Meshuggah live in Oslo: groovy face-melting greatness turned Sentrum Scene into a colossal mosh pit

On the day of the solar equinox, the 20th of April 2023, arguably the most influential metal band in modern heavy music history – Meshuggah – played at the Sentrum Scene in Oslo. The gig was completely sold out. The venue was packed even before the first band started performing. The Halo Effect, formed by former members of In Flames, took the stage first and made the crowd move with their melodic heaviness. The band was actively engaging with the audience and was lively and exciting. When the time came for a changeover, the revelation of Meshuggah‘s signature art and lights made the crowd cheer in anticipation. The lighting design created by the talented Edvard Hansson was impossible to ignore. The groove of the music, combined with an aggressive yet amazingly fitting lighting style, took no prisoners. The band’s drummer Tomas Haake and his drumming kit were placed on the podium at the back, making him a central figure on the stage. The first song “Broken Cog“, during which other four band members – vocalist Jens Kidman, lead guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström and bassist Dick Lövgren – stood before red screens that were flashing with the beat, showing only silhouettes of the men, creating a hypnotizing effect. Every song’s lighting matched the intensity of its rhythm, making the performance much more powerful. “Demiurge” made the rest of the standing people in the audience jump in excitement, and by the end of the gig, the crowd turned into a big unified wave of dancers. It was a phenomenal show! Please see photos of Meshuggah performing in Oslo.

The Halo Effect:

Meshuggah:

Meshuggah’s setlist in Oslo:
Broken Cog
Light the Shortening Fuse
Rational Gaze
Pravus
The Hurt That Finds You First
Ligature Marks
Born in Dissonance
Mind’s Mirrors
In Death – Is Life
In Death – Is Death
The Abysmal Eye
Straws Pulled at Random
Demiurge
Future Breed Machine