Helloween/Agent Steel
The Key Club
West Hollywood, CA
January 26, 2004
By Rodrigo Escandon
It is hard to believe that in a span of three months Helloween has now played twice in Los Angeles, at the same club when the last time they played this city was in 1988 or 1989. But times have changed and once again Helloween played to another enthusiastic and packed crowd at the Key Club.
With a career that now spans three decades and many albums, what would Helloween choose to play? Especially since US audiences have basically never seen this band live, one would think that they would have to do a set that spans their entire career. These questions were answered when I saw them a few months ago but I wondered if they would keep to that same set list or mix it up a bit. Purposely avoiding Internet message boards that may post the set lists of previous night in this tour, I went to this show with not knowing what to expect.
Any thoughts of being surprised were quickly thrown out the window because the band started with Starlight, Murderer and Keeper of the Seven Keys, the exact songs that started the last show. I was definitely not disappointed as these are all great songs and the band played them to sheer perfection. Plus, the fans were completely energized with hearing these old classics.
Helloween rolled along with more songs from this era like Future World, Eagle Fly Free and Dr. Stein, and with each classic the band played, the fans got wilder and wilder and Helloween just feed of that energy. To this date I have yet to see a band that plays with so much fun. Weiki is great at making faces and doing other funny things while playing. Sascha has the biggest smile in the world and his youthful and exciting energy plus his excellent playing are a joy to watch. Stefan Schwarzmann, sporting a red Mohawk, was amazing as he pounded the drums with so much passion and exuberance. Markus slammed away at that bass and has fun playing around with both Sascha and Weiki as well as with Andi. Andi is just one of the funniest and more entertaining front men I have witnessed. From his explanation to the title of their last album Rabbit Dont Come Easy to guiding along the fans in the singing of Power (if you are unsure of what this entails check out this song on High Live) and finally to the way he measures if the fans did a good job or not with that singing.
The show was not all classics as current songs from the latest albums were played like Forever and One, Hey Lord, If I Could Fly, Open Your Life, Sun 4 the World and Back Against the Wall and while not as famous as the older classics, the crowd still sung along with all their remaining energy. I may be wrong in this assessment but I could swear that in the last tour they played I Can and a couple of others but I am not really sure about that.
Unfortunately all good things have to come to an end and the band finished with the awesome How Many Tears? but not before Weiki gave the most unusual and craziest explanation about the guitar he was going to use. Nobody understood him and the band and fans alike just laughed. At the end, Markus and Sascha traded their instruments and imitated each other and Weiki gave his guitar to Andi and Andi belted out a pretty nice lead. In the end the band gave a gracious bow and Weiki said, See you in three months. The way things are going for Helloween in the US and the way the LA fans have responded the past two shows it would not surprise me if that came true.
Opening right before Helloween was the thrash metal band Agent Steel and I was highly looking forward to seeing them live especially after their excellent Order of the Illuminati album. Well Bruce, Bernie, Juan, Karlos and Rigo were firing with all cylinders because they played one hell of a show. With a huge and loud rhythmic section from Karlos and Rigo providing the backbone, Juan and Bernie were sheer animals with their respective guitars, trading riff after riff and solo after solo. These two guys are one of the great guitar tandems in metal right now. Not to be outdone is Bruce and his seriously good pipes. This guy can flat out sing and he was hitting all the notes, especially the high ones with no problems whatsoever. The band tore through songs from their entire career like Mad Locust Rising, Bleed for the Godz, Ten Fists of Nation and Illuminat is Machine. They definitely had a great time playing and the fans responded by giving them a great response and ovations that surprised Bruce who mentioned that he did not think that anybody in their home town cared for them. Its great to know that there are. Steel Prophet was scheduled to open the show but unfortunately I could not get off work in time to check them out.
It was an excellent night of metal and one that starts of a great week here in Los Angeles as the Opeth and Moonspell tour rolls along later this week and the week will be culminated by a couple of nights of Iron Maiden at the Universal Amphitheater.
The Key Club
West Hollywood, CA
January 26, 2004
By Rodrigo Escandon
It is hard to believe that in a span of three months Helloween has now played twice in Los Angeles, at the same club when the last time they played this city was in 1988 or 1989. But times have changed and once again Helloween played to another enthusiastic and packed crowd at the Key Club.
With a career that now spans three decades and many albums, what would Helloween choose to play? Especially since US audiences have basically never seen this band live, one would think that they would have to do a set that spans their entire career. These questions were answered when I saw them a few months ago but I wondered if they would keep to that same set list or mix it up a bit. Purposely avoiding Internet message boards that may post the set lists of previous night in this tour, I went to this show with not knowing what to expect.
Any thoughts of being surprised were quickly thrown out the window because the band started with Starlight, Murderer and Keeper of the Seven Keys, the exact songs that started the last show. I was definitely not disappointed as these are all great songs and the band played them to sheer perfection. Plus, the fans were completely energized with hearing these old classics.
Helloween rolled along with more songs from this era like Future World, Eagle Fly Free and Dr. Stein, and with each classic the band played, the fans got wilder and wilder and Helloween just feed of that energy. To this date I have yet to see a band that plays with so much fun. Weiki is great at making faces and doing other funny things while playing. Sascha has the biggest smile in the world and his youthful and exciting energy plus his excellent playing are a joy to watch. Stefan Schwarzmann, sporting a red Mohawk, was amazing as he pounded the drums with so much passion and exuberance. Markus slammed away at that bass and has fun playing around with both Sascha and Weiki as well as with Andi. Andi is just one of the funniest and more entertaining front men I have witnessed. From his explanation to the title of their last album Rabbit Dont Come Easy to guiding along the fans in the singing of Power (if you are unsure of what this entails check out this song on High Live) and finally to the way he measures if the fans did a good job or not with that singing.
The show was not all classics as current songs from the latest albums were played like Forever and One, Hey Lord, If I Could Fly, Open Your Life, Sun 4 the World and Back Against the Wall and while not as famous as the older classics, the crowd still sung along with all their remaining energy. I may be wrong in this assessment but I could swear that in the last tour they played I Can and a couple of others but I am not really sure about that.
Unfortunately all good things have to come to an end and the band finished with the awesome How Many Tears? but not before Weiki gave the most unusual and craziest explanation about the guitar he was going to use. Nobody understood him and the band and fans alike just laughed. At the end, Markus and Sascha traded their instruments and imitated each other and Weiki gave his guitar to Andi and Andi belted out a pretty nice lead. In the end the band gave a gracious bow and Weiki said, See you in three months. The way things are going for Helloween in the US and the way the LA fans have responded the past two shows it would not surprise me if that came true.
Opening right before Helloween was the thrash metal band Agent Steel and I was highly looking forward to seeing them live especially after their excellent Order of the Illuminati album. Well Bruce, Bernie, Juan, Karlos and Rigo were firing with all cylinders because they played one hell of a show. With a huge and loud rhythmic section from Karlos and Rigo providing the backbone, Juan and Bernie were sheer animals with their respective guitars, trading riff after riff and solo after solo. These two guys are one of the great guitar tandems in metal right now. Not to be outdone is Bruce and his seriously good pipes. This guy can flat out sing and he was hitting all the notes, especially the high ones with no problems whatsoever. The band tore through songs from their entire career like Mad Locust Rising, Bleed for the Godz, Ten Fists of Nation and Illuminat is Machine. They definitely had a great time playing and the fans responded by giving them a great response and ovations that surprised Bruce who mentioned that he did not think that anybody in their home town cared for them. Its great to know that there are. Steel Prophet was scheduled to open the show but unfortunately I could not get off work in time to check them out.
It was an excellent night of metal and one that starts of a great week here in Los Angeles as the Opeth and Moonspell tour rolls along later this week and the week will be culminated by a couple of nights of Iron Maiden at the Universal Amphitheater.
