According to loudwire.com, on March 9. Mastodon performed their first show since parting ways with longtime guitarist Brent Hinds. The band hired YouTuber Ben Eller to fill in as the guitarist and the show was a high profile set at Tool’s Live in the Sand Festival where Eller made his live debut with the veteran prog group.
Playing along the career-spanning 17-song setlist were a handful of relative rarities with five songs that had not been performed in five years or more, which were “Ember City,” “Tread Lightly,” “Ghost of Karelia,” “The Motherload” and “All the Heavy Lifting.”
Just before the festival’s kickoff, Mastodon informed fans of the surprising lineup change through a statement released on social media, which can be seen below this article. The group noted that they had “mutually decided” to split with Hinds and that all of their 2025 touring plans would remain unaffected by this personnel move.
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Mastodon‘s set at Tool’s festival at the Hard Rock & Royalton Resorts in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic kicked off with “Pain With an Anchor,” which is a standout from 2021’s Hushed and Grim.
Photo Credit: Marv Watson
