Last night (March 9th), Mastodon played their first show since the shock departure of founding guitarist Brent Hinds, and they indeed had another axeman on-stage with them at the TOOL Live in the Sand event in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. To help them get through the set, they enlisted YouTube guitarist Ben Eller.
Mastodon headlined the final night of the TOOL Live in the Sand destination festival, and joining them through the performance was Eller, a longtime content creator through YouTube and Instagram. Bassist-vocalist Troy Sanders suggested between songs that getting Eller out to the Dominican Republic to play the gig with them may have been a last-minute decision.
“Can you learn 17 Mastodon songs immediately,” Sanders joked mid-set, before asking the crowd to give Eller some love.
The mega-sized Mastodon set began with Hushed and Grim’s “Pain with an Anchor,” and included three more cuts form the band’s most recent album, but it likewise cascaded throughout the Georgia State-bred outfit’s mighty catalogue.
This meant that the setlist also included Leviathan biggies like “I Am Ahab,” “Megalodon” and concert finale “Blood and Thunder,” while Mastodon also traversed Blood Mountain’s “Crystal Skull,” hit The Hunter’s “All the Heavy Lifting” for the first time in a decade, and went ‘Round the Sun with “Ember City” and “The Motherload” for the first time since 2019 and 2020, respectively
You’ll find fanshot footage from Eller’s performance with Mastodon up above and down below, where you can likewise find the full setlist (per setlist.fm).
It’s as-yet unclear what role Eller will play with Mastodon in the future, specifically whether the TOOL Live in the Sand performance was a one-off with the group, or whether he will remain in the lineup. Neither party has confirmed his status at present.
Beyond his tutorial and breakdown vids of licks and riffs from Van Halen, Pantera and more, Eller’s gigography includes performances with Eighties-style party rock band Skankbanger.
As previously reported, Mastodon members Sanders, Bill Kelliher (guitar) and Brann Dailor (drums) released a joint statement last Friday (March 7th) noting that Hinds had exited the lineup “after 25 monumental years together.”
While a reason for his departure had not been given, the group added that they were “deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history [they] shared,” and wished Hinds the best.
Mastodon are due to perform at the Sonic Temple festival in May, and likewise have their spring tour with Coheed and Cambria starting up that same month. You’ll find the rest of their tour details here.
Mastodon setlist 3/9/25:
Pain With an Anchor
Crystal Skull
Black Tongue
I Am Ahab
Megalodon
Ember City (First time since 2019)
Tread Lightly (First time since 2016)
Ghost of Karelia (First time since 2019)
The Motherload (First time since 2020)
The Crux
Pushing the Tides
More Than I Could Chew
All the Heavy Lifting (First time since 2015)
Spectrelight
Mother Puncher
Steambreather
Blood and Thunder