Despite it being a Wednesday night, the crowd at Ottobar in Baltimore, Maryland should have struggled to find room in a packed venue. Instead those knowledgeable enough to attend Caspian’s January 6th show in the breath-be-seen cold enjoyed a somewhat private viewing of one of the more highly revered instrumental rock bands of the last decade. Anyone who had hopeful expectations based on the accomplishments of their three albums likely had some dreams exceeded. The viewing floor quietly semi-filled with a seemingly reverent crowd as the band finished assembling onstage.
Bands with a fairly faithful following enjoy a special kind of audience on certain occasions. There’s a feeling of intense longing that occurs before the opening notes of a long-awaited live performance. The phenomenon grows from the hearts of those who’ve been devoted to a project that is little known and is therefore loudly loved. A curious and hopeful look flitted across the faces of at least a few before the object of everyone’s attention launched full bore into what it is known for.
It would be some feat to find something worthy of focusing attention upon for an hour more than Caspian at full crest. The technical proficiency involved in a full on wave of instrumental rock music can sometimes be so epic as to create an epoch. It might seem ridiculous to feel as though time could reset itself due simply to the action of five individuals on a stage. The limits of art can be approached if the intention is honest enough. And despite the fact that the black-clad crew from Caspian held that stage for a finite time, their performance – and its triumphant end in which each member in turn put down their instrument to add an additional drum rhythm to “Sycamore” – will likely always reverberate in the hearts and minds of those affected that night.
