- Nov 18, 2008
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Just checking to see if anyone has seen any early USA dates on the Fates tour? Attendance, sound, merch, setlists, etc. Thanks.
Just checking to see if anyone has seen any early USA dates on the Fates tour? Attendance, sound, merch, setlists, etc. Thanks.
Saw them last night in Louisville Ky. I can answer those questions and give you an honest review. This is coming from a long time fan who considers Paralells one of the best 10 albums ever recorded.
Show was at a fairly small club. Kinda cool spot. Attendance was 100-115 people and that may be at its peak and stretching just a bit. You had no problem standing front of stage nearly arms reach from Ray Alder. As for merch, there were just 3 or 4 t-shirts. Nothing else. All were sold out from the get go except for the one white model. All can be had at the website so the sign said.
Sound was not terrible but not great. 6.5 on scale of 1-10. P A speakers consisted of two pair of JBL dual 15s or 18s. Each guitarist had just a half stack (Mesa Boogie).
Setlist was pretty much like whats listed at the setlist.fm site. However the encore was one song only and didnt include eye to eye, which they didnt play.
Jim Matheos and Joey Vera were the stars. Both absolutely crushed it. Frank Arresti was missed big time. Touring guitarist who took his spot was medicore at best. Didnt have the ability to nail the parts or even come close. He appeared overmatched, even uncomfortable with this band.
Ray Alder (as much as I love him) was just OK. He skipped the high notes everytime. He played it safe and didnt even try to hit the higher notes from Eleventh Hour, Point of View, Through Different Eyes etc. Of course they are reasonably high notes but not crazy high or even Steve Perry high. Should be very do-able from most decent singers with a little range. Don't get me wrong. He was ok. Tone was good and mostly in key. Just nothing stellar.
I'm familiar with the drummer mostly from his work in Halford. In that band, he was a monster. The drumming in that band was much faster pace, incorporating alot of fast double bass. In this band he is just ok. Even appeared to me to have timing issues a couple times.
All in all, if you really really like Fates Warning youll enjoy the intimate show in a small club. If you are just a mild fan or less, you may be dissapointed or even bored as the band was very unergetic. Joey Vera was the only one who hardly moved on stage or showed any type of energy. Ray Alder barely cracked a smile and looked eager to have the show completed.
Because I am a long time fan and consider FW pioneers in prog metal I will rate this concert a 7.
Does anyone (other than Tenth Dreamer Deceiver as I already know his opinion, lol) have anything to say about Halcyon Way? I am curious as to how the Fates crowd is reacting to them.
Gotta be honest. The Joliet crowd was very lukewarm to them......
If you want honest feedback, I will give it, but if you are going to get defensive, then don't ask!!!
Anyhow, here is my honest feedback on HW.
They need to pick a sound and stick with it.
Their first song started with harsh vocals that didn't match the music at all.
Then every other song seemed to be a different style.
Thrash, to heavy, to power, and even a poppy style.
Their "look" certainly expresses that they are influenced by many styles, which is great.
Trust me, I am into a lot of different styles of metal and beyond as well.
I think many had trouble connecting with what they were going for.
Honestly, the only reason I watched their set was indeed because they are one of your bands, so I wanted to give them a fair shot.
Are they a bad band? No, not at all. They all have talent.
Just need to narrow down the sound / style they want to go for.
Does anyone (other than Tenth Dreamer Deceiver as I already know his opinion, lol) have anything to say about Halcyon Way? I am curious as to how the Fates crowd is reacting to them.
Thanks for the review! That really sucks to hear about the other guitarist. :-( I have covered so much Fates Warning (Arch and Alder eras) in the past that I could EASILY have filled in - and most definitely would not have been uncomfortable. Sucks that Frank isn't there. I plan on seeing them next week at Empire.Saw them last night in Louisville Ky. I can answer those questions and give you an honest review. This is coming from a long time fan who considers Paralells one of the best 10 albums ever recorded.
Show was at a fairly small club. Kinda cool spot. Attendance was 100-115 people and that may be at its peak and stretching just a bit. You had no problem standing front of stage nearly arms reach from Ray Alder. As for merch, there were just 3 or 4 t-shirts. Nothing else. All were sold out from the get go except for the one white model. All can be had at the website so the sign said.
Sound was not terrible but not great. 6.5 on scale of 1-10. P A speakers consisted of two pair of JBL dual 15s or 18s. Each guitarist had just a half stack (Mesa Boogie).
Setlist was pretty much like whats listed at the setlist.fm site. However the encore was one song only and didnt include eye to eye, which they didnt play.
Jim Matheos and Joey Vera were the stars. Both absolutely crushed it. Frank Arresti was missed big time. Touring guitarist who took his spot was medicore at best. Didnt have the ability to nail the parts or even come close. He appeared overmatched, even uncomfortable with this band.
Ray Alder (as much as I love him) was just OK. He skipped the high notes everytime. He played it safe and didnt even try to hit the higher notes from Eleventh Hour, Point of View, Through Different Eyes etc. Of course they are reasonably high notes but not crazy high or even Steve Perry high. Should be very do-able from most decent singers with a little range. Don't get me wrong. He was ok. Tone was good and mostly in key. Just nothing stellar.
I'm familiar with the drummer mostly from his work in Halford. In that band, he was a monster. The drumming in that band was much faster pace, incorporating alot of fast double bass. In this band he is just ok. Even appeared to me to have timing issues a couple times.
All in all, if you really really like Fates Warning youll enjoy the intimate show in a small club. If you are just a mild fan or less, you may be dissapointed or even bored as the band was very unergetic. Joey Vera was the only one who hardly moved on stage or showed any type of energy. Ray Alder barely cracked a smile and looked eager to have the show completed.
Because I am a long time fan and consider FW pioneers in prog metal I will rate this concert a 7.
Sucks that Frank isn't there. I plan on seeing them next week at Empire.
Holy sh*t!! That would be like a dream come true! They were my favorite band in the late 80s and early 90s. Over the years I have covered a fair amount of Fates and even transcribed (by hand - before computers) solos off of Perfect Symmetry. This album is also in my top 10 desert disks (Images and Words leading that pack). So yeah, I'd be pretty stoked!Dude, that would be SICK if you could fill in for them.
Anyway, looks like I'll be seeing you there, as I also plan on going.