As we approached the The World @ WWF last night, the first thing that struck me was just how long the line to get in was. I couldnt believe it, especially since the doors had opened a half hour earlier. We went and grabbed a bite, a few beers, and came back expecting the line to be all but gone. Surprisingly, it had actually grown longer, even though they were letting people in, at a pretty good clip. I had no idea that Iced Earth and In Flames would draw this size crowd.
We got in a few minutes after Jag Panzer had finished their set. From what I could gather from talking to a few people, they werent very good, and had to fight through some sound problems to boot. I will post a Jag Panzer review when I see this same bill on Saturday in Philly. When In Flames came on the crowd was totally into them. They played the songs (listed in no particular order) that you would expect (this list is incomplete): Clay Man, Bullet Ride, Only for the Weak, Pinball Map, Embody the Invisible, Ordinary Story, Behind Space, Gyroscope, Episode 666.
All in all, In Flames kicked ass! My brother, who isnt all that into Metal, and who had never heard In Flames, left with a new In Flames t-shirt. They were very energetic, sounded great, and the crowd was completely into their performance. If Iced Earth didnt have a vastly superior catalog to draw from, In Flames would have stolen the show.
Before Iced Earth came on, the crowd of nearly 2,000 thinned a bit. I witnessed this very same thing happen when Opeth opened for Nevermore. Apparently, there are more than a few hardcore fans of extreme Metal that arent as open-minded as the rest of us, and moronically decided not to stay for Iced Earth. None the less, the place was still jammed with over 1,500 loyal Iced Earth fans.
After now having seen Iced Earth live, let me just say that Alive in Athens should never have been released. Not only does it give a less than accurate picture of the band as a whole, but it completely misrepresents Matthew Barlow. After listening to Alive in Athens a few times, I walked away thinking, Well, hes solid live, but not as good as he is on disc. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Barlow is better live than he is on disc. He is every bit the vocal god I had hoped he would be, and more!
Iced Earth played the following (in order of release date): Iced Earth, Pure Evil, Violate, The Hunter, Scarred, Slave to the Dark, Question of Heaven, Melancholy, Watching Over Me, My Own Savior, Prophecy, Birth of the Wicked, The Coming Curse, Wolf, Damien, Jack, Jeckyl & Hyde, Dracula. They began the show with an instrumental rendition of The Star Spangled Bannner. As I was aware that they were going to play the national anthem as an opener, I was very disappointed that they chose to perform an instrumental version. You hear so many bad singers perform The Star Spangled Banner before events, that it would have been really cool to hear Barlow take a crack at it.
The highlights of the show included the Something Wicked Trilogy, Melancholy and Damien. Surprisingly, I would say that The Suffering trilogy, from the Dark Saga disc, was at times a bit dull. I think its too atmospheric at points, and with Barlows vocals a little low in the mix, it came across a tad weak. The fairly nice sized pit that had been present through all of In Flames, and most of Iced Earth, seemed to morph into a group of folks who just sort of absorbed the music, rather than reacted to it. However, overall, the crowd was very, very into Iced Earth as one would expect.
I have often speculated that Iced Earth is a good band, whose lead singer lifts them into the patheon of Metal greatness. This is even more true in a live setting, than it is on disc. The rest of the band is solid musically. But as far as stage presence and energy go, they arent likely to draw comparisons to Nevermore anytime soon. Granted, you have to cut Jon some slack, as he has had to have bones in his neck fused from raging so violently earlier in his career. But none the less, at times, it almost feels like a one man show. Barlow, who is constantly working the crowd (a lot more than Alive in Athens would have you believe), is energetic, and most certainly has a presence about him. He never misses a note, whether in range, pitch or duration. It was the best vocal performance I have witnessed since watching Geoff Tate perform Operation: Mindcrime in its entirety during Queensryches Building Empires tour, and I left an even bigger Barlow fan (if thats possible) than I was when I arrived.
All in all, it was a great show. I was thrilled with the set list, especially with the inclusion of Dracula, as from what Ive read it was not performed during the first two shows of Iced Earths North American tour. Although, I was a bit surprised at the absence of I Died for You.
On a side note, while the sound, lighting, and cleanliness of The World was top flight (and really, thats the most important thing), they attempt to exploit their concert goers at every turn. My wife was charged $9 for coat check, and they charged $5 for bottled water (which was WWF water that they probably got out of the bathroom tap). Additionally, while waiting to get a t-shirt, some huge guy kept yelling, If youre not buying merchandice, get the f**k out!. Somehow I bet the non-Metal crowds are not treated this way by the staff.
As I know a few folks on this board went to last night's show, I'd be curious to hear their take on the concert.
GZ
We got in a few minutes after Jag Panzer had finished their set. From what I could gather from talking to a few people, they werent very good, and had to fight through some sound problems to boot. I will post a Jag Panzer review when I see this same bill on Saturday in Philly. When In Flames came on the crowd was totally into them. They played the songs (listed in no particular order) that you would expect (this list is incomplete): Clay Man, Bullet Ride, Only for the Weak, Pinball Map, Embody the Invisible, Ordinary Story, Behind Space, Gyroscope, Episode 666.
All in all, In Flames kicked ass! My brother, who isnt all that into Metal, and who had never heard In Flames, left with a new In Flames t-shirt. They were very energetic, sounded great, and the crowd was completely into their performance. If Iced Earth didnt have a vastly superior catalog to draw from, In Flames would have stolen the show.
Before Iced Earth came on, the crowd of nearly 2,000 thinned a bit. I witnessed this very same thing happen when Opeth opened for Nevermore. Apparently, there are more than a few hardcore fans of extreme Metal that arent as open-minded as the rest of us, and moronically decided not to stay for Iced Earth. None the less, the place was still jammed with over 1,500 loyal Iced Earth fans.
After now having seen Iced Earth live, let me just say that Alive in Athens should never have been released. Not only does it give a less than accurate picture of the band as a whole, but it completely misrepresents Matthew Barlow. After listening to Alive in Athens a few times, I walked away thinking, Well, hes solid live, but not as good as he is on disc. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Barlow is better live than he is on disc. He is every bit the vocal god I had hoped he would be, and more!
Iced Earth played the following (in order of release date): Iced Earth, Pure Evil, Violate, The Hunter, Scarred, Slave to the Dark, Question of Heaven, Melancholy, Watching Over Me, My Own Savior, Prophecy, Birth of the Wicked, The Coming Curse, Wolf, Damien, Jack, Jeckyl & Hyde, Dracula. They began the show with an instrumental rendition of The Star Spangled Bannner. As I was aware that they were going to play the national anthem as an opener, I was very disappointed that they chose to perform an instrumental version. You hear so many bad singers perform The Star Spangled Banner before events, that it would have been really cool to hear Barlow take a crack at it.
The highlights of the show included the Something Wicked Trilogy, Melancholy and Damien. Surprisingly, I would say that The Suffering trilogy, from the Dark Saga disc, was at times a bit dull. I think its too atmospheric at points, and with Barlows vocals a little low in the mix, it came across a tad weak. The fairly nice sized pit that had been present through all of In Flames, and most of Iced Earth, seemed to morph into a group of folks who just sort of absorbed the music, rather than reacted to it. However, overall, the crowd was very, very into Iced Earth as one would expect.
I have often speculated that Iced Earth is a good band, whose lead singer lifts them into the patheon of Metal greatness. This is even more true in a live setting, than it is on disc. The rest of the band is solid musically. But as far as stage presence and energy go, they arent likely to draw comparisons to Nevermore anytime soon. Granted, you have to cut Jon some slack, as he has had to have bones in his neck fused from raging so violently earlier in his career. But none the less, at times, it almost feels like a one man show. Barlow, who is constantly working the crowd (a lot more than Alive in Athens would have you believe), is energetic, and most certainly has a presence about him. He never misses a note, whether in range, pitch or duration. It was the best vocal performance I have witnessed since watching Geoff Tate perform Operation: Mindcrime in its entirety during Queensryches Building Empires tour, and I left an even bigger Barlow fan (if thats possible) than I was when I arrived.
All in all, it was a great show. I was thrilled with the set list, especially with the inclusion of Dracula, as from what Ive read it was not performed during the first two shows of Iced Earths North American tour. Although, I was a bit surprised at the absence of I Died for You.
On a side note, while the sound, lighting, and cleanliness of The World was top flight (and really, thats the most important thing), they attempt to exploit their concert goers at every turn. My wife was charged $9 for coat check, and they charged $5 for bottled water (which was WWF water that they probably got out of the bathroom tap). Additionally, while waiting to get a t-shirt, some huge guy kept yelling, If youre not buying merchandice, get the f**k out!. Somehow I bet the non-Metal crowds are not treated this way by the staff.
As I know a few folks on this board went to last night's show, I'd be curious to hear their take on the concert.
GZ
- to me, Iced Earth is as heavy as I like it. The performance of In Falmes alone was enough for me to sit at the bar and have a few beers with my wife. However, I admit I was in the minority last night - it did seem that the majority of the crowd went to this concert for In Flames, and they definatley did disperse just before Iced Earth took the stage.
