LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: Devin Townsend in Boston, MA (05.11.25)
Only 24 hours after Marilyn Manson’s doom-and-gloom carnival rolled through House of Blues Boston, the venue was humming with a completely different kind of electricity. Devin Townsend, the Canadian maestro of sonic chaos and cosmic clarity, brought his technicolor heavy metal circus to town—and reminded us that brutal doesn’t have to mean bleak.
Inside, the mood was strangely euphoric. Word had spread that this might be Devin’s last tour for a while—he’s taking a well-earned break—and that sense of finality charged the air. Strangers were swapping stories and setlist predictions with the ease of old friends. It felt less like a gig, more like a gathering of the faithful.
Then Devin came out—smiling, waving, fully present—and launched straight into “PowerNerd,” a track from his latest album that somehow manages to sound like a laser battle and a hug at the same time. The man was in full command, even as he admitted mid-set that his voice was a little off. Didn’t matter. If there was a crack in the armor, none of us heard it. And if we did, we didn’t care.
By the time he tore into “Kingdom,” it was clear: this wasn’t going to be a night of just technical wizardry—it was going to be fun. Devin was tossing guitar picks into the crowd like candy, sipping water, laughing between songs. Mike Keneally, his right-hand chaos agent on guitar and keys, played like a man possessed—like he was trying to outrun time itself. And maybe he did.
There was unity in the chaos. One moment the entire crowd was swaying, hands in the air like some interstellar church service. The next, a mosh pit cracked open near the front—and every time someone went down, hands immediately reached out to lift them back up. That’s not just crowd etiquette; that’s community. That’s family.
After what felt like a warp-speed ride through galaxies both heavy and heartfelt, Devin returned for an encore. “Deadhead” and “Bad Devil” closed out the night like twin comets blazing across a black sky—equal parts soul and swagger. And then, a final thank you. No pyro, no spectacle. Just Devin, grateful, bowing out with grace.
It wasn’t just a concert. It was a masterclass in contrast—between joy and heaviness, chaos and kindness. If this really is the last ride for a while, he left us with a night we won’t soon forget.
Photos – Devin Townsend at House of Blues in Boston, MA on May 11th:
