Wow, I just came back from one of the greatest concerts Ive ever been to. I got there really early (despite getting lost and stuck in rush hour traffic in the midst of torrential rain) and wound up catching the end of Angra's soundcheck (no one really seemed to care that i just walked back in...afterwards they started getting strict about it). I was SUPPOSED to meet DrumRman at the show but I didnt see him at all (where were ya dude?) but i got a pleasant suprise in seeing one of my best friends from Berklee had taken a train down from Boston to catch the show. I also made a new friend in BG forum member Yeti of Chaos who flew over from Germany JUST to see the NJ and NY SyX/BG shows and the Angra show as well (really hardcore!). The guys from Angra were walking around the crowd all during the opening acts (there were 3 or 4) and were the friendliest guys in the world to everyone (I got photos with every member but Aquiles). As a guitarist I was also happy to see the Kiko Loureiro guitar solo tab book on sale and nabbed that one up quickly 
. Eventually 12:30 rolled around and Angra (finally) took the stage - after the first half of V was played as warm up music . Before I get into details, here is the setlist, the order is to the best of my recolection.
Nova era
Acid Rain
Angels Cry
Heroes of Sand
Millennium Sun
Metal Icarus
Make Believe
bass solo
drum solo
Unholy Wars
brazilian percussion thing
Hunters and Prey
Rebirth
guitar solo (Kiko)
Live and Learn
Nothing to Say
encore:
Carry On
First, let me say that Angra is THE best band in terms of being DEAD FUCKING ON I have ever seen out of anyone. Edu hit *every* note cleanly and clearly, including the stratospheric ones from the Matos-era songs, which I was curious to see if he was able to do (and holy shit did he hit them!!!). Kiko and Rafael are the best guitar duo there ever was in any metal band. And to those of you who think that Rafael just plays rhythm while Kiko solos all the time WRONG. Rafael takes a good number of leads too, and shreds his ass off at the same time. Kiko just happens to get most of the leads, and also is the guy who does the really berserk stuff (more on that later). In any other band Rafael would be the one and only lead guitarist. Every song was great, there was a breakdown in Metal Icarus (or was it Angels Cry?) where Edu got the crowd really pumped. My personal favorites were Live and Learn, Rebirth, Carry On, Nothing to Say, and Angels Cry.
I want to mention the solo spots, because this is where I got to see how good, musically, the guys in this band are. First of all, Filipe Andrioli is THE SHIT! The only metal bass player I can think of who is at his level is John Myung, and even Myung can't do that blazing funk slaping Filipe started doing. If that wasn't enough, Aquiles Priester demonstrated how crazy of a drummer he was (though I think, as with most drum solos, it did go on a bit long). The highlight of the solo spots for me though, was Kiko. He is probably the most underrated of all the shredders out there today (not a lot of people really seem to mention him it seems). The only other guitarist I have seen live that has been as fluid and precise as him is Romeo (though he doesnt quite reach the speeds Romeo does, he sure is fuckin fast enough to burn any of the Shrapnel guys). I was particularly blown away by his tapping, especially when he started using multiple fingers (middle, ring, and sometimes pinky too), eventually switching to a clean tone and doing Stanley Jordan style touch technique, and ending with an "Icarus Dream Suite" inspired neoclassical shred over a droning Ebm based progression from the keyboardist. Another great suprise was when every member broke out a percussion instrument and did a really awsome brazilian percussion thing (eventually leading into Hunters and Prey I *think*).
The show ended at 2:30 AM but damn was it worth seeing. I think Angra has finally been cemented as one of my "top 3" bands alongside Symphony X and Blind Guardian, who I will be seeing again tomorrow night at the World.
. Eventually 12:30 rolled around and Angra (finally) took the stage - after the first half of V was played as warm up music . Before I get into details, here is the setlist, the order is to the best of my recolection.Nova era
Acid Rain
Angels Cry
Heroes of Sand
Millennium Sun
Metal Icarus
Make Believe
bass solo
drum solo
Unholy Wars
brazilian percussion thing
Hunters and Prey
Rebirth
guitar solo (Kiko)
Live and Learn
Nothing to Say
encore:
Carry On
First, let me say that Angra is THE best band in terms of being DEAD FUCKING ON I have ever seen out of anyone. Edu hit *every* note cleanly and clearly, including the stratospheric ones from the Matos-era songs, which I was curious to see if he was able to do (and holy shit did he hit them!!!). Kiko and Rafael are the best guitar duo there ever was in any metal band. And to those of you who think that Rafael just plays rhythm while Kiko solos all the time WRONG. Rafael takes a good number of leads too, and shreds his ass off at the same time. Kiko just happens to get most of the leads, and also is the guy who does the really berserk stuff (more on that later). In any other band Rafael would be the one and only lead guitarist. Every song was great, there was a breakdown in Metal Icarus (or was it Angels Cry?) where Edu got the crowd really pumped. My personal favorites were Live and Learn, Rebirth, Carry On, Nothing to Say, and Angels Cry.
I want to mention the solo spots, because this is where I got to see how good, musically, the guys in this band are. First of all, Filipe Andrioli is THE SHIT! The only metal bass player I can think of who is at his level is John Myung, and even Myung can't do that blazing funk slaping Filipe started doing. If that wasn't enough, Aquiles Priester demonstrated how crazy of a drummer he was (though I think, as with most drum solos, it did go on a bit long). The highlight of the solo spots for me though, was Kiko. He is probably the most underrated of all the shredders out there today (not a lot of people really seem to mention him it seems). The only other guitarist I have seen live that has been as fluid and precise as him is Romeo (though he doesnt quite reach the speeds Romeo does, he sure is fuckin fast enough to burn any of the Shrapnel guys). I was particularly blown away by his tapping, especially when he started using multiple fingers (middle, ring, and sometimes pinky too), eventually switching to a clean tone and doing Stanley Jordan style touch technique, and ending with an "Icarus Dream Suite" inspired neoclassical shred over a droning Ebm based progression from the keyboardist. Another great suprise was when every member broke out a percussion instrument and did a really awsome brazilian percussion thing (eventually leading into Hunters and Prey I *think*).
The show ended at 2:30 AM but damn was it worth seeing. I think Angra has finally been cemented as one of my "top 3" bands alongside Symphony X and Blind Guardian, who I will be seeing again tomorrow night at the World
.
