Your Upcoming Concerts

[C.]

I'm not a big Into Eternity fan.. I saw them with Dream Theater and eh, didn't really do much for me.

For me it was probably the opposite. I'd heard a couple of Into Eternity's songs when I heard they were opening up for Stratovarius, and I didn't really like it. But seeing them live made me appreciate them a lot more. I would not say I became a fan by any means, but I didn't walk out of there thinking their music as unpleasant as before.

As for IE, yeah they aren't my cup of tea either. I've said as much in a number of my event reviews. Actually, it's starting to get a bit annoying. They show up on every tour they can manage their way into. It's getting to be overkill.

...But I guess if I had seen them open up for as many bands as it seems you have, I would have probably gotten annoyed with them by now too.

I'm going to Within Temptation on the 27th

Congrats, you're going to have a great time! WT puts on one hell of a show!

[Iced Dog]

Originally Posted by Tramz

As for IE, yeah they aren't my cup of tea either. I've said as much in a number of my event reviews. Actually, it's starting to get a bit annoying. They show up on every tour they can manage their way into.

Are you guys confusing Into Eternity (prog death) with Echoes Of Eternity (female fronted power)? I know the latter has been touring like crazy, and they were on the last Symph X tour...but this coming tour lists Into Eternity

[Tramz]

Originally Posted by Iced Dog

Are you guys confusing Into Eternity (prog death) with Echoes Of Eternity (female fronted power)? I know the latter has been touring like crazy, and they were on the last Symph X tour...but this coming tour lists Into Eternity

Nah, i've commented about how i'm not wild about Into Eternity either. They're ok, they just aren't for me. Trust me, if it was EoE that i was talking poop about, you'd know it. ;]

[pinkxplatypus]

Originally Posted by Iced Dog

Are you guys confusing Into Eternity (prog death) with Echoes Of Eternity (female fronted power)? I know the latter has been touring like crazy, and they were on the last Symph X tour...but this coming tour lists Into Eternity

Echoes of Eternity would not have opened up for Dream Theater..
I saw them on that Symphony X tour, once again.. nothin' special, just like Into Eternity.

[DemonXeno]

i liked EoE <_< and cant wait to see them with trail of tears!

[Iced Dog]

haha...damn Eternity bands...to hell with 'em all!

[pinkxplatypus]

Indeed.
So not original.

[Tramz]

Originally Posted by DemonXeno

i liked EoE <_< and cant wait to see them with trail of tears!

You just liked her boobs But it stands to reason, that's the main selling point for the band.

Seriously man, i can't think of a band that you *don't* like. Most of the time that's a good thing, but in this case, yuck. The bassist was pretty good, but the rest of them really suck. When i saw them here in New York, the only comments i heard from the audience agreed with my sentiment. I believe my general message concerning them for that evening was that if we are not careful, that wishy-washy, no-talent, schlock, glossy, manufactured mass appeal L.A. bands like EoE would take over like some 80's hair bands, and choke out the real metal.

Bands need more substance, less image; more originality, less trend riding. Otherwise we just become an industry of cool.. a la Rap

[St Enigma]

Originally Posted by Tramz

Bands need more substance, less image; more originality, less trend riding. Otherwise we just become an industry of cool.. a la Rap

I'll second that statement anytime!

[pinkxplatypus]

Originally Posted by Tramz

You just liked her boobs But it stands to reason, that's the main selling point for the band.

Seriously man, i can't think of a band that you *don't* like. Most of the time that's a good thing, but in this case, yuck. The bassist was pretty good, but the rest of them really suck. When i saw them here in New York, the only comments i heard from the audience agreed with my sentiment. I believe my general message concerning them for that evening was that if we are not careful, that wishy-washy, no-talent, schlock, glossy, manufactured mass appeal L.A. bands like EoE would take over like some 80's hair bands, and choke out the real metal.

Bands need more substance, less image; more originality, less trend riding. Otherwise we just become an industry of cool.. a la Rap

Yeah, I couldn't have said it better myself...

[C.]

wishy-washy, no-talent, schlock, glossy, manufactured mass appeal L.A. bands like EoE would take over like some 80's hair bands, and choke out the real metal...

Hey now, not all L.A. bands are all style and no substance.

[Trogdor 666]

Can't wait until this Thursday as I see Mr. Oswald Osbourne and Robert Zombie at the Spectrum in Philly! I personally think this tour will be two great musical tastes that will taste great together! I've never seen Ozzy before, despite being to 2 Ozzfests and this will be the 4th time I've seen Zombie and he's more than impressed me live each time! More matching metal megatours like this are needed!


PS: In response to this:

Originally Posted by Tramz

You just liked her boobs But it stands to reason, that's the main selling point for the band.

I've yet to hear any of their music, but I will say that those are probably the best boobs I've ever seen from a woman in a metal band.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I listened to them on Myspace last night. Yeah, nothing special. I'll keep my interest in them purely visual.

[Snowy Owl]

Hey, I still love hair metal...it's what I grew up on. I not afraid to admit that I blasted Whitesnake's Slip of the Tounge on the way to work today.

Hair metal is metal too in my opinion.

[C.]

So Troggy, was the Ozzy concert as good for you as it was for me?

Ozzy was probably the last concert I'll attend for a long while, seeing as how I'm out of commission with a broken kneecap for who knows how long.

[DemonXeno]

next concert i should be attending is sonta, and gona see MR. Brian Hugh Warner

[seraph7]

Not much on horizon just three gigs in March
Turisas (13th)
Nightwish again (I'm seeing them on the 25th and 27th)

I need to get Sonata tickets and Ensiferum for april. Hopefully this time I won't miss out!

[C.]

Have fun at Nightwish, I just got the joyful news that I'll be out of the game for at least a year so even a fall tour isn't in the cards for me.

[DemonXeno]

oh yea i NEED TO see ensiferum and im gona try and go to see REM/modest mouse and nightwish in vancover on different days , also my sister is gona move to a place that is next to the trainstation that goes to seattle to vancover..and vis vera

[seraph7]

@C
What happened? You said you were going to be out of the game. Is everything OK?

[Trogdor 666]

So tonight I was lucky enough to catch Iron Maiden's "Somewhere Back in Time Tour" in luxurious East Rutherford, NJ.

Simply put, it was the greatest set I have ever seen live. Too bad my seats suck. I don't think I need to go into more detail than the setlist, which speaks for itself.

Aces High
Two Minutes to Midnight
Revelations
The Trooper
Wasted Years
Can I Play With Madness
The Number of the Beast
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Powerslave
Heaven Can Wait
Run to the Hills
Fear of the Dark
Iron Maiden
-------
Moonchild(!)
The Clairvoyant
Hallowed Be Thy Name

Amazing, actually 6 songs I've never seen them play live before, which is impressive considering I think this is the 8th time I've seen Maiden, and if my seats were better, it could have easily been the best. I'm making plans to see them two more times this year, once when they're in Camden, NJ, and plans to go out and visit my sister in California when they're playing at Irvine's Verizon Ampitheater. Taking the West Coast by Maiden Storm!

[C.]

What happened? You said you were going to be out of the game. Is everything OK?

I thought everyone knew; I broke my kneecap a few months ago and it requires a lot of therapy. The good news is that I don't think I'll be out of commission concert-wise nearly as long as I think, but traveling is still not an option for me right now.

[Tramz]

So tonight i finally picked up tickets for a few concerts this year:

Symphony X w/Epica and Into Eternity (April 5th @ Nokia Theatre)
Arch Enemy w/Firewind, Dark Tranquility, Divine Heresy (May 11 @ Irving Plaza)
Kamelot w/Edguy (October 15 @ BB Kings)

I was pretty pissed when i found out AFTER i got my ticket to see Epica that Simone isn't going to be on the tour cause she still has the MRSA super virus. I mean, of course i wish the girl well, but how the hell is Epica going to tour without Simone? They should just have put it off. And the girl they are getting to fill in is some pop rock person? Meh. I gave her a listen on her Myspace and my reaction was not a happy one.

Before i bought my tickets, i checked the Epica website for tour dates, saw that they were confirmed, and just assumed it meant Simone was better. It never occurred to me they might tour without her. I should have read their sites top news item too. I like SymX and I'm sure i will enjoy the night, but mainly i planned to go for Epica, and well.. Epica without Simone just isn't the same. No one pays money to see an event where key members have been replaced by stand-ins (not to mention, i have to suffer through Into Eternity for the nth freaking time. Do these guys *ever* get sick of touring?).

Still, It's been pretty dry for concerts for me lately, especially with a number of bands doing "off-legs" of tours (meaning they are hitting less popular places like upstate New York and Jersey instead of NYC. I don't care what kind of leg a band is doing, ALWAYS hit NYC no matter what It's NY F'ing C after all). So I'm glad that the events are starting to roll in once again.

Concerning other concerts, It's a shame that Opeth wasn't headlining a day here in New York (as they are doing a few off-tour dates elsewhere). Although some have probably drooled over this pairing, i don't really want to see them as part of this Dream Theater "Progressive Nation" tour. First off, too expensive. I only really care to see Opeth, not DT; not after their last album. $50 for Opeth is somewhere in the neighborhood of double, if not more, than it usually costs to see them. Not to mention DT doesn't play small venues. I've never been to Terminal 5, but it surely can't be that small. I don't care for events where i have to be a mile back from the stage. What's the point? So i have had to make the choice to miss out on another favorite band this year.

And what is with headlining groups that suddenly decide to become openers? It's not like they (Opeth excluded here) have jumped to a new level with larger bands (small fish in a bigger pond and all that). It's the same old bands. Have their headliners really lost money? Not made enough? Is it a maneuver to cut a few corners to make even MORE cash? Or was taking the opening slot on another tour really the best option available at the moment? I can understand why Epica isn't headlining. It would be impossible to headline without Simone. But Edguy? I have been to two headlining tours, i am unsure if their first was also a headliner. The two that i attended were packed houses and rampant successes. If they could afford the ridiculous fees (Christofer from Therion has said it costs $1500 a head for the work visas for them to play) to come play here in the states on those previous tours, what has changed? Come on guys, backsliding sucks.

All i know for sure is that last year i went to 16 events, almost all of them completely awesome. This year, i know of 3 i want to go to, with another 2 on the horizon, and i can already find something to bitch about with almost all of them. Hopefully the year holds a few pleasant surprises, or at least for me, it won't go down as anything special.

[seraph7]

Going to Sonata on the 21st April then that's it for a while I think. I'm considering going to Bloodstock this year but camping by yourself is no fun, and I can't persuade any one I know to go . They'd rather go to Download

I'm not going to see ensiferum after all, I've decided . I need to spend some time at work and home.

[Iced Dog]

Originally Posted by Tramz

And the girl they are getting to fill in is some pop rock person? Meh. I gave her a listen on her Myspace and my reaction was not a happy one.

Aw Tramz, that's Amanda Somerville you're talking about...she's a veteran on the metal scene. Personally I think she's got a great voice and should do an admirable job of filling in for Simone, especially since she's worked closely with Epica since their inception. Here's some of her past contributions to bands we know and love (taken from Wikipedia)...

Avantasia - The Scarecrow (2008); worked as vocalist
Epica - The Phantom Agony (2003), We Will Take You With Us (2004), Consign To Oblivion (2005), The Road to Paradiso (2006), The Divine Conspiracy (2007), Live Session singer for USA Canada tour (2008); worked as vocal coach, vocalist, co-writer, producer
After Forever - Invisible Circles (2004), Remagine (2005), After Forever (2007); worked as vocal coach, vocalist, producer
Asrai - Touch in the Dark (2004): worked as lyrical editor
Edguy - Hellfire Club (2004), Rocket Ride (2006); worked as vocalist, lyrical editor
Kamelot - Black Halo (2005), Ghost Opera (2007); worked as vocalist, lyrical editor
Shaman - Ritual (2002), Reason (2005); worked as vocalist, lyrical editor
Mob Rules - Hollowed Be Thy Name (2002); worked as vocalist
Luca Turilli & Rhapsody - Prophet of the Last Eclipse (2002); worked as vocalist

@Seraph...I'll camp with ya...if you can cover my plane ticket

[Tramz]

Originally Posted by Iced Dog

Aw Tramz, that's Amanda Somerville you're talking about...she's a veteran on the metal scene. Personally I think she's got a great voice and should do an admirable job of filling in for Simone, especially since she's worked closely with Epica since their inception. Here's some of her past contributions to bands we know and love (taken from Wikipedia)...

When you're right, you're right. Obviously i didn't realize she was that involved with Epica (among the others listed, including her involvement with Aina). I guess if anyone would fill in, it would be her. I suppose the fact that she isn't just some random pop musician does mitigate the lameness, somewhat. But i still stand by the point that they should not be touring without Simone (the same way i wouldn't want them to tour without Mark, or for a relevant example of an instrumentalist: SymX without Michael Romeo). It radically changes the nature of the experience.

Anyway, the concert is tomorrow, April 5th. So i guess I'll find out soon enough how well she can fill in.