Event:	Doro: US Tour 2015
Written by:	D.T. Metal
Published:	19.03.2015
Galleries:	Doro & Archer - Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO USA - 11 Mar 2015 by D.T. Metal (41)

There are women in metal and then there is Doro! The fan crowned Metal Queen held the scepter high and proud the other day in Denver, CO and proved once again why she more than deserves this title.

Unfortunately, it's always a hit-or-miss when bands, which are HUGE in other parts of the world, tour here in North America. While some sell out stadiums and arenas in Europe or South America, they are left to play second or sometimes third tier venues over here.

But whose fault is this? Yes, the local promoter might be at fault for either not bringing the band to our towns or reluctant to pay the artist their asking fees. But in all fairness, the promoter knows the metal heads in town and has to make sure the costs are covered. In short, if a gig, for instance by Sabaton, only draws 100 people, he will either not book them next time around or has them play in a substandard place.

This means the band management has two choices: not come to your town or play in front of a handful of people for a reduced wage. Yes, they probably won't be paid in full since the promoter will haggle on the price. It's all about demand vs cost.

Yes, it's great for us fans to watch bands such as Doro, Sabaton or Primal Fear in an intimate setting with 30 other people, but the bands prefer a larger audience since they also feed off us while on stage. And trust me, if the pre-sale for a show is greater than the capacity of the venue, the promoter will move it to a bigger place.

Now, why did I rant about this? Easy. The last time Doro was in town she played at Moe's BBQ! While I do like Moe's, for eating that is, you have got to be shitting me - Doro at a BBQ place which also has a bowling alley. And before that, she played the Larimer Lounge in 2007. Lounge should give you a feel for the size of the place.

Thankfully this time around Doro and Co were booked at the Bluebird Theater and while the place was not sold-out, a fairly sizable amount of metal heads rocked until way past midnight with the 'Queen' and her 'Staff'. Even long time drummer Johnny Dee made a comment during their set when he thanked the audience for coming and added: "this is way better than last time in the bowling alley".

But before the Denver crowd had the pleasure of watching a legend, two local openers and a tour support band made sure all in attendance were warmed up for some great metal.

Arvada's Gomorrah started the night and that I was more than impressed by those youngsters would be an understatement. I don't think any of the 3 dudes are of legal age but their music has an old school Sodom and Venom feel to it. Seriously, do check them out. Below is a video when the band played at last year's Denver Black Sky; courtesy of Frank Huang over at Pit Full Of Shit.



While I have seen Dead Temple, another local band, plenty of times, somehow their sound was off that night but folks still showed them the respect they deserved. With 3 women fronting the band, they are not only easy on the eyes, but can back it up with some great music. Check here for one of their recent videos.

Next up was Archer, and after their set I knew why they more than deserved to be direct support to Doro; pure and take-no-prisoners metal at its finest. No strangers to the scene, those guys from Santa Cruz, CA already played at Bang Your Head!!! Festival in 2007 and more recent, supported Hellyeah on their latest trek through the US.

That Zakk Wylde is one of their major influences could be heard more than once during their 35-minute set but some Black Sabbath as well as Megadeth influences also came to light. Not bad, not bad at all and the Denver crowed thought so as well since their Merch stand was heavily patronized afterwards and quite a few people picked up their latest album, Culling The Weak, which I don't think is even officially released yet.



Then it was finally time for the main (class) act. Originally scheduled to play some 90 minutes and while starting a bit late, Doro not only made up for the delay but surpassed everyone's expectations by playing even longer and also throwing in some songs which were not on the pre-printed set-list.

"Strong And Proud", and not a better name could have been chosen for the tour since what transpired over the next, almost 2 hours, was the epiphany of those words. Going strong for over 30 years now, Doro Pesch had plenty of songs to choose from and the predominant mix of old Warlock classics combined with some of her solo material made this an evening to remember for sure. And not just for the local crowd; I met a couple who came all the way from Montana (!!!) to see the show. Now THAT is dedication my friends.

Songs such as "East Meets West" and "I Rule The Ruins" sounded as fresh as ever but the house almost came down when Doro played, the probably most recognized Warlock tune, "All We Are". Holy crap, everyone was singing and had fun. Another big moment was when they played Judas Priest's "Breaking The Law" since ? well, hello, who doesn't know this one.

The band clearly had fun on stage as well and it was fun to watch the antics of both guitarists (Bas Maas and Luca Princiotta) and bassist Nick Douglas at times. Facing each other while getting down with the tunes and one resting his head on the other's shoulder before playfully taking a bite out of it was just one of the scenes. Smiles all around by everyone on stage and giving their 110% was the norm that night.

Due to the sheer nature of his position, drummer Johnny Dee made up for his immobility with some mind blowing drumming. About three quarters through their set he gave the rest of the band some time off and laid down an awesome drum-solo.




Mrs. Pesch took every opportunity to engage with her fans. High fives and slapping people's hands were the norm from the start and this didn't let up throughout the gig and the fans in the front three rows appreciated this a lot. Most of the time she was also bending down and sticking the microphone in people's faces so they could sing along with her; great.

Pro Tip: If you are up front wearing a Wacken Open Air shirt, the band acknowledges this, you point to your huge W:O:A: bull head skull tattoo on your arm and when asked by the singer "what do we call the Wacken people" you don't just shrug your shoulders and say nothing.

Dude, seriously, I would have given you a pass if you would have screamed "faster - louder - harder" but since we were at a Doro gig she of course meant 2009's "Wacken Hymn (We Are The Metalheads)". So, for future reference, you either scream the Wacken's motto or make yourself familiar with the current Wacken Hymn.

Anyways, while "Raise Your Fist In The Air" was one of the few Doro songs the band performed that night the audience didn't mind at all. I for one would have liked a couple more, but was totally fine with the Warlock nostalgic trip. Apparently Doro has the rights to the band name finally back and I assume this played a big role into what she can play now compared to a couple years back. She also dedicated one song to the late Ronnie James Dio, which always goes down like butter, no matter what band does it.

Toward the end of their set she even took fan requests; class move all around and once again she granted my request and the band played "Für Immer" off Warlock's 1987 opus Triumph And Agony - thanks hon.






The band did their Meet 'n Greet (for those who bought VIP Tickets) after the show and their production manager announced that only 2 items could be signed in addition to a picture with the band. Smart move, since everyone who has met Doro knows that she is so sweet and has a hard time saying "no" to her fans when it comes to signing memorabilia or CD's and with 30 or so people in line this would have taken forever.

Some of my European friends always laugh at me when I go all 'fan-girl', but truth be told, they are at the advantage of watching Doro, or any other band for that matter, multiple times at different Festivals in Europe. I have to be grateful if some of those bands make their way over the pond once every couple of years and therefore will grab every opportunity I get to support them.

Doro proved that night that metal never dies and Mrs. Pesch picked some kick-ass band members to make sure nobody forgets. To be an all-around class act you don't just need to play good music; the stage presence, especially in this genre, plays a huge role as well. And all of the band members showed they love to play the music and perform for their fans. Doesn't matter if they play in front of ten-thousand people or just a handful, the energy, the dedication to bring a kick ass show no matter what, to make the fans feel like they play just for them - this is what happened that night in the Bluebird Theater.

Professionalism at its finest and "True As Steel".