Best Concerts in 2011

Since I don't think I'll get to see anymore concerts this year (not really interested in anything else but Hammerfall, and I really can't go see them), I think it's safe to write this now.

10. Epica (29th of march, The Silver Church Club)

As I said before, Epica aren't on my "beloved bands" list, but I do respect them as musicians and it was a nice concert to see. Funnily enough, it was not Simone who really caught my eye, but the guys. They work very well together, as a band, and the Imperial March moment was pretty goddamn awesome in itself.

9. Sonata Arctica (13th of august, Artmania Festival day 1, Sibiu)

It was one of the bands I was really excited about in Artmania and one of the beloved bands of my adolescence. It was a very nice concert and Toni Kakko is one of the best and cutest vocalists Finland's ever offered us. It's on the 9 th place only because I could not really enjoy the concert because of an idiot who stalked me. And that chaffed my willy.

8. Monarchy (30th of september, The Silver Church Club)

As I stated before, Monarchy is one band I really trust in, since they are new and fresh in our music. And the concert in Silver Church did not disappoint. They are fun to listen to and full of energy. And I really hope they'll have a lot of success with what they're doing. Plus any band that has the Imperial March as its  concert intro is worth at least a listening ;)

7. Tim "Ripper" Owens (20th of february, Kulturhaus Club)

This was a concert I almost didn't get to, since I wasn't in a very prosperous situation at the time, but a friend gave me a ticket as a gift for the 1st of march and so I went and saw him in the end. And it's a good thing I did, since Owens is indeed one hell of a vocalist. I am somehow sorry Judas Priest kicked him out, although I do prefer Halford over him. His band isn't really perfect, but he is, and he can run through anything from Dio to Metallica with a lots of ease. I am glad I got to see him. 

6. Sabaton (2nd of july, Rock the City, day 2)

Even though I've seen Sabaton 2 times before, in Sweden, I figured what the hell and got a 3-days pass for the festival. And boy didn't I regret it for one moment. The Swedes are just as I remembered them: funny, entertaining, and very dedicate to their music. I screamed, jumped and headbanged like hell. I hope they come back soon, since they're an entertaining band that can always put a smile on my face.

5. Dark Tranquillity (19th of may, Silver Church Club)

I'd seen these Swedes before, too (2010, Artmania) and boy did I have an awesome time. So on the 19th of may, with my new good friend Kay, I went to see them again. And I did not regret one bit. Despite singing in front of a much smaller crowd than at Sibiu,  both the band and the concert-goers seemed to have the time of their lives and in the end it turned out to be an event which one shouldn't have missed. Except for some wacko who kept disturbing me and my friend (and whom the guards stopped halfway through), it was an awesome night. Also, no opening band, which more often than not is a good thing.

4. Helloween (12th of august, Artmania Festival day 1, Sibiu)

Although I regretted when Nevermore canceled their concert in Sibiu, I cannot say I was sorry that it was Helloween who took their place, since the Germans are a band that still works damn fine and Andi Deris is one hell of a vocalist, charming and talented and who easily gains the public over. It was one of my "to see" bands and my expectations were not failed. I cannot say how awesome it was. But the next day was a difficult day for my neck. 

3. Amon Amarth (19th of november, Arenele Romane)

11 days after the concert and somehow I still feel the energy and the raw power in my blood. Both me and the friend I went there with had a really good time. It was indeed something not to miss and I hope it won't take them 20 years to return. I for one will be waiting, axe in hand. 

2. Blind Guardian (1st of may, Arenele Romane)

I remember how pissed of I was when my dad didn't allow me to go and see them the first time when they came to Romania and this time around I wasn't gonna miss them. It was indeed an event an, besides offering me a great time, it was also the day when I met one of my dearest friends, Kay, and the  awesome Iulia. The Germans are indeed awesome and I must admit i shed a tear during The Bard's Song (in the forest).

1. Judas Priest (3rd of july, Rock the City, day 3).

One life, I'm gonna live it up.And so I did. Judas Priest was a band I always liked and one of the first I listened to (when my dad played Painkiller for me, as a child) and since I could not see them in 2008 (university admission exam *grumble*), I wasn't gonna miss this occasion. Together with some of my dearest friends, I went to see the Metal Gods. And gods they were indeed. This is a concert I will tell my children of with great pride.

Rock the City 2011

Ziua 1.

Prima zi de Rock the City a marcat pentru mine o eleganta si neregretata absenta. In primul rand nu ma dau in vant dupa Prodigy atat de tare incat sa ma duc cu febra 38.5 si durere in gat. In al doilea rand aveam febra 38.5 si durere in gat. Asa ca, cu parere de rau, va anunt ca aici n-o sa gasiti cronici la Prodigy, Therapy? sau Ultra TT.

Ziua 2.

Ziua doi? Pentru mine a debutat cu Monarchy, pentru ca Voodoo nu mi-au placut destul cand am incercat sa ascult o piesa pe Youtube ca sa ma catadicsesc sa ma tarasc d-acasa cu o ora mai devreme. Nu-s stilul meu si cu asta basta.

Monarchy, desi nu-i vazusem niciodata live, ratandu-i la mustata in Wings cu Magica (*killer look to someone* ), imi placeau dinainte, mai ales ca de la mai-sus-mentionatul concert ratat am vazut un cover de-al lor cu Ana Mladinovici la Center of the Universe a celor de la Kamelot. Eu am o mare problema cu coverurile dupa Kamelot, pentru ca mi se pare ca putini pot sa se achite onorabil de sarcina lui Khan (Fabio Lione NU e unul dintre ei apropo si pentru mine Kamelot a cam murit dupa ce le-a plecat solistul), iar Dragos a reusit sa ma faca sa-mi placa vocea si implicit coverul. Nici live, Monarchy-stii nu m-au dezamagit, si desi la inceput am ramas putin wtf-ish in legatura cu faptul ca solistul- roman- vorbea publicului – roman- in engleza, am aflat apoi ca aparent inregistrarile facute la show aveau sa fie folosite in afara- succes baieti!

Boon a fost o trupa de care, trebuie sa recunosc, nu auzisem inainte sa fie anuntati la RTC si care, desi nu aduc nimic nou si suna perfect generic, sunt buni de-un moshpit live. Dar cu cine naiba sa faci moshpit cand esti inconjurat de emokizi de 17 ani care habar n-aveau ce cauta acolo?

Situatia (locativa) s-a remediat totusi pana la Sabaton, cand am reusit sa ajung in primul rand, lipita vanjos de gard- loc de unde nici ca m-am mai urnit. Tot pe la Sabaton s-a rezolvat si problema cu sunetul- relativ dureroasa inainte de asta- nu fara cateva momente complet tampite- sunetistii ii vorbeau in romana claparului suedez Daniel Myhr- care se uita la public cu o privire uimita si relativ rugatoare. Ma rog, problemele de comunicare fiind rezolvate- e grele cu engleza, neh?- Sabatonii au inceput in glorie, cu Ghost Division si un public care- emokids aside- incepea sa se dezlantuie grupa mare- lucru observat de altfel si de solistul Joakim Brodén care a inceput sa glumeasca despre cum nu vrea sa se imbete ca sa nu ajunga sa ramana in pielea goala pe scena.

Berea nu l-a bruiat, dar pantalonii – nelipsitii camo pants pe care Sabatonii ii poarta de cand au trecut de la lookul de ”noi vrem sa aratam ca Judas Priest” la cel army (care de altfel li se potriveste, zic eu, mult mai bine)- da. Pe la ultimele piese, de-atata zbucium si topaiala, suedezul a ajuns mai mult sau mai putin pantless- dar sa nu vorbim aici despre Swedish meatballs- presupunem ca alea de la IKEA sunt mai OK, oricum.

                                                                                                    

Sabaton- pe care-i vad a treia oara, dar pentru prima data pe meleaguri romanesti, n-au dezamagit nici de asta data, dupa ce, doua showuri la rand i-am vazut manifestandu-se la ei acasa, pe meleaguri suedeze, unde, cumva normal, au aparent foarte multi fani (si nu, mitul cu ”tot scandinavu’-i roacăr” nu se confirma, credeti-ma).

Cu un setlist de festival- din care au lipsit piese mai slow precum The Final Solution- dar si preferate ale publicului ca Attero Dominatus- Joakim si ai lui au reusit sa faca publicul destul de adormit pana atunci sa strige, dea din cap si sa sara – mai ales pe Primo Victoria, evident, cand pamantul se zguduia sub bocancii de rockeri tropaitori.

La sfarsit- dincolo de gluma putin rasuflata deja despre “his Metal Machine”- Joakim ne-a spus cat de incantat e de un asemenea public si ca spera sa revina cat de curand in concert. Lucru pe care eu, una il astept cu nerabdare.

(Mike and the Mechanics nu s-a vizionat/ ascultat pe motiv de “screw this, I’m going home” dupa doua piese. Si se pare ca n-am fost singura.)

Ziua 3.

In special din cauza aversiunii mele fata de Trooper am preferat sa stau acasa – acasa la niste prieteni, de altfel, us rockers flock together, asa ca am ajuns doar pe la Hatebreed. Puteam la fel de bine sa-i ratez si p-astia, de altfel. Suna la fel de generic precum alte 2000 de trupe americane de gen, dar macar am ras cu lacrimi de pseudo-pogo-ul cu aroma de aerobic de care o pusesera unii. De dat din cap, poate, iti vine, pentru ca ritmul e de asa natura incat sa-ti faca pofta de asta. Problema e tot ritmul, insa. Care a fost efectiv acelasi pentru fiecare piesa. Uneori, si nu exagerez, nu-mi dadeam seama cand se termina o piesa si incepea alta.

Dupa o pauza de ”hai, ba, sa imi iau o cola ca m-am plictisit”, au aparut Whitesnake. Whitesnake pe care de altfel abia ii asteptam si care pana la urma au ajuns dezamagirea serii pentru mine. Coverdale nu mai e nimic din ce a fost- arata rau, obosit si palid, ca si cum ar avea o masca de ceara in loc de fata, iar vocea nu-l mai prea ajuta nici ea- in vreo doua cazuri am avut impresia ca se facea niscai playback- cel putin eu asta stiam ca inseamna cand vocea se mai aude inca dar solistu a inchis deja gura- iar chitaristul si basistul bagau backing vocals la greu. Am ramas cu un gust amar si cu o teama ca si Judas Priest – despre Halford cam misuna zvonuri ca nu mai prea poate – or sa ma dezamageasca.

Ei bine, dupa o ora de asteptare – cu scena acoperita de un banner imens pe care era scris ”Epitaph” - turneul de adio al Judas care cica nu e chiar de adio- britanicii si-au facut aparitia pe scena, chiar cu vreo 20 de minute mai devreme decat era programat- solistul miscandu-se, e adevarat, relativ prudent la inceput- si cu un chitarist nou- tanar, talentat si simpatic foc- Ritchie Faulkner- inlocuindu-l pe KK Downing cel plecat complet aiurea.

Si in ciuda aspectului putin obosit de la inceput al lui Halford, atat trupa cat si publicul s-au dezlantuit in curand- si cat e de fain sa vezi oameni de 50-si de ani dand din cap alaturi de cei de 20, cantand cu spor versurile alaturi de trupa, scandand “Judas” sau “Priest” in functie de ce scanda si vecinu’ – si in unele cazuri chiar [praist] dar sa nu fim rai.

In doua ore si 20 min cat au cantat, Halford ne-a aratat ca inca mai duce destul de bine – s-a chinuit putin pe Painkiller dar Hetfield, de exemplu, se chinuie de cate ori deschide gura asa ca…, si trecand prin enspe mii de schimbari de costume- he’s the king of S&M clothes brought into metal- proiectii pe Palatul Parlamentului, inevitabilul moment cu motorul pe scena si doua coveruri- Diamonds and Rust (Joan Baez) si The Green Manalishi (Fleetwood Mac), plus un Breaking the Law cantat exclusiv de public, Judas Priest si-au confirmat inca o data titlul de Gods of Heavy Metal. Si pana la sfarsit, solistul a devenit suspect de vioi, ba chiar s-a apucat sa topaie pe scena alaturi de ceva mai tinerii lui colegi de trupa.

Unul dintre cele mai bune concerte la care am fost vreodata- showul Judas Priest mi-a dat un sentiment foarte placut si in acelasi timp putin dureros- incet- incet, cam toate trupele old school se cam duc. Inotand prin marea de rockeri care aveau ca scop final prinderea ultimului metrou de la Izvor- mission accomplished!- m-am intrebat daca o sa-i mai vad vreodata live.

Ce nu mi-a placut? Organizarea cam de-a moaca, gardienii nesimtiti pe alocuri –si cica la Prodigy a fost mare durere cu asta – si, mai ales, glumitele retardate ale roacărului mârlan de România,  indreptate mai ales catre orientarea sexuala a lui Halford, dar si catre citez “hăhă ce camasa de manelist are ala” – ala fiind David Coverdale - “băăăăăă!”

Da, ma, cretini care nu stiti sa nimeriti wc-ul, pun pariu ca pe Halford il doare fix in.. cot (avoid pun here) de retardismele voastre.

PS: Note to self: data viitoare cand tipul dragut de langa iti cere nr de telefon, da-i-l pe loc, nu planui sa faci asta dupa concert. O sa sune a ”How I almost met your father” gen.

Swedish War Machine, Pirates and Men in Tights.

As luck goes, it's obvious that two of the bands that I really wanted to see, both of them Swedish, had to come to Romania when I'm in Sweden. Those two bands are Sabaton and Therion. But that doesn't really stop a metalhead from her purpose, does it? Therefore, on the 27 of November, 10 days after the concert in Bucharest, I got to see Sabaton, together with support bands Alestorm and Steelwing, in Stockholm's Arenan.

The road there was as adventurous as it can get, apparently SJ and CFR are twins, whereas stockholmers can't give you directions for the life of it, but that's something I'll develop in another post.

Once we got to the right place (and that took a while), me and the friend who was with me (hi, Rin!) noticed a queue surrounding a huge building, half of them sporting either camouflage pants, or Joakim-like hairdos, and sometimes both. Cold as f**k, but nobody really seemed to care. And then there was a long-haired guy in a long overcoat, sitting right behind us. We became friends and it happened fast and unexplainable. But that is something completely different and not really to the point.

The concert venue was something I was not really fond of. Don't get me wrong, indoors was the only way they could play on such a Swedish weather, but I'm not really a fan of the dark room that is Arenan.

The concert started at 19 30 with the Swedes from Steelwing, a band a friend introduced to me a while ago, the both of us being Mad Max fans. The theme of the songs is therefore nice to us, but not the band itself. The Men in Tights, as I'll call them henceforth (hey, they chose it as an intro!) are not really my cup of tea. Surely, they're not bad, but there are two things that will stop me from really enjoying their shows. First off, there's no originality in their music, beside lyric-wise. They sound like about a dozen metal bands put together. The second thing that really gets on my nerves is their vocalist. Not that he's really bad, on the contrary, he can reach pretty high notes, but the problem is he does that one all the time. It kinda ruins the whole unity of the song, plus, you ain't no Bruce Dickinson, babe. Try again. Me no convincey.

About an hour later, the stage was invaded by some drunken-Scot lads. Their name is Alestorm and they're half the reason I went there in the first place. I like them quite a lot. The thing with Alestorm is that they're far from being masters in music, while their vocalist is far from being a new Eric Adams or something. Being none of those does not, however, stop them from being one of the most entertaining live bands I've ever seen. Their simple, booze, women and raids-oriented songs are catchy like hell and have the gift of making the public act pirate-wise, beer (pardon me, mead) included. Their gig (last of the tour for them) included a new song, called... how else, "Rum", and I've noticed my skeptical Finnish friend buying one of their t-shirts at the end of the night so they must've done something right, neh? (am I wrong on this one, Arto?:P )

And in came the headliners of the night, Falun-based band Sabaton. Hell broke lose, I almost broke a nose (not my fault they started a mosh pit next to me) and the Swedes did their jobs flawlessly. Although their war-oriented theme is not the most original, what makes Sabaton so special is their dedication to it and implication in understanding the realities of WW2, together with their tendency of praising soldiers themselves and their heroic facts, rather than the "big men" in lead. Sabaton's power metal is not any huge novelty but it's serious, stout and professional nonetheless. During The Final Solution, a song about the Auschwitz-Birkenau, the whole venue went silent, their lights up in the air, in memory of the 1 100 000 victims Joakim reminded us of. Little by little, Sabaton conquered their public once more. And damn did they do it.

The night was an awesome one. Ended with some "ale" (not at Nancy's tavern, unfortunately), and seeing a drunken sluttish chick trying to put on a strip-tease number to Holy Diver. But that, my friends, is another story.