Sunday night in Times Square, N.Y.C.- the city that never sleeps comes out in full force on a school night! One of the strongest Sunday night show crowds I’ve seen in a while too… And boy did we get what we wanted.
Blind. F*kking. Guardian. There is only so many ways I can say it but I f*kking love these guys. This was my first time seeing them live and they lived up to every single expectation and more. Usually when you get tied to studio versions of albums a live show can really set you up for disappointment…. this was far from the case with a band like Blind Guardian. Lead singer, Hansi Kürsch’s voice was absolutely unreal live, he hit every single note and went above and beyond any expectations the studio albums created for this first-timer.
The show opened up with the title track from their 1995 release Imaginations From the Other Side, followed up with “Blood of the Elves,” “Nightfall,” “Script for my Requiem,” and “Violent Shadows.” They then went into “Skalds and Shadows,” “Into the Storm,” and the tour-appropriate “Secrets of the American Gods” …. A little nod to their mythology-loving American fans who are often forgotten or not considered when it comes to the ancient realms of Old World Mythology.
The well-warmed-up crowd (including myself) took over for the next song, “The Bard’s Song”, a total fan favorite. I do not think I heard Hansi sing more than a few notes during this song. The crowd knew every single lyric and beat and proudly sang it at the top of their lungs.
The fellas went on to close the show with some of my personal favorites – “Majesty,” “Lost in the Twilight Hall,” “Sacred Worlds,” “Time Stands Still,” and “Valhalla.” Leaving the stage in the best possible way to have our jaw’s collectively dropped and face’s properly melted. And ensured that I was only listening to Blind Guardian on my drive home… too high off the show to remember I had a 6 AM calltime the next morning.
Blind Guardian managed to cover a solid amount of their 40-year career during their set, much to my delight, they did not leave us wanting for their older work. They played to an extremely enthusiastic crowd, who showed up for them on a Sunday night certainly knowing the realities of Monday morning were looming.
Over the years Blind Guardian has been seen as traveling storytellers, and have (even more appropriately) been referred to as “The Bards”. Traveling town to town reciting sagas and keeping oral traditions alive through epic Power Metal rifts. My only wish is that these traveling storytellers would travel our way more often! Big thanks to Blind Guardian for coming back and Ghost Cult for sending me on this dreamy assignment.
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WORDS AND PHOTOS BY JAMIE SHERWOOD
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