Anyone who says metal and extreme music is all about negativity and anger has clearly never been to a Chon concert. When your going to a Chon show, it is nothing but positive vibes, mesmerizing music and performance and a good time. Chon does tend to hit NYC on just about every North American tour whether it is a support tour or a headliner. Radius clause doesn’t seem to apply to Chon because at every show in NYC, whether a venue as big as Irving Plaza or Playstation Theater, or a smaller venue such as Music Hall of Williamsburg or Elsewhere in Brooklyn, it seems that the venue is packed with smiling fans of music.

Chon at Irving Plaza 6/21 is another testament to how fun a show from this group can be. While Chon falls under the radar of fans who like other instrumental metal groups such as Animals as Leaders and Intervals, as well as progressive metal acts such as Periphery or Between the Buried and Me, there is no doubt that lovers of all types of music can appreciate this act. Many people have agreed to term their music as ‘Elevator Music for Metalheads’. When attending this show, you saw people in Meshuggah T shirts, as well as people wearing Super Smash Brothers shirts. Chon’s shows always have a diverse audience and in the end, they are moshing together. From the moshers, to gamers to guitar nerds, Chon is a band that has no acquired taste.

A few minutes before Chon took the stage at 9:30, you heard the audience chanting for Chon on stage, and as soon as those lights dimmed and that projector screen lifted up, the audience yelled and was ready for an awesome time. Once Mario kicked into that beautifully leading solo in Bubble Dream, the pit opened up. The moshpit that occurred that night did not consist of ‘Crowd-killing’ or ‘hardcore dancing’. While there was plenty of beer spilled, it was the friendliest pushpitting you can imagine. There was an essence of unity and friendship that was present the whole time. Following with some older classic songs such as Story and Fall off their 2015 album Grow, plenty of crowdsurfing was induced. Opening up with songs that are familiar yet fresh kept all the fans instantly engaged. Add the lights that were incorporated with their engaging stage presence, you were fully immersed in an atmosphere that you cant experience elsewhere. They transformed Irving Plaza into a realm of joy and beauty. Their setlist became more varied as the show progressed incorporating new songs of their self titled album such as If than going back to some of the earlier songs such as Puddle. It seemed whether they were playing older or newer material, focus was not lost on the stage the entire night. People in the front were staring at Mario shredding on the guitar while he and Nathan and Erick kept the show interactive by engaging with the audience. On top of that, while at many shows you hear the audience singing the lyrics, the audience was singing along with the riffs in the guitars. It added harmony and even more interaction in the performance. Nothing like a little A capella to go along with guitar riffing and soloing. Chon seems to have been more interactive with the crowd and incorporating more commentary between songs on stage, even stating that NY was easily one of their favorite places in the world. Being that they play in NYC so frequently and always seem to pack a crowd, I can see why. Ending with a classic such as Perfect Pillow, they were able to end the show on the highest possible note while still leaving many fans wanting more.

Chon is more than just a musical performance when you witness them live. You enter an atmosphere like no other, as if you are in a dream. With mesmerizing lights that can keep you focusing on the stage without blinking once, to just being blown away by the technical capabilities on stage to the interaction and experience once can have off of it, Chon is a band for everyone to see.

Chon’s newest Self Titled record is out now Via Sumerian Records