THE Ultimate Evergrey experience!

jonneed · September 25th, 2009, 08:49 PM

A few days ago I had what I'd call the ultimate Evergrey experience and I thought that there's no better place to share it than here

So here's the story...

Last Tuesday, my band NEED (www.myspace.com/needband) was supposed to open the EVERGREY gig here in Athens, Greece. That was already a big deal for me since I've been a big GREY fan since “The Dark Discovery” album was out back in '98 and I'd already seen them live 7 times in the past...Plus I was the one who got the Rock Hard magazine (who was partially organizing the gig) in touch with Tom back when “Torn” was out last year...

However things don't always go according to plan and after a HUGE promoter/venue owner schedule screw-up, our slot had to be cancelled...This was a big bummer for all of us but shit happens and life goes on...

So EVERGREY got on stage in time and a great show had started. For sure one of the best times I've seen them play, all of them were in a great shape and mood, the sound was great and they played some of their best songs one after the other...So somewhere in the middle of the encore, something completely unexpected was about to happen…

(Note: During the afternoon soundcheck I asked Tom if they were gonna play one of my favourite ‘GREY songs, “Blackened Dawn”…I’d only seen them play it once back in their first tour in 2000 with Crimson Glory & Kamelot. I’ve been asking for it in every show since then and it had somehow become like an inside joke of some kind. Tom answered me that they probably wouldn’t play it. Oh, well…And indeed “Blackened Dawn” was not included in the printed setlist)

The encore began with “When The Walls Go Down” and “Recreation Day” and at that point I thought it was a good time for me to make my usual request despite what Tom had told me…Tom looks at me and goes “You know what, we’re gonna play it, only because you guys didn’t get to play tonight” and goes on with something like “but if we’re gonna play it, you should come up and sing it…”.That was it! In 2 seconds I was up on stage and the guys played an amazing version of the song with me singing the whole song! Needless to say I was not quite sure that this was real haha! And the best part was that I would turn around and see the guys in the band and they all had these real big smiles on their faces! It was an experience to remember for my whole life! Hopefully some video will surface at some point ‘cause I really want to see how it turned out. The truth is that after the song all the people in the club were shouting and cheering so I guess it was good after all!

Here’s some pics that my good friend Kelly took from that night…

My custom made setlist

And the calm AFTER the storm...

And here's some quotes from the first live reports I found on the web...

http://metal-temple.com/report.asp?id=462

"After another EVERGREY hit -under the title "Recreation Day"- something special and outside the schedule happened; Tom invited the singer of NEED Jon V on-stage to sing the song he was requesting. Actually, he said "If you want us to play "Blackened Dawn" you should sing it"; of course Jon accepted this offer and so EVERGREY left aside the setlist and hit us with the aforementioned song. I was pretty surprised with Jon’s very good performance and by the fact that the rest of the band supported him to the maximum! So, it was a special moment and I bet everyone enjoyed it"

http://www.rockpages.gr/detailspage....type=3&lang=EN

"They play “Recreation day”; some peeps demand “Blackened dawn”… Tom is thinking about it… “Well, if you sing, we’ll play it”… Jon, from the Greek band Need, is already on stage, attacking the mic. It’s a warzone now. Mosh and pits and craziness. Sounds cool, hehe…"

http://www.metalpaths.com/reports/ev...ns-greece,1976

"One of the highlights was ”Blackened Dawn”, the only track played from the first record, where the singer of Need, one of the bands that didn’t play did the vocals and he really surprised all the members of the band. Way to go bro!"

Lyre's Harmony · September 25th, 2009, 08:57 PM

NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE!!!!!! congrats bro! tell them to bring you guys to the US!

galtared · September 27th, 2009, 04:18 AM

Congrats!!!!
I think it has been a great experience for you.

Stay grey!

tong_boy_junior · September 28th, 2009, 11:25 AM

That, is so awesome!

SickBoy · September 29th, 2009, 02:09 AM

What a classy move by Evergrey, kudos to them... And great for you, what a dream come true!

SacramentDeath · September 30th, 2009, 01:22 AM

Evergrey are just amazing. They have a great contact with theyr fans. Biut it was a realy touching story. I guess i was there all the time i was reading. Congrats!!!

Thorn23TX · September 30th, 2009, 11:20 AM

That is *AWESOME* - I think I might have been so in shock that I would have forgotten all the words if I was asked to do that!

Congratulations on what sounds to be a flawless performance! Do let us know if a video surfaces...

peza · October 2nd, 2009, 12:57 PM

Excellent reading, the experience must have been a blast!

jonneed · October 4th, 2009, 11:29 AM

Thanx for your kind words guys!
I think that the memory of that night will bring a huge grin on my face for quite some time in the future!

I'll certainly let you know as soon as any video gets in my hands...
I'm also curious myself to see it!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lyre's Harmony

NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE!!!!!! congrats bro! tell them to bring you guys to the US!

Now wouldn't that be neat??? hehehe

Peneloppie · October 12th, 2009, 06:27 AM

unfortunately I couldn't stay for the "normal" concert since the place where it was and where my hotel was were a little frightening for me who never went to Athens before but I could see the accoustic show and it's again and again awesome to see how Tom's voice is touching, even without the lyrics I had the impression that his voice was crying and it's really beautiful ... lucky those who could stay for the next concert but I was consoled by the Colmar and Baarlo concerts afterwards

jonneed · November 6th, 2009, 11:26 AM

Hey,there's a video I just found on youtube from that song

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdUSFP7Sh5Q

Mzerg · November 7th, 2009, 05:12 AM

nice!
how kind they are!
stay grey ^^ ( btw I want to say I love Megadeth so much too, because the latest album is excellent )

what about a new Evergrey album, come on people!
I know,I know the latest album is not that old but...

Penthesilaya · November 14th, 2009, 03:53 AM

Jonneed, you are a lucky man! Thanks for sharing this moment with us! I felt as if I was there

September 25th, 2009, 08:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
jonneed Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 14	THE Ultimate Evergrey experience! A few days ago I had what I'd call the ultimate Evergrey experience and I thought that there's no better place to share it than here So here's the story... Last Tuesday, my band NEED (www.myspace.com/needband) was supposed to open the EVERGREY gig here in Athens, Greece. That was already a big deal for me since I've been a big GREY fan since “The Dark Discovery” album was out back in '98 and I'd already seen them live 7 times in the past...Plus I was the one who got the Rock Hard magazine (who was partially organizing the gig) in touch with Tom back when “Torn” was out last year... However things don't always go according to plan and after a HUGE promoter/venue owner schedule screw-up, our slot had to be cancelled...This was a big bummer for all of us but shit happens and life goes on... So EVERGREY got on stage in time and a great show had started. For sure one of the best times I've seen them play, all of them were in a great shape and mood, the sound was great and they played some of their best songs one after the other...So somewhere in the middle of the encore, something completely unexpected was about to happen… (Note: During the afternoon soundcheck I asked Tom if they were gonna play one of my favourite ‘GREY songs, “Blackened Dawn”…I’d only seen them play it once back in their first tour in 2000 with Crimson Glory & Kamelot. I’ve been asking for it in every show since then and it had somehow become like an inside joke of some kind. Tom answered me that they probably wouldn’t play it. Oh, well…And indeed “Blackened Dawn” was not included in the printed setlist) The encore began with “When The Walls Go Down” and “Recreation Day” and at that point I thought it was a good time for me to make my usual request despite what Tom had told me…Tom looks at me and goes “You know what, we’re gonna play it, only because you guys didn’t get to play tonight” and goes on with something like “but if we’re gonna play it, you should come up and sing it…”.That was it! In 2 seconds I was up on stage and the guys played an amazing version of the song with me singing the whole song! Needless to say I was not quite sure that this was real haha! And the best part was that I would turn around and see the guys in the band and they all had these real big smiles on their faces! It was an experience to remember for my whole life! Hopefully some video will surface at some point ‘cause I really want to see how it turned out. The truth is that after the song all the people in the club were shouting and cheering so I guess it was good after all! Here’s some pics that my good friend Kelly took from that night… My custom made setlist And the calm AFTER the storm... And here's some quotes from the first live reports I found on the web... http://metal-temple.com/report.asp?id=462 "After another EVERGREY hit -under the title "Recreation Day"- something special and outside the schedule happened; Tom invited the singer of NEED Jon V on-stage to sing the song he was requesting. Actually, he said "If you want us to play "Blackened Dawn" you should sing it"; of course Jon accepted this offer and so EVERGREY left aside the setlist and hit us with the aforementioned song. I was pretty surprised with Jon’s very good performance and by the fact that the rest of the band supported him to the maximum! So, it was a special moment and I bet everyone enjoyed it" http://www.rockpages.gr/detailspage....type=3&lang=EN "They play “Recreation day”; some peeps demand “Blackened dawn”… Tom is thinking about it… “Well, if you sing, we’ll play it”… Jon, from the Greek band Need, is already on stage, attacking the mic. It’s a warzone now. Mosh and pits and craziness. Sounds cool, hehe…" http://www.metalpaths.com/reports/ev...ns-greece,1976 "One of the highlights was ”Blackened Dawn”, the only track played from the first record, where the singer of Need, one of the bands that didn’t play did the vocals and he really surprised all the members of the band. Way to go bro!"

September 25th, 2009, 08:57 PM	#2 (permalink)
Lyre's Harmony Voice your Dead Prayer Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 376	NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICE!!!!!! congrats bro! tell them to bring you guys to the US! __________________ Images and Words 2....

September 29th, 2009, 02:09 AM	#5 (permalink)
SickBoy Croatian Panzer division Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Split, Croatia, Europe Posts: 1,756	What a classy move by Evergrey, kudos to them... And great for you, what a dream come true! __________________ Cause only one thing Really sets me free Heavy Metal - as loud as it can be! www.myspace.com/stimulans

September 30th, 2009, 01:22 AM	#6 (permalink)
SacramentDeath Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Plovdiv, Bulgaria Posts: 7	Evergrey are just amazing. They have a great contact with theyr fans. Biut it was a realy touching story. I guess i was there all the time i was reading. Congrats!!! __________________ Be my passenger!

September 27th, 2009, 04:18 AM	#3 (permalink)
galtared The great Deceiver Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Italy Posts: 115	Congrats!!!! I think it has been a great experience for you. Stay grey!

September 28th, 2009, 11:25 AM	#4 (permalink)
tong_boy_junior THE Appalachian Tarzan Join Date: May 2005 Location: Winchester, VA, USA Posts: 67	That, is so awesome!

September 30th, 2009, 11:20 AM	#7 (permalink)
Thorn23TX Marked By The Triangle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Dallas Posts: 767	That is AWESOME - I think I might have been so in shock that I would have forgotten all the words if I was asked to do that! Congratulations on what sounds to be a flawless performance! Do let us know if a video surfaces...

October 2nd, 2009, 12:57 PM	#8 (permalink)
peza Reported Type: INTP Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: MAD@ES Posts: 388	Excellent reading, the experience must have been a blast!

October 12th, 2009, 06:27 AM	#10 (permalink)
Peneloppie Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 4	unfortunately I couldn't stay for the "normal" concert since the place where it was and where my hotel was were a little frightening for me who never went to Athens before but I could see the accoustic show and it's again and again awesome to see how Tom's voice is touching, even without the lyrics I had the impression that his voice was crying and it's really beautiful ... lucky those who could stay for the next concert but I was consoled by the Colmar and Baarlo concerts afterwards

November 7th, 2009, 05:12 AM	#12 (permalink)
Mzerg Junior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: France Posts: 22	nice! how kind they are! stay grey ^^ ( btw I want to say I love Megadeth so much too, because the latest album is excellent ) what about a new Evergrey album, come on people! I know,I know the latest album is not that old but...

November 14th, 2009, 03:53 AM	#13 (permalink)
Penthesilaya Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 4	Jonneed, you are a lucky man! Thanks for sharing this moment with us! I felt as if I was there