Last night, 1/24/03 was my first ever Opeth show. Circumstances had arisen in years past which prevented me from seeing them ever before.
Not last night.
Got to the Opera House a little late (after getting lost and having to turn around at least 4 times, stopping for awful gas-station coffee and finding a parking place on a residential street), and the lineup was around the corner, past the tour bus. Thankfully, it moved fairly quickly, and my growing excitement and elation overtook the bitter cold. (Alas for my girlfriend, who was wearing far too little to be out in that weather, and doesn't take well to the cold - she was shivering the entire time, and through most of the show).
I'd called Koch entertainment the day before and had spoken with someone who said they'd put me on the "photo list". While I was being searched, the guy told me they "don't allow this kind of camera" (SLR). I mentioned the Photo Pass and they gave me a sticker to wear.
Tapping the Vein was just about to start, and I was a little upset to have missed Praetoria, but such is life, right? TtV's music was simplistic, but beat driven, and was okay to warm up to.
I bought an Opeth hoodie. $60 ain't bad at all. It's comfy and warm and Opeth, after all.
Shortly after, as my feet were thawing (The amount of thaw time is directly proportional to how much steel is in your boots - mine have toe, shank, heel and a roll-plate - so a long time) Paradise Lost took the stage. I'd heard they'd become a hybrid Rammstein/Depeche Mode, but I didn't really hear that. There were some huge PL fans singing along to every song, and a lot of crowd surfing, even for the not-so-heavy stuff. I found the music enjoyable, but the "newer stuff" isn't what I'd listen to at home.
So Opeth was up next.
I wandered to the front and spoke with a security guy who said that I could wait on stage right for the show to start, and I did just that. I was watching the tech set up the guitar FX boards, tuning the PRSes (got some closeup shots, but probably B&W) and Mendez's bass. The drum tech set up Lopez's drums, and then a figure all in black wandered up from downstairs. I introduced myself and said "You must be Martin."
I chatted backstage with Lopez for about 10 minutes, and he gave me a piece of Swedish gum (pretty good!). He was VERY personable and friendly. I got a few pictures of him, but I got the distinct feeling they all dislike having pictures taken. He tried out the drum kit, but no one cheered, so I chalked it up to him wearing all black and discreetness. After he left, the drum tech was playing a bit to get the mics right, and the audience was screaming.
Shortly before the show, I wandered offstage into the "photo pit" and noticed WrthChild with his Olypus E-10 camera. We were in front of the rail, with the security - all of whom seemed to get teh greatest joy from fending off crowdsurfers. The promoter (Noel) said we had a 2-song limit for taking pictures. I only had 72 shots, so I figured that'd be fine.
Moments later, Opeth took the stage. They seem a lot more comfortable onstage than they did the in the live video I've seen. Introductions "We are Opeth from Stockholm Sweden.." and the Leper Affinity. DAMN. Fast and heavy and flawless. Advent was amazing to hear live as well. Snapped a ton of pictures - so many in fact that I blew all my film. Remembering that I wanted to get some shots of the band after the show (hoping that'd even be possible) - I asked if anyone had a spare roll of film.
Thank you WrthChild! I owe you some Ilford Delta 400.
Needless to say, that film did come in handy after the show. But let's not get ahead of myself, na?
People in the crowd yelling song titles. "Demon of the Fall!" - Mikael laughed and said "Well.. we'll just have to wait and see."
Is stayed in the photo pit for Deliverance, and was pleased to see Peter playing the solos, which sounded incredible. The ending left my heart beating in 64th notes.
The Drapery Falls began and I had to make my way back to my gf and her brother, neither of whom are really Opeth fans, and had come to see "what the fuss is all about" I suppose. I had a pretty good vantage point (right above the lower bar) for the rest of the show. Sang along to everything I knew, rocked out to the rest (I'm bad with knowing growling lyrics).
I'd love to list highlights, but the entire show was unbelievably good. Godhead's Lament is one of my favourite Opeth songs, and it was a trip to hear it live (never thought I would, I guess).
Sidenote: I think Opeth's choice of songs for their live shows is different from a lot of other bands. They don't have any "popular" songs aside from The Drapery Falls and Demon of the Fall, so they can pick any other song they want to play. At a given show, you could hear any song off Still Life or MAYH. This unrestricted selection allows them to concentrate on new songs each tour - a treat for those fortunate enough to see them multiple times.
They extended the ending of Credence, and blended it with the intro to Bleak, which I thought was a nice touch, and they seemed to be having a lot of fun. I'm wondering if Peter or Mendez will ever join in to sing harmonies on top of Mikael's melodies.
"Are you all getting tired?" asked Mikael. "Well.. look at the time, we only have one more song for you." A Fair Judgement never sounded so heavy and intense. Even if the show had ended there, I would have been thrilled, but I knew we had one more song to come.
Judgement ended, they thanked us and walked offstage. Chants of "Opeth! Opeth! Opeth! Opeth!" filled the hall for a minute when they came back out. Strapped on their instruments again.
"We have one more song for you. Toronto - Do you like Death Metal?"
cheering, growling, various metal insignias in the air
"That was alright. But Toronto, do you like DEATH METAL?"
louder cheering, more growling, a little anxious now.
"Well, we'll supply you with a Death Metal song, but it's kind of fast, so try to keep up. This is.. Demon of the Fall"
Insanity. Like I always expected. Best version of Demon of the Fall I've ever heard - clean and loud, dark and heavy. Lots of headbanging, lots of hair flying watching fingers moving sliding playing the notes I know so well. I don't think anyone in there wasn't moved last night. I hope it was a life-changing experience for all.
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Show's over, and I wander back down to the stage. It's getting pretty empty. I see Mendez onstage having a smoke, I hop up and shake his hand. Good show, really amazing, thank you. Lopez came up and shook my hand again, same spiel. Lopez told me to wait a little while before going downstairs as band members get a little angry when they're crowded by hordes of adoring fans. I waited onstage for a while, and once some people emptied from downstairs, I made my way to the green room.
Damn, Peter's tall. Mikael was sitting down, already engaged in several conversations, so I merely watched in awe (not slack-jawed awe. come on now.) and asked nicely if I could take a few more pictures - you rarely get to see backstage candids, so it was nice to get some closeups. I made sure to congratulate everyone on an incredible, life-changing show (which they hear a lot, I'm sure) and got them all to sign my Deliverance CD before everyone (including Opeth) got the boot to go back to the bus. - Also got a picture with Mikael (who's also tall..) and Lopez.
WrthChild was there, but I'll let him tell his part of the story - but thank you again for the film!
I'll have it all processed and scanned ASAP to show you all my version of 1/24/03.
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If anyone got a clean audio recording of the show, I'd love to hear it. Please contact me.
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I'd say it was a pretty damn good day, wouldn't you?
