Firstly comes three bands that I had the pleasure to see on my birthday back in April! They were of course, FM, Europe and Foreigner. I know all of you went to this tour are thinking the same thing, it was incredible!
Kicking off the night was FM, they came out to a full house of fans who were waiting to be entertained, no pressure. But I have to say their reputation proceeds them, they were really good exactly what I expected of them.
They started their short set with Tough Love, the newest song of the group. The vocals from Steve Overland were clean and powerful increasing the level of the performance. Also the Guitar work from Jim Kirkpatrick was spot on, We are unfortunately losing guitar solos with new music but these guys are keeping them alive.
BRING BACK GUITAR SOLOS!
The band also played:
- I belong to the night
- Don't stop
- Closer to heaven
- That girl
- Crosstown Train
- Burning my heart down
Much to soon the set was over leaving us all waiting for the next band to arrive on stage the mighty Europe!
Hitting the stage with their brand new song 'Riches To Rags' Europe charged onto the stage like a wrecking ball! Their set was dirty, hot and heavy, full to the brim with iconic songs.
Joey Tempest the lead singer of the band hit all his notes low and high, his voice sounding straight out of the 80's. He interacted with the crowd which was buzzing with energy, cracking jokes and keeping the mood light but the music heavy!
Their twelve song set list included:
- Firebox
- Superstitious
- Let the good times rock
- no stone unturned
- Carrie
- Scream of anger
- Sign of the times
- Cherokee
- Rock the night
- Last look of Eden
And of course the final song was The Final Countdown! I mean if they didn't play that song the fans were sure to have rioted 'Metaphorically'. My favourite moments during gigs is when the whole crowd know a song and they sing it all together leaving the band looking impressed and not having to sing due to the sheer volume coming from the fans.
As an overview of the set, it was brilliant. The set list had everything you could of asked for, hard rocking songs which got the crowd jumping all the way too the ballads which slowed the pace down but still having a big impact within the show it was excellent.
To the headlining act of the night Foreigner!
Opening the set to a sold out venue Foreigner hit the stage with 'Double Vision'. The lights shot out and skimmed over the vast crowd, while the spot lights landed on the band.
'Feeling down 'n' dirty, feeling kinda mean' was all it took to get the crowd going. I of course among many others was belting out the lyrics and dancing around like no one was watching. Which of course is who you're supposed to dance.
Double vision drifted into head games and Cold as Ice, a classic song among Foreigner fans. To tell the truth I had never heard a group of people sing one song so loudly it was really moving.
The set list then took a slow turn moving into 'Waiting for a girl like you'. It was one of my favourite songs of the night, as not only was the vocals and music spot on the staging and lighting that went with everything blew me away. The set couldn't have been better if they tried it was really fitting.
Another highlight of the night was of course when they played 'Dirty White Boy'. I love me some straight hitting rock n roll.
Kelly Hansen's vocal work was phenomenal, even though he wasn't the original singer back for some of the original Foreigner hits, he didn't half do the song justice. Especially in 'Feels like the first time' the high notes and ranges he needed to hit were smashed.
Then onto the great Mick Jones on the lead guitar. As you know from reading my earlier blog posts I do like a good guitar solo and who better to perform them then the bands who created them. I think that is why I am so drawn to older music. It is the work behind each track musically. The way he can just work his way around a guitar and produce such great iconic sounds is truly genius. And he is English too so it just makes the fans prouder.
'Jukebox Hero' is there really anymore I need to say?
Well I will anyway as it was a song I was waiting for all night! As soon as the keyboard started up and the lights went down I was in the zone. If only I was up on that stage too, I would have rocked the air guitar and vocals! (I can dream). The song is just pure genius and no matter how old the song gets it will never be forgotten it will live on and always be remembered which is also what I like about old rock and heavy metal it sticks, you never forget it unlike the songs of the 21st Century.
Finishing off with the encore, Foreigner invited up both FM and Europe onto the stage to perform 'I wanna Know What Love Is.' The atmosphere in the room just changed when the song started. The song hits you like all the other Rock Ballads that are written, straight in the chest.
Well that is all I have left to say about the night other than the fact it was possibly the best birthday celebration I have ever had!
Thank you all for reading once again it is much appreciated!
Lissy.C
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