This was the first show at the newly renovated Crocodile that I’ve attended that wasn’t full to capacity. Staff even set up tables and chairs on the main floor. It was kind of nice, if somewhat of a bummer for the Croc’s coffers and the performers, to maneuver around the club without knowing what everyone you passed had for dinner—especially in this swine-flu pandemic. Anyway, on to the music.

Six Organs of Admittance (Ben Chasny and a rotating cast of contributors) started his set solo, seated on the Croc’s spacious stage with an acoustic guitar and a mic. He played a series of morose, downtempo folk songs with dark vocal intonations. About halfway through, a mustachioed gent named Andrew joined Chasny on his own acoustic guitar, and they continued in the same crepuscular vein.

At one point, Chasny announced [I’m paraphrasing], “This song’s dedicated to John Balance [of Coil], who’s probably in heaven, which is surely hell to him. I’m sure he could appreciate the cyclical nature of that.” It turned out to be one of the set’s most impassioned numbers. The closing piece involved Chasny using effects pedals to multiply his and Andrew’s guitars into a shimmering hall of mirrors. This is the sort of Six Organs music I've missed the last few times I've seen him live. Subdued folk strumming is nice, but some variety in approach wouldn’t go amiss.

Shortly thereafter, Japanese prog-psych septet Ghost walked onstage with a regal nonchalance. A beautiful Zildjian gong sat poised stage left, raising hopes for some serious gong-banging. You can’t bring a gong onstage and not strike it. Them’s the rules. But, unless I turned my head and missed it, said gong went unstruck during Ghost’s performance. Despite this huge letdown (and the non-appearance of their version of Cromagnon’s “Caledonia”), the show was damned good.

The first track, “Overloaded Ark,” seeped into earshot with ceremonial splendor à la Taj-Mahal Travellers. Frame drums, Theremin, cello, keyboards, guitar, and bass coalesced into a slow, incense-burning mesmerizer. Eventually the tempo increased and the sound built to a clamorous psychedelic drone. Holy smokes! Ghost peaked early, but that’s cool.

The rest of their performance leaned heavily on their 2004 album, Hypnotic Underworld. The Earth & Fire (“Hazy Paradise”) and Syd Barrett (“Dominoes”) covers from that LP were aired and sounded magnificent. “Motherly Bluster” form In Stormy Nights was a brash highlight, with the music shifting from storm to calm and back on a breathtaking dime. “Piper” started with a dulcimer-laced intro, then moved from troubadour ballad to raging prog rock of heroic mien.

Many Ghost songs could reasonably be called power ballads, some of which have a courtly, Ren Fair air about them, others that carry a processional, roiling quality. During “Who Found a Lost Rose,” a stereotypical Belltown normal asked, “Are these guys supposed to be good or what?” Yes, Belltown normal guy, they are.

Ghost closed the set proper with the third and fourth movements from “Hypnotic Underworld,” in which cascading, operatic vocals melded into staccato instrumental blasts and power-chord avalanches; the piece climaxed with a “You Made Me Realise”-like freakout, but it only lasted about a minute, not 19. Ghost leader Masaki Batoh thanked the crowd and said, “You guys drive us crazy.”

The encore was epic, gathering-storm rock that accrued intensity, speed, and volume as it went. But, damn, why didn’t anyone in the group bang a gong or get it on?

Set list
01 Overloaded Ark
02 Motherly Bluster
03 Piper
04 Orange Sunshine
05 Way to Shelka
06 Higher Order
07 Who Found a Lost Rose
08 Mex Square Blue
09 Second Time Around
10 Hazy Paradise
11 Dominoes
12 Hypnotic Underworld 3 & 4
13 Feed
14 Comin’ Home