The Concert Thread

Last weekend I went to two concerts on consecutive nights in different cities. As some of you may have noticed I had a lot of train journeys and drank several beers on what was a damn hot weekend. The Gojira show on Saturday in Birmingham was particularly sweaty. It was the ninth time I'd seen them and they were as awesome as they have been the last few years. The support band, Rolo Tomassi, were very boring and not a suitable choice of band to open for Gojira, so I was glad when they pissed off. Gojira's set was as intense as ever with a typically violent crowd and the setlist had a good mix of songs from all their albums - including, much to my surprise, three from 'Terra Incognita'! 'Blow Me Away You (Niverse)' was a particularly pleasant surprise. They have been working on a new album so will probably be back next year as they never seem to stop touring. I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

On Sunday I saw Demons & Wizards in London at what was their first ever UK show and probably their last too. Dendera (British Power Metal band) were the only support band and they were OK, although I'd have preferred a more well known support instead. The singer in Dendera definitely models himself on Bruce Dickinson, even down to the image with the sleeveless denim jacket. Demons and Wizards played very well with an 18-song setlist which included two Blind Guardian and Iced Earth songs each. Those songs arguably received the best response from the audience. I don't know the Demons & Wizards songs all that well having only started listening to them this year but I enjoyed their set a lot. If anything, it was great just to see Hansi Kursch singing live as Blind Guardian haven't been active for a couple of years. Also Jon Schaffer, who looks really odd with short hair! The third Demons & Wizards album is due out in January next year, but I don't know what the future holds for them after that. I'd happily see them again but would prefer a Blind Guardian tour with Iced Earth supporting.

Four weeks on Tuesday I will see some English band who have repetitive choruses in some French city with an F1 track.
 
Last night I saw Rammstein at the Milton Keynes Stadium. Incredible would be an understatement. The special effects were simply amazing, especially once it got dark and they unleashed fire heavy songs like Sonne and Rammstein. I purposely avoided all pictures and videos of what happens and I'm really glad I did because it made songs like Puppe and Mein Teil so much better as I didn't know what would happen on stage. Unfortunately I was seated and I think that took enjoyment away from it a bit so if I went again I'd definitely go for standing. Otherwise a really really good gig! Now I only have Periphery to look forward to :(

Upcoming gigs:
Periphery @ O2 Ritz Manchester 14/11/19

  • Download Festival 2016 (Sunday, Iron Maiden + Nightwish, Disturbed and others)
  • Status Quo w/ Steve Harley And The Cockney Rebels @ Caldicot Castle - 06/08/16
  • Status Quo w/ The Lounge Kittens and REO Speedwagon @ The Echo Arena, Liverpool - 23/12/16
  • Status Quo @ Brentwood Festival - 15/07/17
  • Metallica w/ Kverlatak @ Genting Arena, Birmingham - 30/10/17
  • Testament w/ Vader and Annihilator @ O2 Institute Birmingham - 30/03/18
  • Agrona w/ Deus Mori and Dark Sorrow @ Scruffy Murphy's, Birmingham - 20/07/18
  • Iron Maiden w/ Killswitch Engage @ Genting Arena, Birmingham - 07/08/18
  • Slayer w/ Obituary, Anthrax and Lamb of God @ Arena Birmingham - 07/11/18
  • Behemoth w/ Wolves In The Throne Room and At The Gates @ O2 Institute Birmingham - 07/02/19
  • Alice In Chains w/ Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Arena Birmingham - 24/05/19
  • Gojira w/ Rolo Tomassi and Black Peaks (cancelled) @ O2 Academy Birmingham 29/06/19
  • Rammstein w/ Duo Jatekok @ Milton Keynes Stadium 06/07/19
 
Saw Queen + Adam Lambert last night, amazing show. The band is incredibly tight and Adam does the songs justice. I had seen them two years ago and was slightly worried the setlist would be the same, it was very different tons of deep cuts, playing 31 songs (including 2 solo spots) over the course of just under two and a half hours, 11 of which weren't played on the previous tour.. Adam did a really good job making sure the audience knew the concert was a celebration of Freddie Mercury and that he wasn't trying to replace him but instead was trying to get the songs heard. He and Roger did a nice duet of Under Pressure. Sound wise the concert was on the quieter side which was enjoyable. Would definitely see them again if they came through.
 
Added a few to my list for the end of the year, it's looking very stacked.

Bloodstock Open Air - Catton Park, 8/8/-11/8/19
Ice Nine Kills - Rescue Rooms Nottingham, 21/9/19
Sleep Token - Manchester Academy 3, 4/10/19
Black Peaks - O2 Institute, Birmingham, 6/10/19
Alice Cooper - Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, 11/10/19
Chris De Burgh - Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 21/10/19
Fever 333 - O2 Institue, Birmingham, 2/11/19
Ghost - Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham, 16/11/19
Frank Turner - Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 1/12/19

Might be able to see Blaze Bayley in Stoke in August, if work allows.
 
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Two weeks from today, I will be in the Wells Fargo Center, in Philadelphia, listening to Iron Maiden at the loudest possible volume I'm ever going to be able to hear them, being played, for me, by the cats that wrote the stuff.
 
Went to see Slash last night, absolutely amazing, killer setlist. Slash was on fire, Myles sang greatly Todd complimented him really well. It is so hard to believe By The Sword was out of the setlist for so long since Myles absolutely owns that song. 2 hours for the main set with a nice 15 minute encore. Sound was super clear and the band was clearly having a great time. Wish they had another show nearby.
 
Saw Def Leppard last night. Nosebleed seats, but a good view of the stage. Tesla opened and they were meh, I wouldn't care to see them again and I would probably consider giving them a pass if they were opening for another band. Def Leppard themselves were quite good, they played the hits and nothing but (only Man Enough from the 2015 self titled and Let's Get Rocked from Adrenalize were written after 1989). I'd likely see them again.

Upcoming concert news: I will likely be unable to get to Calgary for Iron Maiden due to changes at work. However, the advantage is that now puts me in a position to see Demons & Wizards.

Aug 5 - Iron Maiden feat. Raven Age @ Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Aug 24 - Iron Maiden feat. Raven Age @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Centre, Noblesville, Indiana, USA
Sept 1 - Demons & Wizards feat. Lizzy Borden, Tyr @ Corona Theatre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Sept 15 - Kamelot feat. Sonata Arctica and Battle Beast @ Club Soda, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Sept 17 - Battle Beast feat. Infrared, Lycanthro, Scepter @ Mavericks, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Oct 8 - Eluveitie feat. Korpiklaani, Gone in April @ The Brass Monkey, Nepean, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Oct 18 - Ghost feat. Nothing More @ Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata, Ontario, Canada
Oct 30 - Sabaton feat. HammerFall @ MTelus, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Oct 31 - HammerFall @ Mavericks, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Jun 26, 2012 - Iron Maiden feat. Alice Cooper @Comcast Center, Mansfield, Massachusetts, USA
July 14, 2013 - Rush @ Halifax Metro Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Sep 10, 2014 - Sonata Arctica feat. Delain, Xandria @ Mavericks, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Feb 27 - The Iron Maidens, Count Vamp'd, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Feb 28 - Iron Maiden feat. Raven Age @ Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Apr 1 - Iron Maiden feat. Raven Age @ Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Apr 25 - Sabaton feat. Battle Beast @ Club Soda, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
May 27 - Iron Maiden feat. Shinedown @ The O2 Arena, London, England, UK
May 28 - Iron Maiden feat. Shinedown @ The O2 Arena, London, England, UK
Jun 15 - Iron Maiden feat. Ghost @ Hollywood Casino Ampitheater, Tinley Park, Illinois, USA
July 15 - Iron Maiden feat. Ghost @ Budweiser Stage, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Feb 22 - Iced Earth feat. Sanctuary, Kill Ritual, Wolftooth @ The Deluxe at Old National Center, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Mar 2 - Sabaton feat. Kreator, Cyhra @ MTelus, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Mar 20 - Nightwish @ MTelus, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Mar 25 - Judas Priest feat. Saxon, Black Star Riders @ TD Place Arena, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Jul 28 - Heavy Montreal: Veil of Maya, Lee Aaron, Sword, Pallbearer, Alestorm @ Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Jul 29 - Heavy Montreal: Intervals, Helix, Gloryhammer, Trivium, Gojira @ Parc Jean-Drapeau, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Sept 17 - Paul McCartney @ Centre Videotron, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Sept 22 - Alestorm feat. Gloryhammer, Protokult @ Danforth Music Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sept 29 - Unleash the Archers feat. Striker, Lycanthro, Sovereign Council @ Mavericks, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Dec 7 - Ghost @ Place Bell, Laval, Quebec, Canada
April 3 - Kiss @ Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata, Ontario, Canada
April 5 - Dream Theater @ Salle Wilfred-Pelletier, Place des Arts, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
May 22 - Slayer feat. Lamb of God, Amon Amarth, Cannibal Corpse @ Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata, Ontario, Canada
June 5 - Gloryhammer feat. Aether Realm, Valfreya @ L'Astral, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
June 11 - Striker feat. Unknown, Infrared @ Mavericks, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
July 19 - Def Leppard feat. Tesla @ Canadian Tire Centre, Kanata, Ontario, Canada
 
Interesting to hear Def Leppard still puts on good shows. Sucks you can't make Maiden in Calgary though.

I went to my first local show in New Hampshire on Friday night. It was at a place called the Brickhouse in Dover. Nice enough place, plenty of beer on tap although I didn't drink much (had a 25 minute drive home). I met a few coworkers there around 7:30 with the show starting around 9-ish. I could've sworn online it said the starting time was 8, but oh well. There were 4 acts on the bill. The first was a DJ set that was ultimately sub par. He didn't do much to hype up the place and it just served as decent background music. The next act was a last minute addition to the bill (making 5 total acts for the night). He was a rapper from Manchester, NH. He was actually pretty good. I enjoyed his set but missed his name. During his set, a man came up to me and complimented my Bathory shirt and said he was up next with his group (Me, Me, Me I think was the name of it). I didn't really want to stick around for their full set but I did. Me, Me, Me was the duo that came on stage after the rapper from Manchester. They really weren't that good. They were a kind of melancholy singer/songwriter duo that really just didn't click with me. They were pretty boring. I left right before their last song (I didn't come back for the last two groups).

Pretty uneventful.
 
Seen Def Lep 3 times only complaint is they don’t vary the set enough in between tours but many bands have static sets like that so it isn’t a unique issue
 
On Friday I bought tickets to see Testament, Exodus and Death Angel on their upcoming European tour, I'll be catching them in Manchester. Unfortunately I had a bit of a snag with Ticketmaster, accidentally buying 2 tickets due to a glitch, but fortunately a well natured staff member refunded and cancelled the second ticket.

I'll also be seeing the tour of Municipal Waste, Toxic Holocaust, Enforcer and Skeletal Remains whenever the dates are announced, and I'll also be buying tickets to see Bokassa once I know for sure where I'll be attending uni (I purchased the Testament tickets now in case of a sell out). I'm also considering At The Gates, Amon Amarth and Alter Bridge concerts too. A good autumn and winter is up ahead!

Confirmed upcoming gigs:
  • Periphery @ O2 Ritz Manchester 14/11/19
  • Testament w/ Death Angel and Exodus @ Manchester Academy 07/03/20

  • Download Festival 2016 (Sunday, Iron Maiden + Nightwish, Disturbed and others)
  • Status Quo w/ Steve Harley And The Cockney Rebels @ Caldicot Castle - 06/08/16
  • Status Quo w/ The Lounge Kittens and REO Speedwagon @ The Echo Arena, Liverpool - 23/12/16
  • Status Quo @ Brentwood Festival - 15/07/17
  • Metallica w/ Kverlatak @ Genting Arena, Birmingham - 30/10/17
  • Testament w/ Vader and Annihilator @ O2 Institute Birmingham - 30/03/18
  • Agrona w/ Deus Mori and Dark Sorrow @ Scruffy Murphy's, Birmingham - 20/07/18
  • Iron Maiden w/ Killswitch Engage @ Genting Arena, Birmingham - 07/08/18
  • Slayer w/ Obituary, Anthrax and Lamb of God @ Arena Birmingham - 07/11/18
  • Behemoth w/ Wolves In The Throne Room and At The Gates @ O2 Institute Birmingham - 07/02/19
  • Alice In Chains w/ Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Arena Birmingham - 24/05/19
  • Gojira w/ Rolo Tomassi and Black Peaks (cancelled) @ O2 Academy Birmingham 29/06/19
  • Rammstein w/ Duo Jatekok @ Milton Keynes Stadium 06/07/19
 
Saw Maiden and little under a quarter of The Raven Age (should've been less, I walked out to get water and didn't end up going back because, well...) on Saturday. Full review thingy is here.

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna see Alice Cooper this Sunday. Not super stoked for Halestorm and In This Moment. I hope they play shorter sets because I don't want to be stuck at the show until after Midnight. Girlfriend might go. I offered to buy her a lawn ticket with me (only 30 bucks) but she's still not sure if she has off work.

I may be seeing Municipal Waste and Voivod in Worcester but God do I hate Massachusetts and that town. It just stresses me out going to Massachusetts. Then there's the issue of finding parking and everything else. I just don't want to deal with it even though the show is only under 2 hours away.

Historical concerts in sig
 
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