Ελληνικά
First of all I want to apologize for omissions, deficiencies, lapses, memory loss but for everything I blame this Saturday night’s gig.
Also some personal obligations delayed me enough to catch the end of Palace’s performance.
At that time Academy (the venue) was empty, part from the few fans in the first row and the people that were strolling in the back. So, after a few minute’s pause to change the set up, the time had come for Anvil. It’s always a pleasure to see this band live. Classic songs, dirty lyrics and great performance…
And they played for almost one hour.
When you have one hour at your disposal and such huge history on your back, it’s best to avoid guitar solos-drum solos and extended versions of your songs and focus more on your material.
Through this one hour, almost 20 minutes have gone with the band doing the above and the result was that their set seemed too small.
We got “Ooh Baby” and “Winged Assassins”, we got the latest “Bad Ass Rock n Roll” and “Die For A Lie”, which were warmly welcomed by many, and we got the moment that every Anvil fan waits for in their shows. It was the moment when Lips reached in his pants.
His back pocket to be accurate…
Like Maiden have Eddie, Priest have that moment when Halford comes on stage riding a bike, Anvil have this moment when their frontman turns up the dildo and messes with his guitar.
Also Lips takes on his shoulders more of the band’s performance since they turned to trio. But, no matter how much the sound fills with the bass player playing the rhythm tracks during solos, I think that a second guitar is necessary.
On the other hand, Reiner was either bored or the songs they choose to play didn’t let him unfold his talent, the one that made him one of the best drummers of all times. Some problems in their sound (the sound engineer forgot to open the P.A’s) fixed after their first song and they had great sound throughout their entire set. In the end, it was a rather not so good performance especially if we compare it with that gig in An Club about a decade ago.
Setlist (see top of article)
666
Winged Assassins
Ooh Baby
Mothra
Free As The Wind
Badass Rock ‘n’ Roll
Swing Thing
Metal On Metal
Intermissions for the necessary changes and at 21:30 lights go out in the filled venue.
After a short intro with the band on stage, Udo appears dressed in military shirt and they start with Starlight.
For 2 hours plus, we experienced a gig taken straight from the golden days of the 80’s, back when a simple riff could rocket a song sky high, back when band members filled their spandex with cucumbers, toilet papers or flares, back when TV played the Young and the Restless.
This setlist was every Accept fan’s wet dream, starting from “I’m A Rebel” and going all the way to “Russian Roulette”.
The band that escorts Udo on this tour is an incredible Accept tribute band, paying homage to these hymns that grew generations of fans.
Udo, on the other hand (who turns 64 in a few days) can easily walk all over any frontman with his performance.
He is the only singer from the 80’s that his voice hasn’t changed a bit.
Ok, he might not hold that note for a long time but I don’t think that bothered anybody. His voice is the same as it was when he first sang these songs.
Sticking to the metal philosophy, they also did the necessary solos-extended versions, but this worked positive for the band and the fans, who had a chance to catch their breath between the classics that fell like rain.
The fans that filled the venue enjoyed it in full, from the 7year old boy on his dad’s shoulders in the first row to the guy that kept yelling “2 pizzas, 2 pizzas, 2 pizzas of the dawn” in the middle of “Princess Of The Dawn”.
Having seen Udo in Rodon Club (Thunderball Tour), the Accept reunion in Rockwave Festival (mid 00’s) and Accept with Tornillo 2 times the last few years, I put my hand on Restless and Wild and I pledge that this was the best show of Accept, even if the names or the members are different.
Everyone who was there understands, I think, what misses from Accept, because, to be honest, their singer is good, he’s honest, but when you hear Udo singing “Wrong Is Right” for example, you don’t care that much if Hoffman is playing the guitar or not.
Special mention needs to be made also to the promoters who brought this tour to our place and we saw one gig that we will remember for ever.
All that remains is that we find out how this “see you next time” that Udo said will turn out.
Setlist
1.Starlight
2.Living For Tonight
3.Flash Rockin Man
4.London Leatherboys
5.Midnight Mover
6.Head Over Heels
7.Breaker
8.Neon Nights
9.Princess Of The Dawn
10.Winterdreams
11.Restless And Wild
12.Son Of A Bitch
13.Up To The Limit
14.Wrong Is Right
15.Midnight Highway
16.Screaming For A Love Bite
17.Monsterman
18.Losers And Winners
19.Tv War
Encore
20.Metal Heart
21.I’m A Rebel
22.Fast As A Shark
23.Balls To The Wall
24.Burning
