This is what live music is all about - - every song a banger, everyone in the room hanging on every note. Night Demon and Blind Guardian brought a near-perfect evening to the Crescent Ballroom in downtown Phoenix.
Night Demon’s modern Traditional Metal sound hearkens heavily back to early 80s NWOBHM. They don’t go anywhere near the Prog of other famous power trios, but the three guys in Night Demon still fill every moment when they play. Tremendous musical ability and stage command, great energy and love for what they’re doing. Their enthusiasm to play is beyond infectious. As a fan of this band for a few years now, it was gratifying to see so many people singing along. They wrapped their opening set with a fantastic unscripted moment: singer/bassist Jarvis Leatherby announced the song, “Night Demon” as their closer, but then cut it off about ten seconds in, and said, “Nah, we’re gonna end with something everybody knows,” and spontaneously switched their closing song to “Wasted Years,” by Iron Maiden. They’d become known for this cover a few years back; I really like their originals, but I was pleasantly surprised to get this one. Again, only three guys in the band, but they make it sound every bit as full as when Maiden play it.
And then, Blind Guardian took the stage.
This is a band that’s built for giant arenas, with 10,000+ faithful singing every word to every song, so it was a privilege to catch them with only about 500 others in a full-to-capacity club. Their setlist omits some of their classics I’d have expected and loved to hear “Time What is Time,” “Curse of Feanor,” “Lord of the Rings”), but every single tune they played felt exactly right; it didn’t feel like anything was missing.
Somehow, singer Hansi Kursch sounds every bit as powerful and precise as he did on the albums 30 years ago, but he really could have taken the easy way out and let the fans sing every song. But he only did that on one song, keeping to the long-standing Blind Guardian of letting the audience sing the entirety of “The “Bard’s Song.” Hansi sang a few select lines, but otherwise led the crowd vocal. It brings the house down every time.
This is one of those rare shows where you immediately want to listen to all the songs you just heard in the car on the way home, where the best songs are still on repeat in your head in the days that follow the show.
Highlight songs? The entire show! But OK, OK. . . . “Secrets of the American Gods,” “Valhalla,” “Nightfall,” the afore-mentioned “Bard’s Song,” and “Majesty.” Funny thing about that last one: the setlist shows that they had “Deliver Us From Evil” planned for the encore. Early in the night, a chant had started up from the crowd for “Ma-jes-ty! Ma-jest-ty!” - - so sure enough, later on, “Deliver” had been crossed out, with “MAJ” written in Sharpie in its place. Another unplanned moment this night that worked out beautifully. I don’t know if they’ve rehearsed it recently, but “Majesty” sounded amazing, like it was meant to be there all along.
That’s the kind of band they are. No ego in that moment, no stubbornness, just giving their all to the fans. Forgive the sentimentalism, but while this band sings about “hobbits, dwarves, men, and elves,” they’re truly all about love - - of their music and their legions. They’re madly loved by their devoted fans, and they genuinely reflect that love and appreciation back.
Blind Guardian are one of Metal’s great institutions, and they proved it to all 500 of us on this night at the Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix.
Blind Guardian setlist
Imaginations From the Other Side
Blood of the Elves
Nightfall
The Script for My Requiem
Violent Shadows
Skalds and Shadows
Bright Eyes
Secrets of the American Gods
The Bard's Song - In the Forest
Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill)
Traveler in Time
Encore:
Sacred Worlds
Majesty
Valhalla
Mirror Mirror
Night Demon setlist
Outsider
Screams in the Night
Escape From Beyond
Dawn Rider
The Howling Man
Beyond the Grave
The Wrath
Welcome to the Night
The Chalice
Wasted Years
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