Friday didn't officially begin until about an hour or two before the show began, as just about everyone slept until that point. We actually arrived late at the venue, as we had to eat and got caught in traffic. That meant missing Raintime, which wouldn't have meant much...so says Scott. By the time we got to the venue, Communic was about to hit the stage. They actually put on a great show for a band with relatively little stage experience compared to some of the other acts. I caught much of the set before I had to try and secure a spot in line for the Sonata Arctica autograph session. I missed the Virgin Steele set, so I have nothing there.
Next band to play after Virgin Steele was Redemption, who are one of the rising stars in the progressive metal scene. Listening to the CDs do not do the band justice, as they are even better live. Vocalist Nik van Dyk had missed some time from the tour with Dream Theater, but he was in rare form that evening. I was pleasantly surprised about the band's ability to hit the notes well without it sounding too far off. This is one of the bands that I wouldn't mind seeing again.
Pagan's Mind was next and for the most part, the crowd on the floor was virtually squeezing in just to see them. I caught three songs from their set on the floor before I got squeezed out into the lobby, where I caught the rest of the set. Overall, it didn't seem that the band was missing much, given the recent events concerning a former member. Vocalist Nils K. Rue had a powerful enough voice to bring the aural assault to even the last row in the upper reaches of the venue.
It wasn't until around midnight that Sonata Arctica took the stage. Having been a fan of theirs since Silence came out in 2001, and having heard countless good things about their live shows and even watching the live DVD, I actually kept a small inkling of concern that the band was going to fall short on the expectations. Once the first notes to "In Black and White" hit, those thoughts went away and I was immediately immersed in the sound, as I was within two to three spots of the front of the stage barrier. There wasn't as much humor during this performance as there was the DVD, but there was enough to keep the crowd loose. The new guitarist showed that he could more than hold his own with the band. Highlights included Tallulah, Full Moon, 8th Commandment, and a snippet of Stratovarius' 4000 Rainy Nights. The sing-a-long preceeding the encore was Ol' MacDonald. The set ended around 1:30 AM and afterwards everyone in the group decided to go to the post-party with a few of the guys in Cellador. That lasted until around 4 AM, when we got back to the hotel and crashed for the evening.
P.S. This was also the introduction of sorts of the man referenced in the title. If you hear stories about Biffle 3:12, that would a guy from Kansas who got obnoxiously drunk. A few of you may know him as Biffle, and some of you may know him as Ian...I know him as "Shitbag." And if a girl in a Stratovarius shirt likes the shirt you're wearing, then you know that the night is great.
No comments:
Post a Comment