Symphony X
- Thread starter Night Prowler
- Start date
Black Wizard
Pleb Hunter
In case you didn't notice, I went to see Symphony X last night.
Here is the setlist. I'll put any discussion about the setlist in spoilers in case any of you are planning on seeing them this year.
One thing I am annoyed about is the venue. The gig was advertised as being in Wolverhampton, when in reality the venue is in some town called Bilston on the edge of Wolverhampton. It was easy enough to get to as there are tram stops near the hostel I stayed in and near the venue. Getting back to Birmingham after was a pain the ass though. Last weekend I emailed the venue to ask when the show is expected to end and I received a very prompt reply telling me that doors would be at 7 and Symphony X would finish at 10:45, which would have worked out well for me as the last tram back to Birmingham is at 11:22. However, I arrived at 7:30 to find that doors hadn't opened yet which I immediately knew would ruin my plans for getting back to Birmingham. We got let in at 8 and the show didn't finish until nearly midnight, which is highly unusual for any gig. This meant that I had no other option than to walk into Wolverhampton (about 45 minutes, so Bilston really isn't Wolverhampton) to get the coach to Birmingham (which was at 1:20, and took an hour) and then I got a taxi from the coach station to the hostel. So I got back nearly three hours later than I had expected to and spent an extra £16.80 after spending £5 on a return ticket for the tram. On top of the massive hassle in getting to bed afterwards the venue didn't seem very well organized. The sound for Symphony X wasn't great as Russel's vocals were a bit drowned out by the instruments and I had to take one of my earplugs out to hear him. Everyone also had to hand their tickets to the security guy on the door instead of having the stub ripped off but afterwards he handed a ticket to everyone on the way out. This seems like an odd thing to do and because I didn't buy my ticket from the venue like most other people seemed to I ended up with a ticket that looks completely different to the one I bought (it's hardly the most important thing, but I'm a bit frustrated by it).
At the end of the day it was a pretty stupid place for Symphony X to play and I am considering emailing their management about the venue location and timings (and I will certainly be contacting the venue about their lack of organization). Someone I spoke to before the gig suggested that they played in Bilston instead of Birmingham because it's cheaper to hire that venue on Friday night that somewhere in Birmingham, and one of the venues in Wolverhampton isn't currently open. It was still a really stupid town to play in though, purely because it was such a pain to get back to Birmingham. It would be nice if their management had taken travelling fans into account though. Hopefully the show in London next Friday is a bit better organized, although it's also in a random venue!
Asides from the massive rant I've just had I did enjoy the show and it was worth the trip from Reading to see them after eight-and-a-half years. Plus I got to visit Birmingham again and I'm currently writing this message sitting at my old university.
Here is the setlist. I'll put any discussion about the setlist in spoilers in case any of you are planning on seeing them this year.
They actually played all of 'Underworld' which I did not expect. It's a good album but I am a little bit frustrated that they chose to play all of it. I'm not really a fan of full album sets unless it's a special occasion or extended show, and I feel it might be a fad that Maiden started in 2006 with 'A Matter of Life and Death' (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, I'd only been to a couple of gigs before that tour). I would have preferred them to mix up the setlist a bit with a few more old songs like 'A Winters Dream II', 'Inferno (Unleash the Fire)', 'Church of the Machine' etc. The new songs do work well live though and I have no complaints about the band's performance and I'm looking forward to seeing them again next week. However I should probably brush up on the 'Underworld' songs beforehand!
One thing I am annoyed about is the venue. The gig was advertised as being in Wolverhampton, when in reality the venue is in some town called Bilston on the edge of Wolverhampton. It was easy enough to get to as there are tram stops near the hostel I stayed in and near the venue. Getting back to Birmingham after was a pain the ass though. Last weekend I emailed the venue to ask when the show is expected to end and I received a very prompt reply telling me that doors would be at 7 and Symphony X would finish at 10:45, which would have worked out well for me as the last tram back to Birmingham is at 11:22. However, I arrived at 7:30 to find that doors hadn't opened yet which I immediately knew would ruin my plans for getting back to Birmingham. We got let in at 8 and the show didn't finish until nearly midnight, which is highly unusual for any gig. This meant that I had no other option than to walk into Wolverhampton (about 45 minutes, so Bilston really isn't Wolverhampton) to get the coach to Birmingham (which was at 1:20, and took an hour) and then I got a taxi from the coach station to the hostel. So I got back nearly three hours later than I had expected to and spent an extra £16.80 after spending £5 on a return ticket for the tram. On top of the massive hassle in getting to bed afterwards the venue didn't seem very well organized. The sound for Symphony X wasn't great as Russel's vocals were a bit drowned out by the instruments and I had to take one of my earplugs out to hear him. Everyone also had to hand their tickets to the security guy on the door instead of having the stub ripped off but afterwards he handed a ticket to everyone on the way out. This seems like an odd thing to do and because I didn't buy my ticket from the venue like most other people seemed to I ended up with a ticket that looks completely different to the one I bought (it's hardly the most important thing, but I'm a bit frustrated by it).
At the end of the day it was a pretty stupid place for Symphony X to play and I am considering emailing their management about the venue location and timings (and I will certainly be contacting the venue about their lack of organization). Someone I spoke to before the gig suggested that they played in Bilston instead of Birmingham because it's cheaper to hire that venue on Friday night that somewhere in Birmingham, and one of the venues in Wolverhampton isn't currently open. It was still a really stupid town to play in though, purely because it was such a pain to get back to Birmingham. It would be nice if their management had taken travelling fans into account though. Hopefully the show in London next Friday is a bit better organized, although it's also in a random venue!
Asides from the massive rant I've just had I did enjoy the show and it was worth the trip from Reading to see them after eight-and-a-half years. Plus I got to visit Birmingham again and I'm currently writing this message sitting at my old university.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Sounds like you had one hell of a time getting out there, but at least SX was worth it! When are you seeing them again?
I am so jealous.
I am so jealous.
At the N.A. shows on the last leg we got the first half of Underworld (ended with To Hell and Back) + three PL songs, Iconoclast, and Sins and Shadows (which I've heard them play at every gig I've ever seen). I really enjoy the new album and would have loved to have seen Swan Song and Legend live! Not to mention those hidden gems of Out of the Ashes and Sea of Lies! Saw them do both of those songs 13 years ago in a small bar and it was out of this world. I agree that the full album thing is a bit much without the concert being billed as that, but I'm sure it all sounded great. Can't to see some videos!
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
Sorry to hear about the venue troubles. Hopefully you'll have a better time next week!
That's an incredible set, especially Ashes and Death of Balance, which I don't think they've pulled out since 2007-2008. I'm actually quite shocked they played the full Underworld album - it's a solid album from start to finish, but I'm not sure I'd consider Darkest Hour and Devil to be "live worthy" songs. They didn't even play Paradise Lost in full when it was released, and some would argue that it's just as consistent of an album as Underworld. I'm jealous that you got to hear Swan Song and Legend, though - those two are great and they withheld them from the Americans!
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
I would have flipped my shit to hear literally anything from V
Black Wizard
Pleb Hunter
I'm seeing them again in London on Friday.
Would you use one of these?
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Drum cam footage of Rullo playing Death of Balance in Europe:
Damn that guy is awesome!
Damn that guy is awesome!
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Yeah, they busted out Death of Balance and Sea of Lies on the Euro tour, but otherwise it was the entirety of Underworld + Set the World on Fire. Definitely needs more V!
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
I think a V tour (or at least a DVD) with an orchestra is a must for this band, but given how much the top dogs Romeo and Russell dislike V and its "cheesy" themes, I wouldn't count on it.
Instead, stay tuned for more news on the Iconoclast + Adrenaline Mob tour featuring the London Philharmonic this summer!
Instead, stay tuned for more news on the Iconoclast + Adrenaline Mob tour featuring the London Philharmonic this summer!
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
And some quality footage from the final night:
Russell definitely sounds like he's trying to preserve his voice, it's pretty strained throughout even though the notes themselves are mostly great. Bruce should send him the name of his vocal coach. I'd hate to see a SX tour in 10 years where Russ's voice is just shot to hell.
Russell definitely sounds like he's trying to preserve his voice, it's pretty strained throughout even though the notes themselves are mostly great. Bruce should send him the name of his vocal coach. I'd hate to see a SX tour in 10 years where Russ's voice is just shot to hell.
JudasMyGuide
The resident reactionary recalcitrant
Okay, since this thread was started by listing SX albums from best to worst and I finally made up my mind about that:
1.) The Odyssey
2.) Underworld (barely)
3.) The Divine Wings of Tragedy
4.) Paradise Lost
5.) Iconoclast (barely)
6.) Twilight in Olympus
7.) V
8.) The Damnation Game
9.) Symphony X
It might still change though, so far I'm glad I was able to make at least some list.
1.) The Odyssey
2.) Underworld (barely)
3.) The Divine Wings of Tragedy
4.) Paradise Lost
5.) Iconoclast (barely)
6.) Twilight in Olympus
7.) V
8.) The Damnation Game
9.) Symphony X
It might still change though, so far I'm glad I was able to make at least some list.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
That is a truly unique album listing, Judas.
Here's my updated one:
Awesome
1: The Odyssey
2: V
3: Paradise Lost
Solid
4: The Damnation Game
5: Twilight in Olympus
6: Diviine Wings of Tragedy
7: Underworld
Weak
8: Iconocolast
???
9: Symphony X
Old list:
1: V
2: Odyssey
3: Paradise Lost
4: Twilight
5: Divine Wings
6: Damnation Game
7: Iconoclast
8: Symphony X
So only two differences are Damnation Game moving up and V and Odyssey switching. Although the awesome tier and solid tier are all rated pretty much the same by me within their respective categories. The "awesome" albums would probably get a 9 or 10 while the "solid" albums would get 7-8.
Awesome
1: The Odyssey
2: V
3: Paradise Lost
Solid
4: The Damnation Game
5: Twilight in Olympus
6: Diviine Wings of Tragedy
7: Underworld
Weak
8: Iconocolast
???
9: Symphony X
Old list:
1: V
2: Odyssey
3: Paradise Lost
4: Twilight
5: Divine Wings
6: Damnation Game
7: Iconoclast
8: Symphony X
So only two differences are Damnation Game moving up and V and Odyssey switching. Although the awesome tier and solid tier are all rated pretty much the same by me within their respective categories. The "awesome" albums would probably get a 9 or 10 while the "solid" albums would get 7-8.
Lampwick 43
Barstool Warrior
Here's my list:
1.) V
2.) Divine Wings
3.) Odyssey
4.) Twilight
5.) Damnation Game
6.) Underworld
7.) Iconoclast
8.) Paradise Lost
9.) Symphony X
As a relatively new fan, I'm curious to see how fluid this list will be over time. I have a strong feeling that list could look completely different a year from now.
1.) V
2.) Divine Wings
3.) Odyssey
4.) Twilight
5.) Damnation Game
6.) Underworld
7.) Iconoclast
8.) Paradise Lost
9.) Symphony X
As a relatively new fan, I'm curious to see how fluid this list will be over time. I have a strong feeling that list could look completely different a year from now.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
Mine has changed quite a bit in two years:
1. V
2. The Odyssey
3. Paradise Lost
4. Underworld
5. Twilight in Olympus
6. Divine Wings
7. Damnation Game
8. Iconoclast
9. Symphony X
I expect the new album hype will eventually wear off and I'll drop Underworld below Twilight, but I said the same thing about Sabaton's last album and that sure hasn't happened yet.
Old list:
1. The Odyssey
2. V
3. Divine Wings
4. Twilight
5. Paradise Lost
6. Damnation Game
7. Iconoclast
8. Symphony X
1. V
2. The Odyssey
3. Paradise Lost
4. Underworld
5. Twilight in Olympus
6. Divine Wings
7. Damnation Game
8. Iconoclast
9. Symphony X
I expect the new album hype will eventually wear off and I'll drop Underworld below Twilight, but I said the same thing about Sabaton's last album and that sure hasn't happened yet.
Old list:
1. The Odyssey
2. V
3. Divine Wings
4. Twilight
5. Paradise Lost
6. Damnation Game
7. Iconoclast
8. Symphony X
Detective Beauregard
Leviathan of Doggerland
It's really difficult for me to rank Symphony X albums. Every one of them has moments of utter brilliance and crushing disappointment. Well, except for V, which has no true downers - but the album as a whole doesn't have the emotional impact of some of their other songs. Regardless, I'd put V, Odyssey, and Divine Wings near the top, with Underworld, Twilight, and possibly Paradise Lost in the middle, with the other three at the bottom. I can say for certain that Damnation Game and Iconoclast would be tied for second worst, and the debut the weakest.
MrKnickerbocker
clap hands
I'd say that The Odyssey has 1-2 weaker songs, but absolutely zero of the "crushing disappointment" you speak of. Likewise, it's interesting to see DWOT in your top three considering the entire middle of that album is crushing disappointment.
D
Deleted member 7164
Guest
Underworld > V > Divine Wings . Rest is passable for me.
Yes, I think Underworld is that good.
Yes, I think Underworld is that good.