Post by Dr Demented on Apr 28, 2006 16:24:25 GMT -5
KING DIAMOND 4.27.05 CHICAGO HOUSE OF BLUES
For photos of the event visit the original review
www.michaelgriffey.com/KD/42705.html[/b]
Two Tickets=$67.00
Parking=$17.00
Camera check because the jerks wouldn't let it in=$5.00
Couple of drinks and a snack=$30.00
Two excellent KD shirts=$50.00
Lobbing a huge spitball at a jerk who wouldn't move from our line of sight = Priceless
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The teaser for this review is that it's a "scathing" review. I want to make it clear that King Diamond gave a stellar performance last night. The "scathing" part is reserved for the House of Blues-Chicago.
This could have been another in a line of awesome experiences at KD events. I've usually had a truly wonderful time, with a few minor scrapes with security for this or that reason. However, you kind of expect more from a high profile venue such as the House of Blues.
The trouble really started when they lost my paperwork that would grant me photo access to the show. I almost wonder if they didn't lose it, they were just being ultra-picky about it. WitchsVamp (the devoted photographer for those in the know) had a few problems with the HOB-Cleveland people, but was lucky enough to get it straightened out.
So, there are no pictures for this review (except for two), and I paid for a photographer (Missy) to be there for no reason.
I'm really very disappointed in how the House of Blues-Chicago has devolved into something resembling Disneyland for Black History...replete with high-priced everything. Bottled water was going for $4. What do these rich fuckers need $4 for water for? And don't get me started on the mixed drinks: $7.50 for a Jack-n-Coke. Snacks were actually reasonably priced, but it didn't offset the obvious ramming of their penis into my soft colon the whole night. The bathrooms were abysmal, with their attendants standing around ignoring the disaster, and Opera Box passes were going for around $2000. This was no longer a King Diamond Concert. This was a Circus...and I was not pleased.
I WAS happy to see that there was an almost capacity crowd to see King. I heard that a few of the venues the past few days were sell-out shows. This is refreshing to see that the crowds are really coming out to support the music. However, my only complaint is that it seems that every tall motherfucker in the area was directly in the line of sight to the stage. Seriously. Most of us didn't really get to see the show because of tall people craning their tree-like bodies in our way. This was everywhere. On the floor, upstairs, in the back. Short people weren't safe, or welcome. I might as well have stayed at home and listened to "Deadly Lullubyes".
THERE WERE COMPENSATIONS THOUGH...and I'll get to that presently. BEHEMOTH and BLACK DAHLIA MURDERS didn't really impress me. They seemed really cookie-cutter to me with the same exact start to every song....sorry guys.
NILE, however, rocked our asses for almost 60 minutes as expected. They brought out plenty of old stuff for the initiated, as well as some new stuff from their upcoming album being released in May.
KING, as I said in the beginning of this review, gave a STELLAR performance. The set was almost the same as the last show, but with a few cuts here and there. He played songs from Abigail, Abigail II, then hit us with a surprise by playing "Come To The Sabbath". Mercyful Fate fans were ecstatic to see that they returned this excellent tune to the lineup since they haven't really played it since (I think) the Conspiracy Tour.
Then they played "Sleepless Nights", and "The Eye"...then launched into some songs from The Puppetmaster and Them. The encores were a pleasant surprise as well. For the first, they played the standard "Halloween". Instead of going into "No Presents For Christmas" for the second encore, they went into Mercyful Fate's "Evil". It was pleasure of the ultimate level for hardcore KD fans. Mike Wead, Hal Patino, Andy LaRocque and Matt Thompson gave us all a bow at the end of the night...and we loved them for it.
I don't know if I'll go to a HOB show again, but the night was worth seeing King in all his glory, taking wonderful energy from the crowd as he tells us it's "all for you"...may he have 20 more years to excite the crowds...
Michael G.