Driving to Columbia, Missouri, to catch Irreversible Entanglements in June was my first meaningful post-quarantine pleasure trip. In spite of the brevity of the avant-garde ensemble’s appearance, the experience was my first brush with normality in more than a year. At 73 minutes, Irreversible Entanglements’ new album Open the Gates is twice the length of the concert at Stephens Lake Park Amphitheatre. Open the Gates solidifies Moor Mother’s status near the top of the jazz poet pantheon and the group’s expression of rage is more cogent than the output of any contemporary punk band. "It's energy time!"