Aging Bodies, Aging Minds, Aging Bands

The inspiration for this piece of writing comes from a brief twitter chat I had with a dear “under-web ally” of mine (i.e. an online yet still underground co-defender of the Rock) @RockCyprus. Chatting about the recent Download 2013 line-up announcements, our conversation went something like this:

@Tzellofouska Rammstein & Maiden in one go? Surely, you don't wanna miss that! 

@RockCyprus It's been Maiden and Metallica from the 1st row in the last 2 years. Hard to beat that I'll have to have a break ;) [plus the prized possession of Kirk Hammett's guitar pick! ;)]

@Tzellofouska Metallica...Second most disappointing live band after Megadeth. And am a keen thrasher; just 20 yrs too late [ 90s vs 00s.... The price to pay for my age!]

@RockCyprus It's a big discussion, but surely Hetfield or Araya can never be 20 and alcoholics ever again ;) :D

And it went on for a few more tweets. Now, just to clarify, my aim is not to get into a discussion about disappointing live shows from [previously great yet still legendary] bands. I will only pose a few of my contemplations in the hope of initiating a healthy exchange of opinions.  

It all started with me seeing Metallica live for the first time. Then it happened again when I saw what Axl calls Guns N’ Roses nowadays. And it all happened for the third time when I saw Megadeth at this year’s Download. What a disappointment it was, I cannot emphasize enough! Performance-, passion-, stage presence-wise, you name it. 

At the time, I used to say to myself and others equally disappointed as me, that you wouldn’t expect these bands to perform to the same level as 20 years ago for example. It is of course a valid point. Or perhaps a good rationalisation of why I spent £60 on a gig that hasn’t changed me in the least. Because, you see, I only appreciate gigs that change my life, even a tiny bit at a time. I shall elaborate... 

Every band or artist has what I call a pre-defined persona. Meaning, they are known for specific elements of their live shows. Take Rammstein, for example, known for their extreme pyro shows complemented by heavy German rumblings [which I love by the way!]; or Iron Maiden with Eddie and an over-enthusiastic Mr. Dickinson; or Motörhead with their deafening decibels and a Lemmy; or even Kiss with their outdated yet oh-so-entertaining outfits; or Black Sabbath with a playful Ozzy and a quiet Iommi that communicates through the riffs. ALL bands have their pre-defined persona; from the time of their conception to today.

Now, when I go to a live show, I expect to see, feel, and experience that persona. I am easily satisfied though. Just having the opportunity to see legendary bands is an excitement on its own, considering most are at the end of the “road”. I surely don’t expect to see the SAME level of energy and passion as I see in videos of their earlier shows. Or should I?

Having been to so many gigs in the past decade alone means that I saw many of these “dinosaur” bands as people call them but not in their prime years. From this experience alone I realised that while there might be an expiration date on creativity for making good albums, passion is meant to stay put. Aging is not an excuse for a bad live for me anymore. 

If you can’t support that pre-defined persona of the band with the same level of passion anymore, just don’t bother touring; because then it shows that you are doing it purely for the cash. I’m sure Alice Cooper will retire once he’s not able to hold that boa on stage anymore. There were a few gigs that made an impact and changed me the way I wanted; Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, Anthrax, Motörhead, Judas Priest, AC/DC, Kiss, Rammstein, and even the remaining of The Who! One can see that age is not the point here; some of these guys get a social security check at the end of each month! 

I would love, and I’m sure I’ll have more opportunities, to see Metallica or Megadeth again so that I prove myself wrong. But in the meantime, yawning at a gig, where one of your favourites is performing, is not a very good sign. Either love what you do or quit while you can. Performing is just another job you have to enjoy doing in order to survive in this business. I will repeat: there is no such thing as aging bodies; just aging minds.

You may follow @RockCyprus  on twitter for updates on upcoming shows in Cyprus. Otherwise, just follow him anyway because he's got some great tweets!

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Image Credit:

http://www.last.fm/

http://www.collapseboard.com/

http://tzellofouska.blogspot.co.uk/

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Review of Sabaton (Live at Kingston Rock City)

Review of Sabaton Live at Kingston Rock City 2012 (Limassol, Cyprus)

Venue & Organisation: Small and intimate rock bar, quite a famous hangout amongst Cypriot rock fans. It kind of reminded me of O2 Academy Islington in London. The sound was a bit off at times but it was a perfect choice for such an event. Ticket price was very reasonable. Same problem with too many oversized t-shirts and not enough in human sizes but that was the band's "fault" I was informed. 8/10   

Quality: I haven't got anything bad to say about Sabaton. No, really! This was the first time I saw them live, so it was quite an experience. I'm sure Wacken will give me a more well-rounded opinion. 8/10

Passion: You crazy Scandinavians! Although clearly underestimating Cypriot climate and the 30C temperature by appearing with knight armours etc, they pulled through the whole show without getting naked on stage. Passion is what defines this band. I think it's pretty safe to say that by the end of the gig everybody was ready to follow Brodén to battle much like Leonidas with his 300. Oh, and did I mention that we were at arm's length when he came to the bar to get a beer while still singing? My friend nearly followed him to the stage! 10/10

Gig Running Time: About 1 1/2 hours. I remember leaving with that feeling of an unfulfilled promise. But I think that whatever the running time was, I would still be depressed while parting ways even if they played a personal 3-hour gig especially for me! 7/10

Opening Acts: Oblivion and Stormcast. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on them because at that time we were buying ice cream and beer from a nearby shop! Judging from the couple of songs I heard from outside, I am sure I missed a lot.

Set List: It seems that what everybody expected to hear was "Coat of Arms" and "Primo Victoria". And they did. They played/sung "The Carolean's Prayer (Karolinens Bön)" in Swedish, live for the first time ever! My Swedish friend was particularly excited. 9/10

Crowd: Need I comment on our crowd? Again, from small children to older adults all banging their heads. Cypriot metal fans may only add up to a few thousand in total but as Sabaton themselves put it (and I am only slightly paraphrasing here), the warmth and energy of a few hundred Cypriots is stronger than that of thousands in large arenas. They also commented on how quick and easy it is to excite our crowd (i.e. halfway through the first song everybody was already half-naked and sweaty). I guess we are not into foreplay that much! 10/10

Overall Experience: If Sabaton was not in my "bands to see live before I go to hell" list, they surely are now. Even if this time ticks the box, I still want to see them.... well, a few more times. And to summarise my whole experience I will just quote what my "irrelevant" (= not listening to or not familiar with even the "basic" metal) friend said to me after the gig.

"You know what? I've decided to move to Sweden. [me baffled] I loved them! Especially the singer. I'm going to tell my man that I'm just going there to buy some furniture from IKEA for our house.... And then never come back!" 8.5/10

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Review of Iced Earth (Live in Ancient Kourion 2012 DVD Recording)

Review of Iced Earth Live in Ancient Kourion 2012 (Live DVD Recording, Limassol, Cyprus)

Venue & Organisation: Where do I even begin? Acoustically it was the perfect choice. Practically not so much. Cypriots are known to be heavy smokers (all sorts), heavy drinkers, and frankly quite lazy. The 15 mins climb to the top was rather unpleasant to say the least. Having mastered your urge to climb the rocks like Spiderman ignoring the possibility of instant death, you reach the top thirsty and parched. You can't wait to grab a seat and gulp down the first few pints for which you happily paid £3 for. While you manage to juggle four pints in two hands, you reach the entrance where... surprise! NO DRINKS ALLOWED! The patient men inform you about the rules while understanding that a few extra words could lead to a raid. NO FOOD ALLOWED either and I am sure FARTING is prohibited too. You, having arrived late as a proper Cypriot would do, try to drink as much of your precious beer as you can so that you go inside just in time to get a couple of good seats. You throw away the rest and walk down the amphitheatre swearing at the organisers, the promoters, the doormen, the band, the venue, the few remaining ancient monuments, Cyprus, and the government. Dear organisers, this is a metal concert. Therefore, my dearest organisers please keep in mind that if the rules remain the same, the next one will be less busy. Also, a few more t-shirts in human sizes would be much appreciated! 3/10

Iced Earth Quality & Versatility: Having seen them live twice with Barlow and twice with Block, I have to admit I prefer my IE the old way. Yet, things change and bands progress. In my opinion, Stu is a worthy successor in all aspects. The Iced Earth we grew up with and love have still got some aces up their sleeves, I reckon. 8/10

Passion: Well, we all know these guys don't make enough money for what they put out there for us, yet their performances are always great. 9/10

Gig Running Time: Good three hours. 10/10

Set List: Everything one should expect but I have a thing with Dark Saga which was not played this time. Still, Dante's Inferno was in there and that made me very very happy. 9/10

Crowd: There is a reason why they chose Cyprus for their live DVD recording. Cypriots love them. A passionate crowd of less than 2,000 people was enough to show them just how much. Ages ranged from children to middle-aged couples (very unassuming ones who even brought their bum pillows for added comfort!). I reckon some more advertising from the promoters would have brought more people but as the experience showed, they weren't much needed. 8/10 

Band Chemistry & Performance: The chemistry between the band members makes you feel that Stu has always been part of the band. I guess they clicked! As I said before, I like Stu, I think he's a great vocalist. Yet, as much as I hate to admit, the song Dracula, is better left untouched. He did perform very well on that one but I guess it is one of those songs written for Barlow. The new bassist from Fury UK replacing Vidales also seems to be enjoying his new job post as his performance showed! I'd like not to comment on Mr. Schaffer as I think words are not enough. 9/10

Overall Experience: Events like this one rarely happen in our small island of less than a 1,000,000 inhabitants and less than a few thousand metal fans so shame on those who did not come! Iced Earth thank you for opening the door to the Heavy Metal reign over Cyprus! 9/10

Videos can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyzuwe_kJsZ5SDdXBklhJPyy-ci7qQoeb

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