12 hour drive to get there... snowy conditions... one misplaced Connecticut native, a Georgia native, and a Finnish Swede... on the road to see Opeth...
The venue was pretty cool, decent sound, but the stage was really low. My 'home base' venue, the Masquerade, has the stage as high as the railing in front of this one.
Brave rocked. I've been waiting literally years to see them. Michelle is very *purr* and when she found out who I was she hhuuggeeddd me, causing the girls I was with to be quite jealous. They thought she was hot too. Scored the new While Heaven Wept CD as well with Michelle's help and can't wait to hear it when I get home.
Skipped Tapping the Vein to hang out with about 234872389423894623642374623 DC area musicians... freaky that there are SO MANY bands in the area that DON'T suck... I can think of seriously 2 bands in the Atlanta area that don't suck... but from what I hear, skipping TtV was a good choice.
I was greatly surprised that Paradise Lost had as many supporters as they did... I stopped following them after Draconian Times, and all I ever read is 'sell out', 'used to be metal'. 'doesn't play old stuff anymore.' Well they played some old stuff, including As I Die, which I NEVER thought I'd hear live since I couldn't go to their show here with Morbid Angel and Kreator I think it was back in 93. Their newer stuff wasn't much my thing but it still was some pretty rockin' stuff and they were quite the professional band. Glad to see they didn't meet with a cricket chirping response as I thought.
Opeth was Opeth. YAY! Advent was my favorite song of the set, probably just because it's off of my favorite album of theirs, but can't say anything was bad... wish they'd play more and different Orchid/Morningrise stuff though... Black Rose Immortal on the next tour swing guys! Even the Deliverance stuff sounded good live (I think the album suffers to me from my expectations of Damnation) although I don't have the orgasm for the end of the Deliverance song that apparently everyone else has. Excellent show though, Mikael's voice sounded better than I've heard it...
... and from what I've heard now,(was very very very very very very very lucky enough to get on the bus for a couple of minutes...), we're in very good hands this spring and all my anticipation for a certain something seems to be very well-founded. yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
Anyway, dunno who reads this board or not but Jim, Trenton, and Tony get BIG thanks from me for being helpful and nice for our trip (not leaving til tomorrow!), and a big thanks to all the people and bands (especially Mikael!) who knew who I was and acted surprised to meet me, which impressed the hell of my girls that I WAS a famous music journalist after all...
The venue was pretty cool, decent sound, but the stage was really low. My 'home base' venue, the Masquerade, has the stage as high as the railing in front of this one.
Brave rocked. I've been waiting literally years to see them. Michelle is very *purr* and when she found out who I was she hhuuggeeddd me, causing the girls I was with to be quite jealous. They thought she was hot too. Scored the new While Heaven Wept CD as well with Michelle's help and can't wait to hear it when I get home.
Skipped Tapping the Vein to hang out with about 234872389423894623642374623 DC area musicians... freaky that there are SO MANY bands in the area that DON'T suck... I can think of seriously 2 bands in the Atlanta area that don't suck... but from what I hear, skipping TtV was a good choice.
I was greatly surprised that Paradise Lost had as many supporters as they did... I stopped following them after Draconian Times, and all I ever read is 'sell out', 'used to be metal'. 'doesn't play old stuff anymore.' Well they played some old stuff, including As I Die, which I NEVER thought I'd hear live since I couldn't go to their show here with Morbid Angel and Kreator I think it was back in 93. Their newer stuff wasn't much my thing but it still was some pretty rockin' stuff and they were quite the professional band. Glad to see they didn't meet with a cricket chirping response as I thought.
Opeth was Opeth. YAY! Advent was my favorite song of the set, probably just because it's off of my favorite album of theirs, but can't say anything was bad... wish they'd play more and different Orchid/Morningrise stuff though... Black Rose Immortal on the next tour swing guys! Even the Deliverance stuff sounded good live (I think the album suffers to me from my expectations of Damnation) although I don't have the orgasm for the end of the Deliverance song that apparently everyone else has. Excellent show though, Mikael's voice sounded better than I've heard it...
... and from what I've heard now,(was very very very very very very very lucky enough to get on the bus for a couple of minutes...), we're in very good hands this spring and all my anticipation for a certain something seems to be very well-founded. yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
Anyway, dunno who reads this board or not but Jim, Trenton, and Tony get BIG thanks from me for being helpful and nice for our trip (not leaving til tomorrow!), and a big thanks to all the people and bands (especially Mikael!) who knew who I was and acted surprised to meet me, which impressed the hell of my girls that I WAS a famous music journalist after all...