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Events and Reports - Gamma Ray - Live at Markthalle, Hamburg, Germany - October 20th, 2005
As one of my favorite bands, Gamma Ray, had once again decided to skip my native country of Denmark on their Majestic World Tour, I had no choice: I packed some beers, ordered a trip and persuaded a friend to go with me, and soon I was on my way to Germany! I was in an ecstatic mood, cause soon I would witness the majesty of Gamma Ray live, in their own hometown, Hamburg!
I always wanted to visit Markthalle, which is located in central Hamburg, and looks like an old, small factory building on the outside. Once inside, you'll be surprised about the size of the venue. It is huge! A great thing is the floor, which consist of stairs going up to various levels. This makes it possible to watch the show, standing at the same level as the stage! This was awesome, and almost made me feel like I was standing at the stage itself!
The air was thick with atmosphere. The excitement was gleaming in the eyes of the many hungry fans, all eager to rock! Finally, our heroes entered the stage, bursting right into Gardens Of The Sinner, a clever opener and one of my favorites with it's heavy edge and sing-a-long friendly chorus. Right from the beginning the band seemed incredibly alive, running around, smiling and slamming people's hands.
The groovy New World Order was up next, and the good old Heaven Can Wait really got the crowd going, and continued the sing-a-long night nicely.
Only two songs from the new album Majestic were played. The rather predictable Fight worked a lot better live than on record, and the album's best track, Blood Religion, spellbound the audience with it's hyper melodic and groovy profile, simply great!
The individual performances were simply great tonight! Dan Zimmermann is one of my favorite drummers, and tonight he shined behind the drumkit, with thundering power and precision.
I must also mention Henjo Richter, who delivered some kick ass solos along the way!
Kai Hansen is a true hero, not only for creating amazing music, but also because of his great positive attitudes on stage. All the time he has a big smile on his face and every movement he makes indicates that he just loves what he does. His positive energy is bound to fill the room, to affect and inspire the fans. Tonight he was just overflowing with energy and no one who witnessed his crazy jumping around would have had a chance of not feeling good!
When the band played Strangers In The Night, my headbanging and singing would take no end! This song is one of my favorites, but not a hit or something I would expect them to play. The stage overflowed with energy and power, as the guys delivered an intense version of this great one!
One old Helloween tune had also found it's way to the setlist, the classic I Want Out, which transformed the hall into an ocean of jumping and screaming people!
The fist-pumping anthem Heavy Metal Universe marked another highlight of the show, and was a real crowd pleaser!
All the way through the gig, I felt like my face had transformed into one, big smile. To me, this music is just awe-inspiring and never fails to raise my spirits. A song like The Silence is a perfect example of beautiful, positive lyrics combined with thrilling melodies. Though no one beats Ralph Scheepers' vocals on the original, Kai did a good job tonight.
The band then played a medley of Rebellion In Dreamland and Land Of The Free, a thrilling experience for any fan!
Three encores were granted the eager fans: the catchy Valley Of The Kings, the hyper-fast Somewhere Out In Space and as the final punch the melodic hit Send Me A Sign. What a great ending, though I could have gone on headbanging and singing for hours!
A breathtaking concert, concluding that Gamma Ray rule the Heavy Metal Universe with an iron fist!
Setlist:
Gardens Of The Sinner
New World Order
Heaven Can Wait
Fight
Blood Religion
Strangers In The Night
One With The World
Drum Solo
I Want Out
Heavy Metal Universe
The Silence
Rebellion In Dreamland/ Land Of The Free
Encores:
Valley Of The Kings
Somewhere Out In Space
Send Me A Sign
A lot of crazy stuff happened the rest of the night, but I'm not going to go into detail on that.I'll just say, that it is great to visit a town, where there is a Metal bar for every 500 meters you walk!
| Click pictures for a bigger version
All pictures taken by Lunah | Written by Nina
Tuesday, November 8, 2005 |
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RevelationZ Comments
| Comment by Lunah (Anonymous) - Wednesday, November 9, 2005 | Nice pictures... ;o)
Jeg ved sku ikke hvor stiv du var Nina, men det er nogle lange 500 meter du har dig...
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| Comment by vengeance (Anonymous) - Monday, April 16, 2007 | Oh Kai is god!!!!!
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| Comment by vengeance (Anonymous) - Monday, April 16, 2007 | Why don't you add zimmerman pics?
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