDF Attack That Killed Seven World Central Kitchen Workers In Gaza; Asks For U.S. Government Investigation

Local TV newscasts in Los Angeles lit up today with reports about fireballs streaking across the Southland sky early this morning.

The fast-moving cluster of lights was visible over most of the region around 1:30 a.m. Video shows a group of glowing objects streaking through the firmament — possibly a cluster of meteorites or some type of object breaking up as it plummeted toward earth.

Related Stories

Police Investigating Circumstances Surrounding Body Found Late Monday Night At The Grove

Los Angeles County Health Dept. Shuts Down All Local Beaches

❗☄️🇺🇸 – Space debris or meteor shower? Lights streak over Southern California. Streak of fiery light appears over Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/SfvMogg02S — 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) April 2, 2024

By midday Tuesday, experts at the SETI Institute said the objects in the sky were the remains of the Chinese Shenzhou 15 orbital module which launched into space in November 2022 carrying three astronauts who spent six months at the Tiangong space station. The module had been predicted to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere on Tuesday morning.

The object was an Orbital Module from the Shenzhou-15 mission to the Tiangong space station. Details can be found here: https://t.co/q9ZMEw6YBk https://t.co/FCjwFom3Sx Visual observers reported the event here (also showing videos): https://t.co/cafHYgeKLM — The SETI Institute (@SETIInstitute) April 2, 2024

Must Read Stories

Daniel brühl on karl lagerfeld drama & kyle maclachlan talks ‘twin peaks’.

Gosling, Damon, Hamm, Rudd & More Crash Kristen Wiig’s 5-Timers Club Party

‘monkey man’ seeing $10m, ‘first omen’ $8m; ‘godzilla’ no. 1 again, ‘quiet on set’ filmmakers on docuseries response, episode 5 & toxic kids tv.

Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.

Read More About:

Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved.