Ziggys 5/14

[Prometheus]

Incredible show to say the least. This was the third time I saw Opeth and definitely the best show they've put on. Jaxx back in January was so damn packed, it was nice to see them at Ziggy's where it wasn't quite so crowded...still a great crowd though...setlist from what i can remember, feel free to correct me or elaborate:

(can't remember the opener)
Advent
Drapery Falls
Deliverance
Credence
Godhead's Lament
A Fair Judgement
Demon of the Fall (pseudo-encore)

Mike definitely seems to be interacting more and more with the crowd....since Ziggy's doesn't really allow for them to leave the stage and hide for an encore, they just stood up there and made everyone beg for an encore....mike wanted a giant growl from the crowd, followed by a king diamond wail, followed by singing "grandma" in a King Diamond voice...absolutely hysterical...

Got a chance to talk to Martin L. before the show for a little bit, and all the whole band after the show...it was really great to see they'll spend time talking to the fans afterward...got an 8x10 glossy signed, and got some digital cam pics taken with the band members so that was extra cool too...

OVerall excellent show...Opeth definitely seems to enjoy playing more and more and many congrats to a great show....much more impressive than the show at Jaxx (in my opinion)...

Lacuna Coil and Beyond the Embrace were both very good as well...Lacuna Coil sounded great, worked the crowd really well, and Cristina sounded and looked great as ever...Beyond the Embrace were good, I hadn't heard them before, and at times seemsed to fall into the stereotypical gothenburg-sound but were very impressive with 3 guitars....

Excellent overall...

 

[The Evil Toucan]

You forgot Leper Affinity. They ruled. I met Mike and Peter by the tour bus, and they both seemed really nice. I talked to Peter for about 5 minutes or so. Mike was SWAMPED with people, but I still managed to talk to him for a little while and get a picture with him. Awesome gig. Can't wait to hear them with PT in July.

 

[The Evil Toucan]

Edit: I talked to Alex from Beyond The Embrace for a little while. He seemed to be a nice, down-to-earth guy.

 

[MetalMan0207]

beyond the embrace kicked ass....lacuna coil did too....but opeth ruled the whole night. mike is one funny fucker. i got to meet mike, peter, and lopez. i couldnt find mendez though. i cant wait to see em on the damnation tour. hopefully they'll roll through here. Ziggy's was packed so maybe they'll see the always growing North Carolina fan base

 

[godmachine12]

Yeah, Opeth pretty much kicked ass. One of the best shows I've ever seen. Don't think I need to say much else. They were much more confident this time around. More loose. Hell they actually smiled! I disagree for the openers. Beyond the Embrace sucked. Rip off of Shadows fall (they were even from MA) and 3 guitarists what the hell? Lacuna Coil was ok at best. That dude singer is pathetic. He ruined every song. They looked like Mortal Kombat characters or something and had the worst hair I think I've ever seen. I laughed when they came on. "Heaven's A Lie" was cool though.

I'd never been to Ziggy's until last night, but it was a cool place. Only gripe was the 5 or 6 dicks who kept running into everyone down on the floor. And I swear someone screamed "Freebird" before they played "Credence", but not sure since I had plugs in. Did get a whole bunch of good pics thankfully.

 

[The Evil Toucan]

Yeah, Opeth pretty much kicked ass. One of the best shows I've ever seen. Don't think I need to say much else. They were much more confident this time around. More loose. Hell they actually smiled! I disagree for the openers. Beyond the Embrace sucked. Rip off of Shadows fall (they were even from MA) and 3 guitarists what the hell? Lacuna Coil was ok at best. That dude singer is pathetic. He ruined every song. They looked like Mortal Kombat characters or something and had the worst hair I think I've ever seen. I laughed when they came on. "Heaven's A Lie" was cool though.

I'd never been to Ziggy's until last night, but it was a cool place. Only gripe was the 5 or 6 dicks who kept running into everyone down on the floor. And I swear someone screamed "Freebird" before they played "Credence", but not sure since I had plugs in. Did get a whole bunch of good pics thankfully.

Yeah some guy right in front of me screamed "PLAY FREEBIRD!" You can't forget it IS NC. There were a bunch of fucking drunk assholes in the mosh pit, so I moved back in front of the soundboard so I could actually enjoy the concert instead of having to deal with that shit.

 

[godmachine12]

Yeah some guy right in front of me screamed "PLAY FREEBIRD!" You can't forget it IS NC. There were a bunch of fucking drunk assholes in the mosh pit, so I moved back in front of the soundboard so I could actually enjoy the concert instead of having to deal with that shit.

I was gonna go to the back, but I wanted to take pics so I stuck it out and now I am sore beyond belief. Really weird that they moshed so much to Opeth. Went to a SYL/Dark Tranquillity/Napalm Death concert in Atlanta and nobody moshed! I do agree though, "fucking drunk assholes". Still had a great time though.

 

[The Evil Toucan]

I was gonna go to the back, but I wanted to take pics so I stuck it out and now I am sore beyond belief. Really weird that they moshed so much to Opeth. Went to a SYL/Dark Tranquillity/Napalm Death concert in Atlanta and nobody moshed! I do agree though, "fucking drunk assholes". Still had a great time though.

That was the show on Valentines at the Masquerade? I wanted to go to that but I got the fucking flu. My ex-gf and I broke up that week too, so that was a shit week.

 

[Darth Kur]

The show was masterful. Opeth keep getting better and better. It's amazing that Mike does not think highly of the concept of a live album when Opeth play near flawlessly live! And when you consider the complexity of their music to have it sound studio quality played live is nothing short of miraculous. They are definitely becoming a lot more comfortable on stage, especially Mike. The last time I saw them on their BWP tour he hardly said anything in between songs. Now he interacts a lot, smiling and making some wise ass remarks, like telling the guy that yelled "Next time play Tampa!" to shut up in Swedish all the while with a huge grin on his face. That King Diamond thing was a blast. You can see they were all having a great time doing the show. Plus Mike and Peter took the time to converse with people after the show and sign countless items and pose for multiple pictures. They were literally inundated with people all around but they did not retire to the bus until everyone had had their chance to get to them. That in my opinion is outstanding. You just don't see that all to often. Lacuna Coil and Beyond The Embrace on the other hand vanished before the show was over. That aside though both of their sets were very good. You could definitely tell BTE's influences at first listen (i.e. Iron Maiden, In Flames, Shadows Fall) but that did not detract from the performance. Very full sound with three guitars. Lacuna Coil was excellent. Their music translated very well live with the duel vocals blending perfectly. Christina was stunning and seductive looking of coarse. The entire band was very much fired up especially the drummer which assaulted his kit. All in all it was one of the best damn show's I've seen in ages.

 

[godmachine12]

That was the show on Valentines at the Masquerade? I wanted to go to that but I got the fucking flu.

Yeah, that was it. It ruled.

np: Enslaved-Below the Lights