It was a night of flailing hair, prog rock, guitar solos, and, concept albums as Coheed and Cambria and Mastodon blew through Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre on Sunday, June 1, 2025. The two bands are co-headlining The Infinite Arc Tour together, with Coheed promoting their latest album, ‘Vaxis – Act III: The Father of Make Believe,’ and Mastodon gearing up to record a new record, as reported by them last night. The two bands brought their signature sounds, blending old-school metal and prog with new pop-like sensibilities, for a wild evening.
Prog metalcore band Periphery opened to an already surprisingly packed venue. The newer amphitheater seats 4,800, and although not quite sold out, it was very close to being at capacity. The crowd arrived early! No skipping the opener for these fans! As the sun began to get low in the sky, the fans were present and engaged, singing along to Periphery’s songs. The band was a great warm-up, blending classic and contemporary metal, with some songs sounding very similar to Coheed. Songs like the newer “Atropos” even had some emo roots, giving lead singer Spencer Sotelo a chance to show off his impressive vocal range.
As of March of this year, Mastodon has a new lead guitarist, which is the first change to the band’s lineup in 25 years. Touring guitarist Nick Johnston had some big shoes to fill in that role, and he did just that, stepping in perfectly. He also had a big smile on his face for pretty much the entire show, giving him a bit of the “I’m just glad to be here” vibe. He and rhythm guitarist Bill Kelliher meshed well together, and even had a few moments that seemed like genuine playfulness, with Kelliher reaching across to tune Jonston’s guitar, or the two of them jamming back to back, etc. Meanwhile, bassist and lead vocalist Eric Saner belted his love and death lyrics with true passion, whipping his long white locks through the air. Drummer Brann Dailor railed relentlessly on those poor drums, knocking it out of the park, from atop his throne on the large lighting rig at the back of the stage.
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“The five of us are having the time of our lives,” they said at one point. Telling the fans, “You’ve been awesome since day one. This is the best fucking tour in a long, long time.” The crowd went crazy.
Coheed came out next and opened the set with mostly new songs. Six of the first seven songs were from the newest album. As is typical with Coheed fans, though, they are die-hard, and they knew the words to the new songs as well as the old.
What’s interesting about Coheed, and what gives them their longevity, is that they seem to have the ability to write catchy songs and reinvent their sound while staying true to their roots. Perhaps it’s the framework of the storytelling, as most of their albums are concept albums set in a fictional world, accompanied by comic books to support them, etc. Even still, they can blend genres like no other and have the uncanny ability to continue producing great albums time and time again, while maintaining a consistent through line in their sound.
Songs like “Goodbye, Sunshine,” sounded like they could be from one of Coheed’s first albums, with the flaming guitar solos from Travis Stever and the ever-catchy choruses from Claudio Sanchez’s amazing vocals backed by bassist and vocalist Zach Cooper, including a singalong “whoa, whoa,” even though it’s from the latest. Then, songs like “Blide Side Sonny,” were modern renditions of a more punk sound, with the driving drums from Josh Eppard and screaming vocals that keep their sound fresh and always evolving.
After the new songs, the second half of the set consisted of a mix of old fan favorites like “A Favor House Atlantic” and “In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3,” as well as a cover of “Mother” by Danzig.
Of course, before the show, Coheed did their usual VIP access, which allowed people to interact with the band via Q&A and hear an acoustic rendition of the Misfits’ song “Skulls.” They then closed with two more new songs and the ultimate fan favorite, “Welcome Home,” the crowd singing along to all of them.
The only issue with these dual-headliner shows is that the bands inevitably can’t pack everything in, so you always leave feeling a bit greedy and wanting more. That’s a good thing, though, especially when compared to some of the very long shows, where there’s lots of filler and people start to get bored. Not a chance of that at this show. Anyone who has a chance to catch one of the remaining shows on this tour (there are only a handful left) absolutely should. Coheed and Mastodon know how to entertain their fans.
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