Helloween - Live @ Wacken (Full show!)

[Jasonic]

Show me a better live power metal band than this.....
I freakin' double dog dare you.....
The only acceptable answer "might" be Gamma Ray.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=A9d807qnGlM#at=58

 

[modernwizardry]

GAMMA RAY!!!

 

[Jasonic]

GAMMA RAY!!!

GR absolutely KILL live.
I guess though since I have been a Helloween fan from way back when Kai was still in the band, that I will always prefer them to Gamma Ray.

I was hoping that the recent Helloween / Stratovarius tour would make it's way to the States, though that does not appear to be in the cards at the moment.

 

[Diabolik]

No power metal band will top Helloween live....Gamma Ray are close but they always seem to play the clunkers live,

 

[modernwizardry]

No power metal band will top Helloween live....Gamma Ray are close but they always seem to play the clunkers live,

Yeah, agreed on that. They completely ignored Land of the Free II at the last show which to me was a killer album.

I did see Helloween/Gamma Ray on Hellish Rock and they were both amazing. They played mostly Keepers material if I remember.

 

[modernwizardry]

GR absolutely KILL live.
I guess though since I have been a Helloween fan from way back when Kai was still in the band, that I will always prefer them to Gamma Ray.

I was hoping that the recent Helloween / Stratovarius tour would make it's way to the States, though that does not appear to be in the cards at the moment.

Yeah, I had no idea of either band or power metal in general until about 2004-2005. Then my friend told me to get Gamma Ray's Powerplant and that was it. Thanks to the internet I learned a lot real quick.

 

[Jasonic]

Don't get me wrong, there are PLENTY of amazing power metal live bands.
Though the show itself kind of blew, Stratovarius played flawlessly when I saw them.
HammerFall and Edguy are both a blast live, but WAY too predictable in terms of everything (setlist, inbetween song banter, etc).

Two honorable mentions behind Helloween and GR would be Noc Rites and Blind Guardian.

I would love to be able to say from experience I know what Rhapsody are like live.
I thought they were great from the most recent Wacken live stream I saw.
I guess we will now never know (or we might, but in two different versions. Ha!)

 

[Jasonic]

Yeah, I had no idea of either band or power metal in general until about 2004-2005. Then my friend told me to get Gamma Ray's Powerplant and that was it. Thanks to the internet I learned a lot real quick.

Wow, so you actually discovered Gamma Ray BEFORE Helloween?

 

[nomisofsiman]

They definitely are the top two live power metal acts out there that's for damn sure. It's just too bad that they don't draw well here in the US. It seems the best power metal band in terms of performance and drawing power is Blind Guardian.

 

[Jasonic]

Simon, you have to consider this though....
When Helloween first "broke" in the US was with Keepers I and II.
Sure, some of us in the underground knew them from the Judas EP and Walls of Jericho.
This was at the time though when the underground was getting even heavier, with bands like Frost, Kreator, VoiVod, etc.
Helloween were always stuck in the middle, because even though they came up as a speed metal band, they were getting a bit to "cartoonish" for the thrash crowd.

After Keepers II, their albums were no longer available in the US.
I seriously didn't know until almost 10 years later that there were two more albums with Kiske (in Pink Bubbles and Chameleon).

When Castle started to distribute in the US, that's when you would start seeing the Deris CDs floating around.
At that point, Helloween here in the States were just "another classic band with a new lineup"

It's the same reason why bands like Metal Church, Candlemass, etc, etc draw very minimally here in the States these days as well. There was a HUGE lull in their album's availability here in the States.

 

[nomisofsiman]

Oh I get the reasons why. Still sucks though.

 

[Jasonic]

Oh I get the reasons why. Still sucks though.

Definitely, though bands like Helloween and Candlemass are never going to be "hip" enough for the youngsters.

I can tell you from experience though that a LOT of old time metal fans have no idea about the current status of these bands. If you were into metal in the 80s, but don't follow it today, you would have no idea these bands are still around.

My older brother is a perfect example. I don't think we have had a conversation in the past 10 years that didn't involve him saying, "Oh, they are STILL around"????

 

[Diabolik]

Sure, some of us in the underground knew them from the Judas EP and Walls of Jericho..

hahahahahahah....come on Jason....you were not in the underground. Sure you may have known of these bands. 99.9% of metal fans in the US didnt know Helloween until Mtv played the Halloween video. Lets not rewrite history here my freind.

It's the same reason why bands like Metal Church, Candlemass, etc, etc draw very minimally here in the States these days as well. There was a HUGE lull in their album's availability here in the States.[/QUOTE]

Metal Church disc were available in the states....just no one was buying them. As you always love to say....You were not into metal then anymore so how would you even know???

 

[Jasonic]

Bob - I was familiar with Helloween long before they were on MTV.
I can tell you the exact record store where most of the early NOISE RECORDS stuff was purchased.
It was a record store in Woodfield Mall that specialized in import metal.
That's where most of the NOISE / COMBAT / MEGAFORCE / Etc vinyl in the Baygood home came from.

We had both the Judas EP and Walls of Jericho before Keepers even came out.

No reason I would lie about this..............

 

[Diabolik]

Bob - I was familiar with Helloween long before they were on MTV.
I can tell you the exact record store where most of the early NOISE RECORDS stuff was purchased.
It was a record store in Woodfield Mall that specialized in import metal.
That's where most of the NOISE / COMBAT / MEGAFORCE / Etc vinyl in the Baygood home came from.

We had both the Judas EP and Walls of Jericho before Keepers even came out.

No reason I would lie about this..............

to show off to Simon how KVLT you are

 

[Jasonic]

What? Kvlt to Simon is going to any show prior to 2009.

So, did anyone check out the vid?
I watched the first 40 minutes and I must say that seeing Helloween in Germany, at Wacken, would give me major wood.

 

[Diabolik]

What? Kvlt to Simon is going to any show prior to 2009.

So, did anyone check out the vid?
I watched the first 40 minutes and I must say that seeing Helloween in Germany, at Wacken, would give me major wood.

I serioulsy dont think there can be a bad Helloween gig.....they have such a great back history of songs that you will always hear good ones live.

 

[nomisofsiman]

I serioulsy dont think there can be a bad Helloween gig.....they have such a great back history of songs that you will always hear good ones live.

Agreed with that, though I heard when they last played Chicago that they sucked due to Deris being drunk. I saw them in Atlanta that year, so I can't say one way or another.

 

[nomisofsiman]

What? Kvlt to Simon is going to any show prior to 2009.

Ha! Jason, always the exaggerator.

 

[Diabolik]

Agreed with that, though I heard when they last played Chicago that they sucked due to Deris being drunk. I saw them in Atlanta that year, so I can't say one way or another.

dont listen to nay sayers Simon....they were still great. Sure Deris drank a little but he was still spot on.