Post by tomma on Feb 21, 2005 8:08:28 GMT -5
Rumors had it that they would play the entire APSOG (since it was a DVD and not just CD recording) but most of us expected exactly what we heard.
Well I'll give you more details.
The setlist was extremely well played. I believe that us, the Greek fans, did a wolderful job (as I believe that most fans in the world do of course) and helped the band get to its high point really fast. Having heard the previous live (Still Life) and knowing that most of Fates listeners are quite demanding, I was afraid that I might be attending a concert instead of a rock appearance (I hope you excuse my english and get the point of my words). You know lots of quiteness and listening and less of headbanging and shouting... Well it was exactly the opposite! I believe that it soon turned to be a metal show, and to that helped the setlist, that had lots of aggresive metal songs...
To the players now...
Jim was extremely relaxed and seemed to enjoy the show to the country where his roots come from... Really good guitar player, right into the spirit of his music. Being used to watching Petrucci, I saw something completely different of course (no extreme solos or virtuosity) but of course that's exactly what I expected. Nice job man, you are GREAT!
Ray... What can you say about Ray! If anyone can make the crowd get into the songs so fast, that's Ray. I am sure that they say the same words to every crowd they play to, but the way he told us that he heard of the Greek fans and the passion of us, the way he pushed us to sing, shout and all that stuff that makes a live show good, was incredible and really convincing. I believe we didn't let him down, at least his eyes that some times starred completely amazed at us were our reward. I don't believe that you need any critics about his stunning voice! INCREDIBLE! Of course at times he had to sing really loud to cover our voices (at the Parallels or APSOG songs I swear I could hardly hear him, since I as well as everyone were singing along LOUDDDD!!!! ). The man is a live performance expert and you can expect the DVD to have captured some great monents of him... What a wonderful job Ray, keep it up!
Joey on the bass... Man where did he come from? With a crazy look, and an incredible performance (both as player and as a showman) he stole the show, since we are used to bass players that have a low profile. GREAT man. you did a wonderful job. It'll take me long time to forget a show like yours yesterday...
Nick on the drums was really good. Right on the spot with the songs, with no difficulty in playing anything he should, giving the rythm to the songs. Quite an impressive performance but most of all SO COOL!!! We were watching him playing all those really tough drum passages and he was like having breakfast! Completely relaxed, he seemed like he played woth the band for years. Excellent choise for the lineup of the show, he was up to the expectations easily.
I am sorry that I don't know the second guitar players name (I admit that Fates are the duo Ray, Jim to me - just yesterday I added Joey of whom I had no idea how great he is) bt i have to say that the second man on the guitars was great too. I was surprised to see that he played most of the lead guitars, or so it seemed (I wouldn't swear on it of course as most of the time I was jumping around singing and not paying that musc attention to sho plays exactly what... I hope you forgive me ). Quite fine performance right into the spirit of the night...
I left Kevin at the end. Being a huge fan of Dream Theater (member of the Greek Infinite Dreams fan club of Theater etc) I was really expecting this opportunity to see live the best keyboardist, I believe in the world, in creating great soundscapes for the songs. The clima in APSOG is incrdible all around, in disconnected (especially Still Remains) as well, in OSI the same, not to mention the BEST OF ALL TIME depressive ballad to me, Space Dye Vest! Maybe you think that I held him really high, and expected too much, but you know that when someone hold an atrist that high, he is ready to do lots of excuzing as well. BUT... He came on stage to perform a really great song that would give him the opportunity to show offf a bit (and with the rest of the band giving him the space to). In most of it we couldn't hear if he played!!! He was twisting a switch all the time on the top left of his keyboard but we couldn't hear anything about it. I really hope it was just a sound problem and that in the DVD we'll be able to hear more from it, but in the hall we didn't. He seemed bored to play! I swear that in that middle section at about 10th minute, where he is supposed to play a wonderful melody, he seemed he wouldn't and Ray started to sing again really earlier than expected. Really disappointing... When he finished he just left the stage, without a greeting to the crowd (as he did when he came up). And all that to a crowd that shouted his name so many times... (lots of DT fans in there...).
I am sorry that I may bring some good news about that show but I won't tell you all was great. I believe that Still remains (which I completely adore I must say) and Nothing Left To Say (the only song I didn't like what I heard) could be missing from the setlist . If you don't see them in the final DVD don't think you'll have lost anything, on the contrary I would really encourage the band to do so! Its a pity a complete concert rated A+ to be closed with two B- and C performances. Really hard on my critisism but with a band like Fates I can't be compromising.
All in all it was a great show. I left with a smile on my face and incredible images and sounds for my memories. The few bad moments can't spoil what I would call a great prog rock-metal performance. And I can't wait for the DVD to come out (maybe there'll be screenshots of me in it as well as I am sure that the cameras didn't miss me jumping around and singing all the time - didn't do it for the cameras of course, the guys easily took me up to prog heaven).
I hope that I gave a little taste of what happened last night, February 20th here in Athens. Now we'll all just wait for the DVD release.
Any questions or comments, I'll be glad to answer to just give me time for that since my job doesn't give that much time to be on a PC all the time...
Greetings from Greece people
Well I'll give you more details.
The setlist was extremely well played. I believe that us, the Greek fans, did a wolderful job (as I believe that most fans in the world do of course) and helped the band get to its high point really fast. Having heard the previous live (Still Life) and knowing that most of Fates listeners are quite demanding, I was afraid that I might be attending a concert instead of a rock appearance (I hope you excuse my english and get the point of my words). You know lots of quiteness and listening and less of headbanging and shouting... Well it was exactly the opposite! I believe that it soon turned to be a metal show, and to that helped the setlist, that had lots of aggresive metal songs...
To the players now...
Jim was extremely relaxed and seemed to enjoy the show to the country where his roots come from... Really good guitar player, right into the spirit of his music. Being used to watching Petrucci, I saw something completely different of course (no extreme solos or virtuosity) but of course that's exactly what I expected. Nice job man, you are GREAT!
Ray... What can you say about Ray! If anyone can make the crowd get into the songs so fast, that's Ray. I am sure that they say the same words to every crowd they play to, but the way he told us that he heard of the Greek fans and the passion of us, the way he pushed us to sing, shout and all that stuff that makes a live show good, was incredible and really convincing. I believe we didn't let him down, at least his eyes that some times starred completely amazed at us were our reward. I don't believe that you need any critics about his stunning voice! INCREDIBLE! Of course at times he had to sing really loud to cover our voices (at the Parallels or APSOG songs I swear I could hardly hear him, since I as well as everyone were singing along LOUDDDD!!!! ). The man is a live performance expert and you can expect the DVD to have captured some great monents of him... What a wonderful job Ray, keep it up!
Joey on the bass... Man where did he come from? With a crazy look, and an incredible performance (both as player and as a showman) he stole the show, since we are used to bass players that have a low profile. GREAT man. you did a wonderful job. It'll take me long time to forget a show like yours yesterday...
Nick on the drums was really good. Right on the spot with the songs, with no difficulty in playing anything he should, giving the rythm to the songs. Quite an impressive performance but most of all SO COOL!!! We were watching him playing all those really tough drum passages and he was like having breakfast! Completely relaxed, he seemed like he played woth the band for years. Excellent choise for the lineup of the show, he was up to the expectations easily.
I am sorry that I don't know the second guitar players name (I admit that Fates are the duo Ray, Jim to me - just yesterday I added Joey of whom I had no idea how great he is) bt i have to say that the second man on the guitars was great too. I was surprised to see that he played most of the lead guitars, or so it seemed (I wouldn't swear on it of course as most of the time I was jumping around singing and not paying that musc attention to sho plays exactly what... I hope you forgive me ). Quite fine performance right into the spirit of the night...
I left Kevin at the end. Being a huge fan of Dream Theater (member of the Greek Infinite Dreams fan club of Theater etc) I was really expecting this opportunity to see live the best keyboardist, I believe in the world, in creating great soundscapes for the songs. The clima in APSOG is incrdible all around, in disconnected (especially Still Remains) as well, in OSI the same, not to mention the BEST OF ALL TIME depressive ballad to me, Space Dye Vest! Maybe you think that I held him really high, and expected too much, but you know that when someone hold an atrist that high, he is ready to do lots of excuzing as well. BUT... He came on stage to perform a really great song that would give him the opportunity to show offf a bit (and with the rest of the band giving him the space to). In most of it we couldn't hear if he played!!! He was twisting a switch all the time on the top left of his keyboard but we couldn't hear anything about it. I really hope it was just a sound problem and that in the DVD we'll be able to hear more from it, but in the hall we didn't. He seemed bored to play! I swear that in that middle section at about 10th minute, where he is supposed to play a wonderful melody, he seemed he wouldn't and Ray started to sing again really earlier than expected. Really disappointing... When he finished he just left the stage, without a greeting to the crowd (as he did when he came up). And all that to a crowd that shouted his name so many times... (lots of DT fans in there...).
I am sorry that I may bring some good news about that show but I won't tell you all was great. I believe that Still remains (which I completely adore I must say) and Nothing Left To Say (the only song I didn't like what I heard) could be missing from the setlist . If you don't see them in the final DVD don't think you'll have lost anything, on the contrary I would really encourage the band to do so! Its a pity a complete concert rated A+ to be closed with two B- and C performances. Really hard on my critisism but with a band like Fates I can't be compromising.
All in all it was a great show. I left with a smile on my face and incredible images and sounds for my memories. The few bad moments can't spoil what I would call a great prog rock-metal performance. And I can't wait for the DVD to come out (maybe there'll be screenshots of me in it as well as I am sure that the cameras didn't miss me jumping around and singing all the time - didn't do it for the cameras of course, the guys easily took me up to prog heaven).
I hope that I gave a little taste of what happened last night, February 20th here in Athens. Now we'll all just wait for the DVD release.
Any questions or comments, I'll be glad to answer to just give me time for that since my job doesn't give that much time to be on a PC all the time...
Greetings from Greece people
