Crimson Glory and Guests

[Prog_Muse]

That kind of sounds dirty.

The only thing worse than red dick taters is BLUE dick taters...

 

[edgeofthorns]

7. Queen of the Masquerade: Kelly Sundown and Todd La Torre

Kelly Sundown absolutely slayed that song! This is my favorite CG song and no one could have done it better in my opinion.

~Brian~

 

[wolf2112]

All the singers were fantastic, but in my opinion, there's one that hasn't really been mentioned yet... Todd LaTorre. He absolutely nailed Midnight's highest screams, seemingly effortlessly. This guy has a very bright future ahead of him in music, imho...

 

[TribunalRecords]

I guess i will be the spoiler here. i thought the band itself were amazing - they were tight as crap and sonically were truly impressive. some of the vocalists, not so good.

but here are my main complaints and i won't get too specific.

1) why would a band doing a "tribute" to a fallen one begin the set playing FIVE songs from an album he was never a part of? that in itself is disgraceful. i don't care what the excuse would be from the band, but it's inexcusable. those songs could have been scrapped and made way for my favorite track "Burning Bridges" plus other classics omitted.

2) a big, and i mean BIG "thumbs down" to vocalists bringing lyrics sheets onto the stage. you are paying TRIBUTE to someone. where is the respect of taking the time to learn lyrics to a fellow singer's song? it's really not that hard. i am not picking on anyone who gave it a go without one and flubbed a line here and there. they at least tried their best and probably got caught in the moment.

3) duets? i know midnight's range was incredible and most cannot come close, but the duet idea was just awful. people singing over each other just muddled everything for me. i didn't care if a singer couldn't make the ranges/notes but i was expecting to see people do their best and pay tribute. i am not a big fan of wade black's but i would have preferred to just see him do the entire tribute, honestly because "Eternal World" was a nice surprise from him. so his just doing the entire set would have had more of an impact i believe.

4) on a positive i really enjoyed Sabaton's vocalist as he really brought the crowd to life just as he did with his own band's set. it's good to see a frontman who doesn't change his style regardless of what he is doing - plus he picked the perfect song that included a nice drum march in it. there were others that did well too, but like i said some were dismal.

i know i am being a stickler, but honestly it was a TRIBUTE to Midnight and his/their work deserved far more respect. because if it weren't for a band like CRIMSON GLORY we wouldn't even have a fest called "prog power" to attend every year.

call me a hater or whatever, but the first 2 CG records (one LP framed on my office wall next to me now) are 2 of my favorite metal records of all time and i felt kind of let down.

 

[Sir Exar Kun]

1) why would a band doing a "tribute" to a fallen one begin the set playing SIX songs from an album he was never a part of? that in itself is disgraceful. i don't care what the excuse would be from the band, but it's inexcusable.

I was not able to make it to PP this year but.... REALLY???

I saw someone else post "too much Astronomica stuff", but REALLY? They opened up with six songs from it??? That is REALLY bizarre!

And I LOVE "Astronomica"!

 

[sofhevn]

I think the number of singers does pay tribute to Midnight. Other tributes I've seen always have multiple singers singing in homor of the deceased. Understand your point, but it is the spirirt of the event that was important.

 

[sava_freak]

Painted Skies: Danaë Saree and Danilo Herbert

This was magical!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TribunalRecords]

I think the number of singers does pay tribute to Midnight. Other tributes I've seen always have multiple singers singing in homor of the deceased. Understand your point, but it is the spirirt of the event that was important.

i understand, but for us CG diehards (not saying you aren't by the way), it's hard to lift our spirits when like i mentioned the band opted to START the entire show with 5 songs that weren't even Midnight's songs. made me angry actually and anyone sitting near me could hear my disgust between songs.

just my opinion naturally. won't discourage me from rocking out my cds or anything, but just will have to think twice about supporting them from here on out.

another little nit picking thing. when they posted his tribute image up on the jumbo-tron it just said "Midnight." maybe it's just me but it should have had his real name (John Patrick McDonald Jr.) not just his stage name. maybe that's just me and how i would properly honor the dead.

 

[sofhevn]

You would actually consider not supporting the band from here on out? Wow.

 

[TribunalRecords]

You would actually consider not supporting the band from here on out? Wow.

Yes, why not? supporting a band because they are just "that" band is kind of silly. for example i love old Fates Warning, but don't enjoy anything they have done since Inside Out. After saturday's performance i won't be seeing them live anymore. they just aren't doing it for me anymore and i won't be purchasing whatever new album they do put out. i will however spin Parallels for eternity.

plus, CG have to prove themselves from here on out. new singer or not, Astronomica was terrible in my opinion. so we shall see what they can come up with as i won't support them blindly on what their past achievements were. The biggest asset the band had is gone forever. Not saying that all of them together didn't create the magic, but Midnight is what helped to set them apart and propel them head and shoulders above the rest. all in my humble opinion naturally.

 

[booB]

1) why would a band doing a "tribute" to a fallen one begin the set playing FIVE songs from an album he was never a part of? that in itself is disgraceful. i don't care what the excuse would be from the band, but it's inexcusable. those songs could have been scrapped and made way for my favorite track "Burning Bridges" plus other classics omitted.

That was the Crimson Glory set, after which they closed the curtain, and came out a few minutes later to start the Midnight tribute set. Go back and count the songs again. FIVE post-Midnight songs. FOURTEEN Midnight songs, including one sung by the man himself! Are you suggesting that a band that loses a well-known and widely-loved vocalist should never perform new material?

2) a big, and i mean BIG "thumbs down" to vocalists bringing lyrics sheets onto the stage. you are paying TRIBUTE to someone. where is the respect of taking the time to learn lyrics to a fellow singer's song? it's really not that hard. i am not picking on anyone who gave it a go without one and flubbed a line here and there. they at least tried their best and probably got caught in the moment.

They probably wanted to do the absolute best job they could. Keep in mind, none of those guest vocalists have ever been in Crimson Glory, so they do not have the luxury of having practiced the songs hundreds of times. They have their own bands and songs to practice. And this thing was put together at, basically, the last minute. Those vocalists just wanted to pay the proper respect to Midnight, and not mess up his songs.

3) duets? i know midnight's range was incredible and most cannot come close, but the duet idea was just awful. people singing over each other just muddled everything for me.

I sort of agree here, although I thought the duet style was well suited to Painted Skies in particular. I would have preferred to see each vocalist perform one song, especially since most of them dueted on more than one.

i know i am being a stickler, but honestly it was a TRIBUTE to Midnight and his/their work deserved far more respect. because if it weren't for a band like CRIMSON GLORY we wouldn't even have a fest called "prog power" to attend every year.

call me a hater or whatever, but the first 2 CG records (one LP framed on my office wall next to me now) are 2 of my favorite metal records of all time and i felt kind of let down.

I won't call you a hater, but I think you're being MUCH too hard on this performance. Your post reads as if you wanted to organize your own Midnight tribute, and you had sour grapes over the fact that Jon and co. didn't do EXACTLY what you wound have done. Instead, you should be appreciating the fact that so many people got together and did this.

 

[Virtual Scott]

I've been a big CG fan for eons (it seems!) but all the screaming (I know it seemed SOMEWHAT appropriate considering) didn't do much for me other than require me to stick my fingers in my ears a few times. The vibe and the performances were GREAT, but the oneupmanship and the over-the-top screaming (bordering on screeching) while expected, was just excessive. Of course, I could be pitnicking for lack of anything really negative to say since the gig overall was so awesome! ;-)

And, what... nothing from STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL? *something of a rhetorical question there/*

 

[TribunalRecords]

That was the Crimson Glory set, after which they closed the curtain, and came out a few minutes later to start the Midnight tribute set. Go back and count the songs again. FIVE post-Midnight songs. FOURTEEN Midnight songs, including one sung by the man himself! Are you suggesting that a band that loses a well-known and widely-loved vocalist should never perform new material?

not at this show they shouldn't have. we all know they are going to do a new album and shows again, they were planning for it already. they sounded TOO good as a unit to not have been practicing very long. this was the time to be saying goodbye to an old friend via his songs, not rocking Astronomica!?

it's also not the point of how many songs were done from the Midnight era vs non Midnight. the basic point is that it was a tribute to Midnight and you START the performance with 5 songs that were never his to begin with and and from their WORST album. kind of lame if you ask me. plus, who was really there to see current CRIMSON GLORY? no one. we were there to celebrate the songs of Midnight and his life and work. Not so CG can re-introduce themselves to the power metal world.

They probably wanted to do the absolute best job they could. Keep in mind, none of those guest vocalists have ever been in Crimson Glory, so they do not have the luxury of having practiced the songs hundreds of times. They have their own bands and songs to practice. And this thing was put together at, basically, the last minute. Those vocalists just wanted to pay the proper respect to Midnight, and not mess up his songs.

Bottom line is a pro is a pro regardless of having time to practice and last time i checked professional bands are what we bring to PP every year. i won't mention names but one singer in particular did the same song two years ago during the covers set but still needed a lyric sheet this time. he also doesn't have a band currently that i am aware of. so what is his excuse for not taking a day to work on the song at home before showing up? it's just sad.

also, if you read my quote i had more respect for the folks who came out and gave it their all and weren't afraid to make mistakes (which we all do, naturally) because they had taken the time to try and learn the songs. for some singers we are talking ONE SONG and there they stood with lyric sheets and looked down and read. not only did they not want to mess up, but they didn't learn the songs. to me that is lame ESPECIALLY because of the well known fact of how influential midnight has been to this scene and probably their careers.

I sort of agree here, although I thought the duet style was well suited to Painted Skies in particular. I would have preferred to see each vocalist perform one song, especially since most of them dueted on more than one.

glad you agree. i would have much rather seen Rob Rock and Urban Breed do their own thing rather than have to battle it out on stage with other people.

I won't call you a hater, but I think you're being MUCH too hard on this performance. Your post reads as if you wanted to organize your own Midnight tribute, and you had sour grapes over the fact that Jon and co. didn't do EXACTLY what you wound have done. Instead, you should be appreciating the fact that so many people got together and did this.

i am not being hard, just honest. we call all walk around and say how great it was, but it really wasn't. it was decent, but like Jon said Midnight was special and this night celebrating his songs was not reflective of that at all, overall. there were plenty of shining moments, but overall it could have been MUCH better. when you buy the DVD you let me know how it is outside "the moment." not so special i will bet. CG did such a great job taking me out of my excited moment of seeing this tribute by playing 5 non-Midnight songs and it was truly hard to get that initial moment back. i am sorry if people disagree with my opinion, but if we are going to talk about it i am going to voice my opinion especially because of how important the first two albums of CRIMSON GLORY's have been to my life.

 

[Metalmilitia2000]

not at this show they shouldn't have. we all know they are going to do a new album and shows again, they were planning for it already. they sounded TOO good as a unit to not have been practicing very long. this was the time to be saying goodbye to an old friend via his songs, not rocking Astronomica!?

it's also not the point of how many songs were done from the Midnight era vs non Midnight. the basic point is that it was a tribute to Midnight and you START the performance with 5 songs that were never his to begin with and and from their WORST album. kind of lame if you ask me. plus, who was really there to see current CRIMSON GLORY? no one. we were there to celebrate the songs of Midnight and his life and work. Not so CG can re-introduce themselves to the power metal world.



Bottom line is a pro is a pro regardless of having time to practice and last time i checked professional bands are what we bring to PP every year. i won't mention names but one singer in particular did the same song two years ago during the covers set but still needed a lyric sheet this time. he also doesn't have a band currently that i am aware of. so what is his excuse for not taking a day to work on the song at home before showing up? it's just sad.

also, if you read my quote i had more respect for the folks who came out and gave it their all and weren't afraid to make mistakes (which we all do, naturally) because they had taken the time to try and learn the songs. for some singers we are talking ONE SONG and there they stood with lyric sheets and looked down and read. not only did they not want to mess up, but they didn't learn the songs. to me that is lame ESPECIALLY because of the well known fact of how influential midnight has been to this scene and probably their careers.



glad you agree. i would have much rather seen Rob Rock and Urban Breed do their own thing rather than have to battle it out on stage with other people.



i am not being hard, just honest. we call all walk around and say how great it was, but it really wasn't. it was decent, but like Jon said Midnight was special and this night celebrating his songs was not reflective of that at all, overall. there were plenty of shining moments, but overall it could have been MUCH better. when you buy the DVD you let me know how it is outside "the moment." not so special i will bet. CG did such a great job taking me out of my excited moment of seeing this tribute by playing 5 non-Midnight songs and it was truly hard to get that initial moment back. i am sorry if people disagree with my opinion, but if we are going to talk about it i am going to voice my opinion especially because of how important the first two albums of CRIMSON GLORY's have been to my life.

Not trying to flame here, but you think you are speaking for everyone, and I can assure you that you aren't. I couldn't agree any less with you than I am right now.

 

[Cheiron]

Mark Gromen wrote about it: http://www.bravewords.com/news/121783

 

[lady_space]

not at this show they shouldn't have.

I think Boob's point is that the entire show (someone else correct me if I'm wrong) was NOT billed as a tribute to Midnight. Therefore, while I get that it may have seemed a bit weird, it wasn't because *that first set* was a separate entity. Perhaps you should have come in after that part was over if it was such a buzzkill for you. *shrug*

Also, could everyone take a moment to remember that it's hardly like this thing was planned for a year, but instead more like a month or two.

 

[Bear]

I guess i will be the spoiler here. i thought the band itself were amazing - they were tight as crap and sonically were truly impressive. some of the vocalists, not so good.

but here are my main complaints and i won't get too specific.

1) why would a band doing a "tribute" to a fallen one begin the set playing FIVE songs from an album he was never a part of? that in itself is disgraceful. i don't care what the excuse would be from the band, but it's inexcusable. those songs could have been scrapped and made way for my favorite track "Burning Bridges" plus other classics omitted.

2) a big, and i mean BIG "thumbs down" to vocalists bringing lyrics sheets onto the stage. you are paying TRIBUTE to someone. where is the respect of taking the time to learn lyrics to a fellow singer's song? it's really not that hard. i am not picking on anyone who gave it a go without one and flubbed a line here and there. they at least tried their best and probably got caught in the moment.

3) duets? i know midnight's range was incredible and most cannot come close, but the duet idea was just awful. people singing over each other just muddled everything for me. i didn't care if a singer couldn't make the ranges/notes but i was expecting to see people do their best and pay tribute. i am not a big fan of wade black's but i would have preferred to just see him do the entire tribute, honestly because "Eternal World" was a nice surprise from him. so his just doing the entire set would have had more of an impact i believe.

4) on a positive i really enjoyed Sabaton's vocalist as he really brought the crowd to life just as he did with his own band's set. it's good to see a frontman who doesn't change his style regardless of what he is doing - plus he picked the perfect song that included a nice drum march in it. there were others that did well too, but like i said some were dismal.

i know i am being a stickler, but honestly it was a TRIBUTE to Midnight and his/their work deserved far more respect. because if it weren't for a band like CRIMSON GLORY we wouldn't even have a fest called "prog power" to attend every year.

call me a hater or whatever, but the first 2 CG records (one LP framed on my office wall next to me now) are 2 of my favorite metal records of all time and i felt kind of let down.

Well I thought it was a very well done tribute to Midnight and most of the singers never had a chance to practice with Crimson before hand, that in itself is amazing. Being that Wade has been in Crimson Glory for a number of years and has been singing Midnights music it was only fitting that he be given a nod and I thought it was very respectful to have him start and finish the set. It was also a tribute to the early Crimson Glory and the future of Crimson Glory in my opinion... I think you are to harsh but entitled to your opinion.

Bear

 

[SeaStorm]

I wish I could have made the show, and I'm definitely looking forward to the DVD release. Sounds like most people greatly appreciated the special performance the band put together.

Rob Rock and Lance King on Lady of Winter? Yowsers! I gotta hear that!

Re TribunalRecords' postings, just wow. I have been prompted to discover that these boards allow you to ignore people's posts and not see them when you read threads. Excellent [tenting fingers].

 

[booB]

it's also not the point of how many songs were done from the Midnight era vs non Midnight. the basic point is that it was a tribute to Midnight and you START the performance with 5 songs that were never his to begin with and and from their WORST album.

TWO separate performances. One modern Crimson Glory; one (the FAR longer of the two) a tribute to Midnight. They were even separated via vacating the stage temporarily. How is this concept not seeping into your brain?

plus, who was really there to see current CRIMSON GLORY? no one. we were there to celebrate the songs of Midnight and his life and work. Not so CG can re-introduce themselves to the power metal world.

I was there for both reasons, as were a shitload of other people. Believe it or not, there are still many of us out there who love the current incarnation of Crimson Glory, and have never had the chance to see them live.

It's obvious that you're just bitching about this because you don't like Astronomica. You don't *have* to like it. The band played TWO DIFFERENT SETS, specifically so that people like you would be able to separate one from the other. And they played the Astronomica set first for a good reason. They didn't play the Astronomica stuff at the conclusion of the set, nor did they weave the songs in between the Midnight tribute songs, because it would have been in poor taste to do so.

More importantly, do you really think Midnight would want the band NOT to play any of their new material? I didn't know the guy, but I have a hard time believing that he wouldn't want them to go on after his death.

Bottom line is a pro is a pro regardless of having time to practice and last time i checked professional bands are what we bring to PP every year.

Oh, yes! Now I understand... you're not a "professional" band unless you can pull off every song in the world without practicing! I hope you realize how ridiculous you're being.

for some singers we are talking ONE SONG and there they stood with lyric sheets and looked down and read. not only did they not want to mess up, but they didn't learn the songs.

How the hell do you know? It's not THEIR song. They want to make sure they don't fuck it up. Have you ever even performed on a stage in front of people? Do you have any concept whatsoever of the preparation that goes into a performance?

i am not being hard, just honest.

I'm calling "bullshit" on this one. There is a right way and a wrong way to express your opinion. Let's assume the tribute *wasn't* perfect. It's one thing to say, "Well, _______ and _______ could have been done better." But when you call the entire tribute "disgraceful" and "disgusting" because of a few details that you didn't care for, you are not only ruining your own credibility in the scene (ironic, considering that your favorite CG song is "Burning Bridges"), but you're personally insulting everyone involved in the process, including Midnight's family, friends, and bandmates. (Not to speak for them, of course, but I know how I would feel in their shoes after reading comments like yours.) I'm not sure you truly understand how complicated a thing like this truly is, or how many people's livelihoods and love for their friend you are stepping on. Do you also go to funerals and complain to the deceased's family about the floral arrangements? Or complain that the eulogy began with an anecdote which you didn't feel had anything to do with the deceased?

 

[booB]

Re TribunalRecords' postings, just wow. I have been prompted to discover that these boards allow you to ignore people's posts and not see them when you read threads. Excellent [tenting fingers].

err...oops. then I'm sorry for quoting them in my posts. LOL