STRATOVARIUS: North American tour dates announced!

It is beyond me why Stratovarius would pay all that money to come back to America and play only 5 dates. It seems like they would only (maybe) break even.
 
Maybe they have a lot of frequent flier miles. Honestly, it isn't all that expensive to cross the seas anymore. Also, they might have some financial promises, and it does help them to cell products, such as CDs, and shirts.
 
If the news about only 5 gigs on the east coast US/Canada is true, Strato might be just making an extra stop-over for their North American fans, when heading to or coming from a longer tour in South- and Central America - that would make sense. They are much more popular there than in North America and will easily draw a few thousand people per gig which will allow them to combine a few smaller gigs en route for your pleasure.
 
Something tells me a festival date is booked somewhere we don't know about. I heard a rumor that Brave Words may take place later this year and be relocated in Canada since the Odeon in Cleveland is closing down. Maybe they are playing the Brave Words fest or some other fest that we don't know about in Canada and doing a couple North American shows extra to top it off.
 
TheGraveDigger said:
Something tells me a festival date is booked somewhere we don't know about. I heard a rumor that Brave Words may take place later this year and be relocated in Canada since the Odeon in Cleveland is closing down. Maybe they are playing the Brave Words fest or some other fest that we don't know about in Canada and doing a couple North American shows extra to top it off.
Click to expand...

I agree - the timing/duration seem to make that likely.
 
Mosquito said:
I don't understand what you meant here. Did you mean that you're not surprised SA had a bigger crowd than Therion? Or that you weren't surprised that they were better than Therion?
Click to expand...

I wasn't suprised that Sonata Arctica had a bigger fanbase than Therion.

I was surprised that they had a bigger (or at the least, more dedicated) fanbase than Stratovarius.
 
I really can't explain the difference in attendance for shows with similar-styled bands. I can really only speak for the Chicago audience, as I generally see concerts there. I totally expected Stratovarius to sell more tickets than Sonata Arctica, even with the age restrictions (Strato was 18 and over here, whereas SA was all ages). Oddly enough, SA's ticket sales were slightly better. I really have to question the difference in sales for Gamma Ray and Dragonforce at Jaxx. It's Gamma Ray, for crying out loud! They're one of the bands that set the standards for melodic speed metal.

Please allow me to rant on the ever-growing popularity of Dragonforce. Though not a bad band, they're as cliche as power metal gets. What blows my mind is that they don't have nearly as much history as bands like Gamma Ray or Stratovarius, and they certainly don't sound as original as the aforementioned bands. However, they've managed to appeal to a mass amount of young music fans, particularly those who don't regularly listen to their style of music. I work at a music store, and I've encountered more Hot Topic kids asking for the new Dragonforce than the regular metalheads. These are the same kids who laugh when they walk in and hear me cranking Kamelot in the store. Go figure. At least I can understand why the Hot Topic kids are all about Sonata Arctica. Tony Kakko's lyrics are more suited for emo than power metal, though I like that because it helps them stand out. Dragonforce, however, is as cheesy and over-the-top as it gets. How they recently got signed to Roadrunner is beyond me. How the hardcore crowd came to embrace them will forever be a mystery to me.


Stay metal. Never rust.
Met-Al
 
Today's news:

More dates have been announced for STRATOVARIUS' upcoming North American tour, which is scheduled to take place in September/October. The details are as follows:

Sep. 27 - Quebec City, QC - Salle Albert Rousseau
Sep. 29 - Montreal, QC - Le Medley
Oct. 01 - Springfield, VA - Jaxx
Oct. 02 - New York, NY - B.B. King Blues Club
Oct. 04 - West Hollywood, CA - House Of Blues
 
Met-Al said:
I really can't explain the difference in attendance for shows with similar-styled bands. I can really only speak for the Chicago audience, as I generally see concerts there. I totally expected Stratovarius to sell more tickets than Sonata Arctica, even with the age restrictions (Strato was 18 and over here, whereas SA was all ages). Oddly enough, SA's ticket sales were slightly better. I really have to question the difference in sales for Gamma Ray and Dragonforce at Jaxx. It's Gamma Ray, for crying out loud! They're one of the bands that set the standards for melodic speed metal.
Click to expand...

Simple - DF is new. GR is old. DF has a fairly hot gimmick, and their next disc will be out on a label that heavily promotes to the young, Hot Topic-buying crowd. Gamma Ray has Kai Hansen, who was on the verge of being a big deal in the U.S. when a lot of the "kids" were literally toddlers. I'm pretty sure a similar thing happened with Sonata - their fanbase is much younger. Most of the crowd on the floor was not old enough to drink, and I'd say about 2/3rds of it was 18 and under.

While I'd rather listen to Gamma Ray, they're dinosaurs, comparitively speaking.
 
eaeolian said:
Simple - DF is new. GR is old. DF has a fairly hot gimmick, and their next disc will be out on a label that heavily promotes to the young, Hot Topic-buying crowd. Gamma Ray has Kai Hansen, who was on the verge of being a big deal in the U.S. when a lot of the "kids" were literally toddlers. I'm pretty sure a similar thing happened with Sonata - their fanbase is much younger. Most of the crowd on the floor was not old enough to drink, and I'd say about 2/3rds of it was 18 and under.

While I'd rather listen to Gamma Ray, they're dinosaurs, comparitively speaking.
Click to expand...
So what does that say for me, 'cause I remember when there was no Gamma Ray...:erk:
 
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