Probably each of us, as a child, had the opportunity to visit the circus. For many, it was not an ordinary trip, on which our parents took us so often. It was not a walk to the park or a trip to the family in the countryside, where all the nooks and crannies were already well known to us and few things could surprise us. This time, however, we did not realize what awaits us…
The huge, pitched tent next to which my father parked was shocking. The outside was teeming with strange trailers, from which people with bizarrely painted faces came out again and again. The smell of hay was in the air, and again and again the neighing of horses could be heard. The questions pressed on our mouths open in surprise, but they were muffled by the human wave that swept us away. Finally, we entered through a large gate, receiving a yellow balloon filled with helium from a bearded woman. We climbed a wooden structure, consisting of longitudinal benches, arranged in such a way that they formed a kind of staircase. We took our seats, human voices merging into one incomprehensible sea of sounds. In front of us was a slightly darkened, strange, sandy square with two tall columns, which were connected by a rope. Somewhere we have seen a similar place before. Probably in one of those colorful books that we got for our birthday.
Suddenly, all the lights went out, and a bass voice came from the speakers: “Welcome to the show that never ends!”
Madman, eccentric, workaholic, freak. If we talk about Devin Townsend, we can easily use these three terms. Born in Canada, he was active in many metal bands in his youth and was eventually noticed by Steve Vai, who invited him to collaborate on the album Sex & Religion. After coming into contact with show business and discovering its dark sides, Devin vented his emotions on the solo extreme metal album “Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing“, released under the pseudonym Strapping Young Lad. The project soon turned into a full-fledged band that released four more albums into the world.
Devin, whose creativity knows no bounds, decided to focus exclusively on his solo career, forming The Devin Townsend Band or Devin Townsend Project. He is an artist who is not afraid to combine all possible musical genres. His style is characterized by the interweaving of a wall of sound with a wide range of voice. Calm singing, suddenly turning into an aggressive growl, is practically a standard in his songs. In his lyrics, Townsend is not afraid to touch on such controversial topics as sex, war or politics. Looking at his discography, it is worth mentioning such albums as “Terria“, “Ziltoid The Omniscient“, “Accelerated Evolution” or “Addicted“.
A year ago was the twentieth anniversary of Devin Townsend’s musical career. On this occasion, the musician decided to organize a special concert in the London Roundhouse in the convention of a musical, which he gave the name “The Retinal Circus”. It was immediately clear that the event summarizing Townsend’s entire career so far would be something extraordinary. Townsend and the musical? That’s an oxymoron! Preparations for the show lasted over a year, which in theory made it the most refined concert production in the Canadian’s oeuvre. However, it should be remembered that only practice shows the true side of each undertaking.
At the very beginning of the concert, from the screens suspended above the stage, the audience is greeted by Steve Vai, who will be the narrator leading us through the whole show. After a short introduction, during which we meet the hero of the musical – an ordinary, young boy Harold – a mixed choir dressed in white and black appears on stage, which intones (or rather lipsyncs) the introduction to “Effervescent!/True North”, and after a while gives voice to Anneke van Giersbergen (known mainly from the band The Gathering). Finally, Devin Townsend, dressed in a white tuxedo with a white hat on his head, enters the stage. The first track turns into the energetic “Lucky Animals”, accompanied by a group of girls dressed as cats.
From this point on, the show can be considered as started. The next pieces combine into a coherent whole, telling about evolution, war, media that dumb humanity down, love, family problems, and even the alien invasion of Earth (here a nod to Ziltiod). Of course, all with Devin Townsend’s characteristic distance and sense of humor.
The music is constantly accompanied by a band of about a hundred young people who appear in various costumes, selected according to the content of the lyrics. As in any decent circus, there are also clowns and gymnasts, doing things with their bodies that ordinary people do not even dream of. Specialists in pyrotechnics and lighting also show off their skills. Smoke is gushing from everywhere, sparks are pouring in, and confetti is flooding the stage.
Townsend announced that he would not return to the Strapping Young Lad era, but in this case he makes an exception and plays two songs from the group’s repertoire – “Detox” and “Love?”, during which guitarist Jed Simon appears on stage. The musical madness slows down at the beginning of the second part of the concert, when Devin plays acoustic versions of “Hyperdrive!” and “In-Ah!” in a duet with Anneke. However, this is only the calm before the musical storm, which culminates in the emotional composition “Grace”. As it turns out, however, this is not the end of the musical feast, but I’m not going to reveal the end of the concert.
To sum up, “The Retinal Circus” is an extraordinary show. All the people performing on stage exude energy and you can see with the naked eye in every way, despite a few mishaps with the synchronization of sound and screens, their involvement in this original venture. People in the audience do not complain about boredom, and on their faces you can see ecstasy, which lasts from the first second of the performance. “The Retinal Circus” is not only a large dose of madness and humor, but also a good opportunity for a moment of deeper reflection on the world around us. After watching the concert on DVD, the question immediately arises as to how much work both the musicians and those responsible for the choreography had to put in to create a coherent, meaningful musical show with a message that simply reads: “Live, learn, laugh, love”.