Iced Earth's Powerfest performance was the worst IE performance I have ever seen (I have seen them 5 times total)
It wasn't all the band's fault though as there were major sound issues throughout. Maybe you didn't know if you were up front, but the vocals cut out about 4 or 5 times throughout the set.
Also, Matt seemed very uncomfortable just "standing" on stage during the instrumental parts of songs, as opposed to headbanging when he had his long mane. Sounds petty, but his hair was a major visual factor of an older Iced Earth gig.
If it was your first IE gig, then yeah, I suppose it would have been a good show for ya. No one I ever talked to who has seen them previously thought much of that performance.
I don't think it was a bad performance at all, I just think it didn't have the feel of the last time I saw I.E. (never saw em with Ripper).
For it being Matt's first show being back in the band and also being the bass player's first show with I.E. as well it was pretty good. It did surprise me that they kept it very basic onstage. No intro tape or anything they just walked onstage and started playing.
The sound issues did suck, it was more of an inconvenience for the audience for about a minute but they cleared up and the show went on. The band didn't even notice since the monitors kept working. I don't think that the sound issues affected their performance at all.
Nothing and I mean NOTHING will ever top the Iced Earth/In Flames/Jag Panzer show at the Metro in '02. Nothing.
There was also a time I believed cars would fly in the year 2000.
Ah come on, like Iced Earth bigger than Metallica is any better...
You just killed my teenage dream. <----mean face.