1. Grunge-y duo Local H is a fitting opener, but I wish we’d landed one of the Failure/Hum co-headlining shows the East Coast got in August.

2. Even after almost 20 years off, Failure looks and sounds tight enough to be straight out of ’97 … minus the iPad-controlled sonics, multiple LCD screens and total lack of flannel.

3. The band opens with a mega-block of tunes off June’s The Heart Is a Monster before diving into the old stuff. If you weren’t a fan, it would be near-impossible to tell the difference.

4. In contrast to when same-era group Helmet performed 1994’s Betty in its entirety earlier this year, which felt somewhat dated, songs off Failure’s Another Planet (1996) and Magnified (1994) sound ageless and relevant. It’s a testament to how forward-thinking and ahead of its time the band was—and remains.

5. If you were to remove any piece of Failure’s sonic puzzle you’d lose the perfect aural landscape the band masterfully creates. It genuinely creates something more than the sum of its parts.