Concerts and other live music events are a lifeblood for many of us on ye olde satellite. I recently caught up with sput’s favorite onion to learn more about his experience at a Tesseract gig, what live music means to him, and why I might actually enjoy a djent show.
normaloctagon: Sup, onionbubs! Thanks for being down to share a little bit about your experience seeing TesseracT live recently. You seemed really excited about the set, and I thought it’d be cool to share some of that excitement with the site. Why don’t you start by introducing yourself — where are you from, how long have you been in sput’s orbit, and what’s one fun fact about yourself we might not already know?
onionbubs: Hey there Norm! Sure thing, I hail from New Jersey and catch most of my shows in the NYC area. I’ve been in sput’s orbit since I was 14 years old (good lord we’re nearing a decade), and a fun fact about myself is I just picked up and learned the mandolin which is pretty rad!
normaloctagon: Pretty rad, indeed! You’ve been a TesseracT fan for a while now, yeah? How did you discover their music?
onionbubs: TesseracT are a funny one for me, I knew of them for years but didn’t actually crack the egg until the new album came out and then promptly swept me off my feet. Very much think they were a late bloomer for their scene, but it’s honestly pretty refreshing to see given so many bands of the djent persuasion have fizzled out or are long past their prime.
normaloctagon: Love it. So, what was the show you just attended? Did you have to caravan to get there or anything like that? Tell us about the venue and vibe there that night.
onionbubs: TesseracT were actually the openers for the show I went to, serving as direct support for Devin Townsend who I had to leave prior to. The venue was gorgeous, used to be the PlayStation Theater but it’s now called the Palladium Times Square, only a 15 minute walk from Penn Station so it wasn’t too rough a trek.
normaloctagon: Looks like a sweet venue. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about your experience there. What made this night so special? What made the set so special?
onionbubs: This show spun my head off, I had an unbelievable time. I’ve heard nothing but high praise about TesseracT live from friends, folks online, and even bands I love, and they delivered one of the tightest, most proficient, and most exhilarating performances I’ve ever seen. For as rhythmic a band as they are, I don’t think they ever fell out of time with each other, they were goddamn surgical. And special shoutout needs to be given to my man Dan Tompkins on vocals out here hitting Jacko high notes and death growls back-to-back like it’s nothing. He flexed every aspect of his ridiculous range at such a high caliber that he’s probably the best live vocalist I’ve ever seen.
normaloctagon: Amazing man, that sounds like a great time. What value do you personally find in shows and concerts? Got any show traditions?
onionbubs: I adore live music, it’s the most I feel connected with the purest essence of the communal aspects that make music so enthralling and addicting for me. The afterglow that comes from a good concert lasts with me for days, and a good show will deepen my appreciation for an artist even further and truly bond them to my soul. I’ve also made a handful of great friends at shows too, including a few at this TesseracT show who play in local prog bands. I don’t really have any show rituals, outside of getting fairly baked, hah!
normaloctagon: That’s the stuff! Man, I gotta check out a show soon. Should I go see TesseracT if they have a tour date near me in the future? Why or why not?
onionbubs: I would absolutely recommend seeing TesseracT to anybody who has interest in the band, and even to those on the outside looking in. They really understand how to feed off of the crowd’s energy, and their insane level of talent made for a dazzling spectacle.
Thanks again to onionbubs for sharing. Your enthusiasm is infectious!
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Tesseract
Might own
Idk ill jam them now also the idea of concert blog reviews sounds like a wildly fun idea
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glad you had fun bubs!!
05.19.25