The band thank the audience before shuffling off to rapturous applause.Įncores have become an expectation rather than a surprise & often crowds don’t really do anything to encourage the band back on stage. Things get back up to speed with the final 2 songs…an intense Lost In The Twilight Hall & huge Imaginations From The Other Side. It’s never sounded as important as it does right now & every single member of the crowd is in awe. The second of the more intimate songs is A Past And Future Secret & is enough to make an adult weep. It’s a beautiful song & even prompts a few lighters in the air! The lights are dimmed & Miracle Machine off the new album is played. Everything is moved forward to give the impression of a more intimate performance. The band change things up briefly for the next 2 songs with stools & acoustic guitars brought out for the band. Prophecies, another new one, fits in well amongst the wide-range of songs before the band take us way back to 1990 & play The Last Candle. The bands energy & happiness is infectious spreading through the audience keeping everyone singing & cheering. The rest of the band play their roles perfectly all while grinning from ear to ear. He excels in the role introducing each song & encouraging the audience to constantly interact. The crowd are louder than the band at times during this epic song & for it to be played already is testament to how many great songs the band actually has.įly & Tanelorn (Into The Void) are aired next with the latter sounding loud enough that anyone walking by outside must have wondered how many people were stuffed inside.īlind Guardian like to weave a tale & frontman Hansi Kürsch is the man telling it. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever heard a band sound so much like they do on record…it is awe-inspiring.īanish From Sanctuary follows before fan-favourite (as well as this reviewer), Nightfall is played. Thankfully there are no sound issues for Blind Guardian. The Ninth Wave sounds amazing & is received as if it is a long-time classic of the band. The noise as the band take to the stage is deafening, it’s amazing just how popular Blind Guardian are. The bands story is one that you want to get behind but the songs just don’t hold enough weight.Ī half an hour wait seems like a lifetime & as the lights dip & the intro to The Ninth Wave plays the excitement inside the packed venue reaches new heights.
The Forum’s notorious iffy sound quality muddy the vocals at times which hardly helps. The excitement during the opening double header of All Is One & The Simple Man is quickly replaced by bored looks as songs blend into each oth er. Orphaned Land are Blind Guardian’s support act & they arrive to the stage as if they are the headline act. Early doors (6pm) on a Sunday with just one support band would not normally see the venue packed out within 45 minutes but somehow they’ve managed it here. The sense of occasion inside The Forum is immediately obvious as soon as you walk in.