The Concert Reader Reviews:

Dio, Hammerfall and King's X

There are currently 1 Reader Reviews of this tour.
Average Rating: 4
Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this tour

Chainheart's Review (11/14/02, Universal Amphitheater, Universal City, CA):

Hammerfall
Photo by J.C. Farthing

Whenever you are going to a Dio show you already know what to expect, which is an old school metal crowd with not that many younger people in the audience. This made me wonder how well Hammerfall would go over with a crowd like this, considering many people probably have no idea who they are and are just there for Dio only. This was not only my first time seeing Hammerfall but it was my first time seeing Dio and I was very excited. I have always heard how Dio puts on this amazing show and anyone who has been around this long must put on one incredible show. With Hammerfall going on first at 8:15PM this gave us limited time to get to the venue and fighting through traffic on the LA freeways is no easy task in itself. Hammerfall was one of the main reasons why I wanted to see this show so bad and I was determined not to miss them.
At 8:10PM we pulled into the Universal Amphitheater parking lot and it is still a good ten minute walk to the actual venue. As we were pulling into the spot I was already out of the car and running down the road to the venue. After running through the Universal park entrance and all of the other security points in my way I finally made it into the venue. Hammerfall was already on stage and I ran straight down to the front to watch one of the best current traditional metal bands around. They were already half way into "Heeding The Call" and I knew that I must have missed the opening song. I later found out that I missed the opening track "Riders Of The Storm". That is the lead off track off the bandšs newest release Crimson Thunder and it is also one of the best songs on the record, besides the title track. This band has all of the moves on stage and they definitely know how to put on a killer metal show. They were playing a very stripped down show compared to what they normally play when they are on tour in Europe. If you want to see what type of massive production this band is fully capable of be sure to check out their new DVD, properly titled Templars Of The Renegade Crusades. The band continued to rip their way through a killer set as they went into the title track from their third release Renegade and this started to get the crowd more into it.

King's X
Photo by Hel

Considering how early it was there might have been around 500 people in the venue and if they did not know who Hammerfall was before the show they definitely did by the end of the set. Hammerfall knows how to work a crowd and that is exactly what they did here. Magnus Rosen (bass) and Anders Johansson (drums) create a rock solid rhythm foundation that gives lots of room for the duo of Stefan Elmgren and Oscar Dronjak to show off their guitar prowess. This is all held together by Joacim Cans, one of the best traditional metal vocalists around today. With only a 30 minute set they did not waste anytime as they soon went into the classic track "Hammerfall" off their first release Glory To The Brave and this is truly one of those epic, fist pumping songs that never lets up for a moment. They then unleashed their newest single "Hearts On Fire" off of Crimson Thunder that brought this killer set to an end to many peoplešs disappointment. Hammerfall definitely had this crowdšs full attention and the only negative was that they did not get the chance to play longer. This is the bandšs second time touring the US, as they toured with Death four years ago and this also seems to be more of their crowd. If you are a fan of traditional or classic metal then you do not want to miss Hammerfall on this tour.
As I made my way backstage to hang with the band I heard Kings X coming on and this is a band that I have already seen way too many times. They are good at what they do but I was just not in the mood for it on this night. I got to hang with the Hammerfall guys and they were more than excited to be back in the US and on this tour. They were also saying how many older people are at these shows and it did not bother them at all. They were pleased to get the chance to play in front of such a large crowd each night and hopefully they will be able to make it back to the US sometime next year to do a headlining tour. It was now time for Dio and this was something that I did not want to miss out on, so I made my way back to into the venue just as he was going on.

Dio
Photo by Hel

With a huge stage behind him it makes Dio look like a small man, but he definitely knows how to sound huge. With a very skilled backing band behind him featuring Simon Wright (drums) and Doug Aldridge (guitar), Dio had all he needed to give the crowd what they have been waiting for. The only negative thing was that Dio gave too much of the set time to his backing band to show off. After just four songs there was a ten minute drum solo and this also led to a long guitar solo later in the set. These guys were great at what they did, but you could tell that people were getting tired and just wanted to see Dio perform. His voice sounded stronger than ever and it was great to finally be seeing one of the true legends on stage. He went through a very comprehensive setlist that consisted of many classics, as well as current tracks. You could tell that this crowd was there more for the classic Dio songs such as "Holy Diver" and "Man On The Silver Mountain" and they were played flawlessly.
This is a show that was meant for the old school crowd, but it would have made anybody want to throw their fist in the air and scream along. I would have to give this show a four out of five because not that many tours like this take place in the US anymore. It also had Hammerfall in the lineup and that really made me not want to miss out on it. You have one of the best current traditional metal bands, as well as one of the originators on the same bill and you canšt go wrong. This show was well worth the price of admission and I do not think that anyone left unsatisfied. If this show comes through your area be sure not to miss out on it.

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