I had the complete pleasure of attending Haken at the Egyptian Room at Old National Centre in Indianapolis. This room at the venue is generally standing room and general admission, but this was a seated show, much to my delight. This was a three hour performance with a 15 minute intermission between sets. Upon walking in, it felt as if the room was a little large for the crowd as the chair seating didn’t even fill half of the room. But once the show started that feeling completely dissipated as the excitement and energy of the room exploded.
I had high expectations as Haken is a progressive metal band, and these guys are masters at their craft. Having seen other technically proficient musicians in concert like Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree, I knew this would be a wild ride.
The band members include: Ross Jennings (lead vocals), Richard Henshall (guitars, keyboards), Peter Jones (keyboards), Raymond Hearne (drums), Charlie Griffiths (guitars), and Conner Green (bass). Conner Green actually happens to be from the Indianapolis area, so I think that’s pretty exciting to note.
There was excited chatter amongst the audience as the start time approached. When the lights dimmed, the carefully orchestrated intro and strobe lights got my blood pumping as they emerged to start the show. The first half of their set was their newest album Fauna (2023) in its entirety and closing out with Crystallised from their EP Restoration (2014). Jennings wore their Fauna themed Hawaiian shirt and had a contagious energy about him, dancing along and appearing completely immersed in the music. He interacted with the crowd pretty decently, making eye contact and guiding us when to clap and wave our hands and sing along. I noticed he did it in a way that never interrupted the integrity of the music, though. He didn’t talk much, but we weren’t there to hear talking honestly. Some might think that’s boring? I think it works when the music is a technical masterpiece from start to finish. His lovely higher range juxtaposed with the heavy musical riffs make for music that just fills me personally with joy. And I could tell the rest of the room was also filled with joy as these guys blew us all away with their musical prowess.
Fauna is a great album filled with diversity, which made for a fun experience during the first half of the set. My own personal favorites from that album and set are The Alphabet of Me, Lovebite, and Elephants Never Forget. The Alphabet of Me is fun and starts out sounding a bit like an Ed Sheeran tune before getting heavier and speeding up and slowing down again. It’s no secret that prog bands tend to have interesting time changes and sometimes you forget you’re listening to the same song. Lovebite stood out because it’s catchy and melodic, and dare I say almost a ballad? I’m a sucker for ballads. Jennings also got the crowd to sing along during it, myself included. Elephants Never Forget is also one of those songs I felt like I could sing along to, yet forgot it was even the same song as it progressed.
Overall, the first half of the set was pretty fantastic musically speaking. The band was full of energy and progressed seamlessly from song to song. The audience stayed engaged and interested despite many people staying seated. The lighting was colorful, yet sometimes blinding as they used a great deal of backlighting, which made for creating really cool silhouettes to go along with the spots in my vision. There were reds, purples, greens, yellows, oranges. The colors seemed to fit the Fauna theme, which is very clearly inspired by The Jungle Book. Speaking of, they played music from The Jungle Book during the intermission which was pretty nostalgic.
It felt like the intermission breathed new life into the audience. Everyone had the chance to use the bathroom and relax and talk about how awesome the show was so far. There was much anticipation for older favorites to be played, and Haken did not disappoint. They played a good mix of songs from Aquarius (2010), The Mountain (2013), Affinity (2016), Vector (2018), and Virus (2020) before finishing out with an encore from Visions (2011).
When they returned I noticed Jennings changed out of his Fauna shirt, which felt appropriate. The second half of the set started with a bang with Puzzle Box getting the crowd back onto their feet and absolutely pumped. There was a lot more singing along during this half than the first half, which is fair given that Fauna just came out last year. As Puzzle Box ended, they led into a very melodic Earthrise that opened with what sounded exactly like My Heart Will Go On. Was that purposeful or a coincidence? Either way, my 90s loving heart was happy. And Earthrise is probably my all-time favorite Haken song now. It simultaneously evokes feelings of hope and nostalgia. That song genuinely made me feel happy to be alive in that moment, experiencing a journey of musical brilliance.
The setlist is provided, so I won’t list every single song in order, but there are a couple more I have to mention here. Cockroach King. What. Did. I. Just. Experience. From the moment it started, I mentioned how it reminded me of the absurdity that is Hocus Pocus by Focus, but in the best way. And then the drum beat leading into the next verse made me think I was about to hear Dream On by Aerosmith. But no, definitely not. This song was a trip from start to finish. They made it fun. All the band members provided vocals at one point or another. I noticed heavy jazz fusion and funk influences. I don’t really know what else to say because my mind is still trying to process what I experienced. Also noteworthy was the extended keyboard and drums outro during The Strain because who doesn’t go wild for an awesome solo?
The next song I want to mention is Drowning in the Flood. It felt heavily 90s influenced, especially vocally. It felt like someone entirely different was singing, which showcased Jennings’ range and vocal abilities. It went from 90s rock to theatrical and very reminiscent of Dream Theater. My 90s heart was again very happy. It was an excellent end to the set before the audience chanted their name in unison to come back for an encore, which they did with Visions. Everyone was standing by this point, even those who stayed seated throughout this three-hour musical expedition. The energy was through the roof.
As the night ended and the band took their final bow, the lights came on and we were summoned back to reality. It was an experience I, and likely many others who attended, will never forget. I hope they come back in the future because it’s a show I would definitely recommend attending. It was cohesive, technically excellent, and downright enjoyable even if you aren’t familiar with their music.
Highlights:
- The music, duh
- The energy
- The overall production
Lowlights:
- The crowd size—Haken deserved to have a sold-out show.
Setlist:
First Set (Fauna)
The Last Lullaby (intro, from tape)
1. Taurus
2. Nightingale
3. The Alphabet of Me
4. Sempiternal Beings
5. Beneath the White Rainbow
6. Island in the Clouds
7. Lovebite
8. Elephants Never Forget
9. Eyes of Ebony
10. Crytallised (from EP Restoration)
Second Set
11. Puzzle Box
12. Earthrise
13. Cockroach King
14. Nil by Mouth
15. 1985
16. The Strain (with extended keyboard and drums outro)
17. Canary Yellow
18. Drowning in the Flood
Encore:
19. Visions
The Lineup:
Haken – Ross Jennings, Richard Henshall, Raymond Hearne, Charles Griffiths, Conner Green, Peter Jones