Iced Earth, Children of Bodom, Evergrey Concert
Average Rating: 5 Skulls
Death's Review (5/20/04, House of Blues, Hollywood, CA):
I saw Iced Earth at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival (anyone else annoyed at the way Jamie Jasta on Headbanger's Ball referred to it as the New England Hardcore and Metal Festival? Sure, given the lineup, his description was truthful, but c'mon . . . ), but they were the last band on night two, I was drunk, and they still left me hungry for more. Of course, Children of Bodom are one of the hottest acts in the underground right now, and so any opportunity to see them perform is a big night out. Plus, Evergrey didn't get to play at that fest. So the stage was set to focus on these bands without all of the distractions inherent in a metal festival. I was psyched.
Iced Earth
Photo by HelI got there and Evergrey was already on the stage. But they sounded great and looked commanding up there as well. The sound was outstanding - pretty much CD quality. I rocked out to tunes like "Blinded" and sung along at the top of my lungs. Evergrey are a very good band, and I can't wait to see them come back around again. They need to keep touring in support of their new record.
Children of Bodom
Photo by HelChildren of Bodom were next and once again they owned the crowd. Century Media has done an unbelievable job promoting this band in the U.S. Before they were barely known, now they are like rock stars up on stage. Of course, their incredible live energy surely has something to do with it. And every guitar player or keyboard player in the house had their jaw drop to the floor after just a few minutes of watching these incredible musicians. Time and again I am spellbound by their wizardry, and this night was no exception. The crowd was shouting along and pumping their fists in the air with every number. In short, there is no denying that Hollywood loves C.O.B., and from the amount of partying the band did in the few days that followed (this was the last night of the tour), it seems that C.O.B. loves Hollywood too. It's a match made in hell, and this town is surely all ready for the band's inevitable future triumphant return.
One notable thing about Iced Earth's show right off of the bat - this was sadly drummer Richard Christy's last show with the band (he will be replaced by ex-Halford drummer Bobby Jarzombek). I'm sure Jon Schaeffer and Co. will soldier on without him (good luck with the Howard Stern thing, Richard), but it was nice to see him annihilate the kit once more on this night. The entire band performed with incredible tightness and professionalism, and this time we got the full effect of the flown-in backing tracks used on stuff like the full "Gettysburg," which was performed as an encore (the computer went down during the New England metalfest gig). Ripper Owens was his usual killer self, shredding high notes throughout the set. Schaeffer and second guitarist Ralph Santolla took turns ripping leads, and James MacDonough laid down the expected thundering bass foundation. All and all, Iced Earth lived up to their headliner status and kept me fully mesmerized for their entire two hour set. It's great to see a legendary act at the top of their game. I'm glad I was there to catch it.
Iced Earth
Photo by Death
Hel's Review (5/20/04, House of Blues, Hollywood, CA):
May was certainly the month of concerts here in L.A. This was my fifth show in nine days. At this stage in the game, even I, a live metal addict, was beginning to get pretty worn out, and Thursday nights are the hardest for me. But there was no way I was not going to this show.
Iced Earth
Photo by HelI desperately wanted to see Evergrey, especially since they didn’t get to play at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. Fate was not kind to me on this night, as they were already into their final song when I made it through the huge lines and into the venue at long last. Though I valiantly tried to get a picture, things were most definitely not going my way, and I walked away with nothing. This made me very, very sad. Though I can say that the half-song I did catch was phenomenal. I sincerely hope to have the chance to finally see these guys play a full set sometime in the near future.
Children of Bodom
Photo by HelNext to Evergrey, I was most interested in seeing Children of Bodom, since they are fantastic, and I have only seen them two other times, so it is still a very special event. My photo woes were destined to continue, however, as halfway through their first song, people began coming over the barricade and the green security guard in charge flipped out and forced me to leave the photo pit, as I was unfortunate enough to be standing right next to him at the time. I extremely angry about it but I became absolutely incensed when I realized that the most of the other photographers somehow managed to remain for the full three songs. I have to admit this severely tainted my enjoyment of the rest of Children of Bodom’s set. As usual, however, the put on a fantastic show, and the L.A. crowd adored them.
Iced Earth
Photo by HelIced Earth is a band I have loved for a very long time, and have seen many times over the years. It’s always a treat, but I have to admit, I was there for the other bands first, and Iced Earth second. Still, they managed to make the last night of the tour, and their last performance with Richard Christy at the kit, very memorable. The set they played was different than the one I saw recently that the NEM&HF, which was refreshing, and their performance on this night was top notch. I enjoyed the encore, even though “Gettysburg” in its entirety is not at the top of my personal list, I appreciated the historically correct North and South costumes and flags used. The highlight of night for me was by far the “Something Wicked” trilogy in its entirety. These details reminded me of why I have always loved Iced Earth so much, and reminders like these are what make going to see bands live worthwhile. Kudos to Iced Earth for a fantastic job overall.
Despite the frustrations associated with my night, and the level of exhaustion, accompanied by the danger of severe burn out, I have achieved with my marathon of concerts in May, I was glad I went and had a great time. I would like to knock off a skull for the horrible staff at the House of Blues, but the bands gave their all on this night, and shouldn’t suffer for the idiocy of the people who work where they play, so I will give this night the full five skulls anyway. If you missed this tour, make a note to yourself to be sure to catch these bands the next time around.
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