Event:	Blind Guardian: Australian Dates
Written by:	Judas
Published:	20.02.2007

This was the first time Blind Guardian had ever come to Australia for a show, and was the first of only two concerts played Down Under. With the crowd gathering from all corners of Australia and New Zealand, the atmosphere was quite epic even before the doors were opened, and the Bards did not disappoint in any way! The fans' long wait was totally justified by the assault that the German Power Metal Gods delivered.

I had the fortune to meet the band as they arrived at the venue, and asked them a few questions about their Australian experience so far. Unfortunately, the only real answers I got were along the lines of "It's way too hot here!" but they all seemed very excited about the prospect of their inaugural show here. The Forum Theater in Melbourne was the location, which is a colonial film house that has been converted to a live venue for both bands and dramatic productions. The decor surrounding the stage was like a Roman palace, with statues and marble columns, and was very fitting for a colossal act like Blind Guardian.




Support was provided by two local bands, Dissymmetry and Eyefear. The former were a standard Death/Gore Metal offering, and were rather ill-received. In fact, ridiculed would be closer to the mark, as the crowd was overwhelmingly made up of Power Metal fans. There is a time and place for bands, and unfortunately for Dissymmetry, their bloodstained costumes and masks/corpsepaint was not what was called for. Eyefear, on the other hand, were generally liked, not only because their vocalist had the longest hair that I've ever seen (it was down to his ankles!), but also because of their catchy choruses, great powerscreams, stage presence, and the fact that their keyboard player actually sat on a drum stool for the whole set! On the whole, their Progressive/Power Metal more than made up for the mistake of having Dissymmetry on the bill, and certainly got the crowd amply hyped for the main act.







As usual, the Bards used "War Of Wrath" as their intro before unleashing their full force on the audience with their opener, "Into The Storm." "Born In A Mourning Hall" followed, before vocalist Hansi Kürsch announced that we would hear the tale of the Noldor race in Middle-Earth as told in the song "Nightfall". This was delivered with such emotion and atmosphere that I'm sure it will remain in everyone's minds for a long, long time. Then it was time for "The Script For My Requiem," which preceded "Fly," the first single off their new album "A Twist In The Myth." The introduction to this was quite funny, with Hansi asking, "Who's from Sydney? Did you come by bus?" and then responding to the roars with, "Well, we're going to teach you how to FLY!"







The next song took us back to 1989's "Follow The Blind", and was extended by a few minutes because the crowd wouldn't stop chanting the chorus. Of course, I am referring to the great "Valhalla". After Hansi succeeded, at length, in calming the audience down by issuing the threat that if we didn't stop, they would be forced to cut a song from the setlist (!), it was back to Middle-Earth, with "Time Stands Still (At The Iron Hill)." The band seemed to really enjoy playing this, with André and Marcus frequently dancing around the stage, and Frederik having a real blast on the kit (excuse the lame pun). Then came an unexpected surprise, with "Lost In The Twilight Hall" from their "Tales From The Twilight World" album, before another regular, "Mordred's Song." Hansi then introduced the next song by saying that we were such a good audience, that he hoped that this will never end. The song, clearly, is called "This Will Never End," and it is the opener off their new album.




The evening then took a softer and more epic tone, with the sombre "Lord Of The Rings" being followed by the monumental "And Then There Was Silence". This song was also interrupted by a chant, this time of 'Badadadadadadadada' (although to a tune, obviously) accompanied by some hilarious bass courtesy of Oliver Holzwarth. The band then left the stage, in an obviously planned move, then when our chants of "Guardian, Guardian!" had reached fever pitch, they returned, to play "Imaginations From The Other Side". Then they finally brought out the acoustic guitars, and we knew that the night was coming to an end, as Hansi invited us to sing with him, "The Bard's Song." But they still had one more left for us! How could they leave without..."Mirror Mirror"! Everyone screamed their hearts out for this last hymn, and it was a fitting end to a magnificent evening. The band clearly loved the crowd, who were great (not many hardcore kiddies, which was a nice change!), and everything seemed to run like clockwork, from the sound to the lighting through to the performance delivered.




I really hope that they can come back here soon. And for those of you who haven't been to see Blind Guardian yet, then I thoroughly recommend attending a show if at all humanly possible. As said by the advertising posters, this is not just another gig. This is an experience.