Opeth, Nevermore, Into Eternity Concert
Rating: 5 Skulls
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Opeth, Nevermore, Into Eternity Concert
Rating: 5 Skulls |
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Gordo's Review (11/6/05, House of Blues, Cleveland, OH):
This is what they call the line-up of the year. Nevermore and Opeth are both easily in my top five favorite bands of all time. Putting them together on the same tour is pure genius. Now let me give you a little run-down of how I came to attending this show. My brother Nator and I were both upset with ourselves after missing out on Gigantour and Sounds of the Underground over the summer. I mean, we NEVER miss either one of these two bands. So when the tour was announced, we made plans to attend the Chicago show, about five hours from our hometown of Winona, MN. Then we got a call from our other brother, Adam, who just happens to play drums for Into Eternity. He said they would be opening for Opeth and Nevermore for about two weeks on the east coast. We instantly thought, "Road Trip," and when we realized the closest city was at least 10 hours away, the plans were set. The drive to Cleveland would be long and grueling, but well worth it.Since the show was on a Sunday night, we decided to get a head start and hit Madison, WI on Friday night. Nator had lived there for a few years, so we had plenty of friends to party with for the night. We basically got really hammered, and hit the road the next day. We grabbed our friend Boat and headed out to Cleveland with plenty of music and supplies for the road. Upon arrival, we didn't really know what to think. Did a nuclear bomb just go off in this town? It was really dirty, desolate, and creepy. Buildings were boarded up, and the streets were virtually empty. After check-in at the most historic Holiday Inn in all the land, we made up a few drinks and used our last two hours of bar-time to hit the Warehouse district. So THAT'S where all the people are. The bars were packed and it was a good time. Everyone seemed to be really friendly in Cleveland. However, we knew the best was yet to come.
Sunday? That means football! We never miss our beloved Vikings, EVER! We went down to Alice Cooperstown to watch the game and start drinking. After seeing the Vikes destroy the Lions, we headed back to the hotel and got a hold of our brother Adam. He told us that all the bands had arrived and they were doing sound check, so we decided to head over to the club and get our All-Access passes. It was cool to see our pal Martin Mendez (Opeth's bassist). We have been going to Opeth shows since their first U.S. tour and have become good friends with each passing tour. We also said hello to the Nevermore camp, as we have become friends with those guys over the years as well. After inhaling some delicious food (compliments of the House of Blues), we continued to get fucked up until the show started. We watched from the side of the stage as Into Eternity tore through 30 minutes of pure metal. This is about my fifth time seeing these guys this year, and they continue to crush every time. Nator and I stood near our brother and watched him with a close eye as he pounded out blast beats. Luckily, his performance met our approval. The rest of the band was right on as well. During the last song, "Beginning of the End," I came out and gave my usual guest vocal performance, which I thought ruled. I hope the crowd agreed!
This is where the rest of the night gets sort of hazy. The drinks were flowing, the jokes were flying, and we were having a frickin' blast! I got really stoked to see Nevermore, but they just didn't have it on this night. The crowd was practically sleeping, and I was busy walking around drinking and chatting with everyone for a lot of their set. They played like five or six new songs, and I just felt like that was too much. At least play something off the first album dammit! So I was a little disappointed, but probably too drunk to care. Hell, Opeth are playing anyways! And let me tell you, they have never sounded better. Mike's voice was a little off at times, but the playing was phenomenal. I remember hearing just about every song I wanted to hear, played to perfection. It was a little surreal watching Opeth headline over Nevermore, when just a few years before it was Nevermore who brought Opeth to America to support them. But they deserve all the success that they have. We all watched from the side of the stage as Opeth continued their set of just under two hours. The crowd ate up every second of it, as did we. "Demon of the Fall" predictably closed out the madness, and now it was time for some after-hours activity. Basically, it consisted of a couple of Opeth guys, a couple of Nevermore guys, and the Into Eternity guys continuing the drunken mayhem that we had started so many hours ago. I was quite a mess after all this.
So after saying goodbye and safe travels and all that jazz, it was time for rest. The bands had a long drive to the next city, and so did we. We crashed pretty hard, and got the hell out of Cleveland as soon as it was check-out time. This trip made me realize that you just can't put a price on metal, even though I've always known this fact. I've traveled by plane to the New England metal fests, but have never made such a journey in a car. Was it worth it? Five skulls say it was.
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