Written by:	APOHAKC
Published:	August 01, 2007
Event:	Blind Guardian (Website)
Location:	SKC, Belgrade, Serbia
Organizer:	Legacy Promotion

After a few months of preparations for the Blind Guardian show, the day has come. The legendary German Power Metal band is here again, and after only nine months of waiting, their Serbian fans have a chance to see them again. Fans who missed them last time, will be able to see what kind of an atmosphere these guys create.

The day was very hot, the temperature was over 40 degrees and there was one question hanging in the air; since the show was open air, what effect will these weather conditions have on the atmosphere? My friends and I started the trip from Novi Sad at 6 O'clock and it was still terribly hot. Not only were we stinking, but when we arrived in Belgrade, everyone was exhausted. The consuming of beer and alcohol had already started with unwanted effects, like terrible smell and headaches.

Although the organizer of the show had said that support bands would be playing, on the trip over we found out that that wouldn't be happening and only Blind Guardian would be performing. Because of the high temperatures, the show would be moved forward one hour as well. Usually, that would be good news, giving us a little more time to chat with friends from other towns, or to take a walk in the nearby park. But for God's sake, I didn't know anyone normal that would like to spend a minute outside of home under those circumstances.

After a very unpleasant ride we arrived in front of SKC. A river of metalheads were already there. This was another thing to worry about, I didn't want to watch the band from the very back. Finally we entered the concert space. Some wind from the south started blowing so it was rather pleasant to stand there and wait. At around 22:00 hours, the lights turned off and Into The Storm started. Hell yeah, Blind Guardian was there, and after few minutes of their performance I was feeling delighted. The sound was perfect, they were in an excellent mood, the fans feeling even better. Promising.

With each passing song Blind Guardian sounded better. All the instruments sounded perfect, except maybe the drums. Hansi's jokes were actually very funny, a great evening so far. Valhalla started and everyone went crazy. There were a lot of people singing along to all of the band's songs. The surprise of the evening was one of my very favourites, Welcome To Dying. It was awesome, they destroyed the stage on this one. They played The Bard's Song as well, and as usual for this song Hansi just stood and watched, singing only a few parts. Then came some classics such as Bright Eyes, Punishment Divine, Born In A Mourning Hall, Nightfall and the last song for the first part of the show, Time Stands Still. After this, the band left the stage, and after a few minutes and some extreme noise that fans were producing, they returned.

They played Imaginations From The Other Side and then...Majesty. It was like a dream, the intro started and then, run for your life Gods, everyone fell into delirium. I don't know who was the worst, huge drunk guys, or small pretty girls. Well, definitely small girls. It was the best seven minutes for me in last two weeks. After Majesty they left the stage again, after the standard goodbyes.

No one wanted to go home without Mirror Mirror, so Blind Guardian returned on stage, and served a little surprise in the name of Lord Of The Rings. Beautiful song, although everyone was tired, and they'd played for two hours already. The strength and energy this band was showing was unbelievable. For the last song they played Mirror Mirror. That was cream on the cake, Hansi's voice was amazing after more than two hours of singing.

My overall impression was that the show had been fantastic, a night to remember. 20 songs, more than two hours of great power metal. Everyone went home happy, and everyone who missed this gig will have every reason to be sorry.


Setlist:
1. War Of Wrath
2. Into The Storm
3. Born In A Morning Hall
4. Nightfall
5. I'm Alive
6. Fly
7. Valhalla
8. Harvest Of Sorrow
9. Otherland
10. Welcome To Dying
11. Punishment Devine
12. Traveler In Time
13. The Bard's Song (In The Forest)
14. Bright Eyes
15. Time Stands Still (At The Iron Hill)
16. Carry The Blessed Home
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17. Imaginations From The Other Side
18. Majesty
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19. Lord Of The Rings
20. Mirror, Mirror