As we mentioned in our previous article here, we were preparing to attend Helloween’s performance in one of their favorite cities with fanatical fans, Madrid. An event organized with perfection and outstanding professionalism by Z!live Rock.
Helloween is my favorite band of all time. I have seen them perform in several places in Europe, including Greece. Having released a wonderful album, which you can read about here, they are celebrating at the same time their anniversary of 40-year career with this tour.
Back to Madrid, a captivating metropolis
Those of you who have read my articles will surely have noticed that I combine my reports with a trip to a city I want to get to know or a city I have grown to love and have fond memories of. Madrid is one of those places. The capital of Spain is an impressive metropolis that has nothing to envy London or Paris.
In fact, in my opinion, it is a much better gastronomic destination. It also has the most impressive art museum in Europe, the imposing Del Prado. On the other hand, you can easily take the train to beautiful destinations such as Toledo or Taragona. For the more adventurous, you can fly to Barcelona for a day trip for €18.
The venue for Helloween and Beast in Black concert was far from the city center. It was in a suburb that was only accessible by suburban train or bus. We chose the latter one and then walked a short distance to reach the concert venue. The concert venue was ideal for Helloween’s second consecutive night of celebration. The first concert was sold out, and so was the second. The stage was ready and the crowd had filled the venue.
Great performance by Beast in Black
I strongly believe that Beast in Black is the ideal band to tour with Helloween. They have this ability to bring joy to the crowd and create the proper and right atmosphere for the headliners. They also have a charismatic singer, Yanni Papadopoulo, who happens to come from Greece. Like him, the rest of the band is amazing at what they do and create a group that conquers the stage.
Beast in Black were outstanding on stage and they conquer the crowd from the beginning of their show. They have become a fearless band that doesn’t hesitate to experiment on stage. They may have been the support band, but their setlist was worthy of a headliner. They played twelve songs, if you can imagine. They started with “Power of the beast”, “Die by the blade”, “Highway to Mars”, “Born again” and “Moonlight rendezvous”. The crowd warmed up nicely and sang along with the band on the choruses. Beast in Black brought the magic of their music to the entire concert venue.
An unstoppable melody machine
The band was tight and had great chemistry on stage, which was clearly evident. Musically, they were flawless, and we didn’t notice any mistakes or sound issues. A truly crystal clear sound. Beast in Black continued with “Unlimited Sin”, “Enter the Behelit”, “Dark New World” and “Ghost in the Rain”. As you can see, they played songs from throughout their career.
A singer and a band that thrilled the audience
Papadopoulos was the leader on stage and interacted intensely with the audience. The band’s last songs were “One Night in Tokyo”, “Blind and Frozen” and “No Surrender”. During “Blind and Frozen”, everyone was jumping up and down and singing along to the chorus. These were truly wonderful moments for a band that more than deserves it.
Helloween took the stage. Delirium.
For the record, Helloween’s North American tour has been announced, and Beast in Black will remain as support. In my opinion, this is a great success for the Finnish Heavy/Power Metallers. The time had come for the legendary power metallers, Helloween. The song of Robbie Williams, “Let Me Entertain You”, plays as an introduction to the upcoming “storm”. I never understood why they chose this song, but okay, it’s pleasant and gets you in the mood for the concert in a way.
When I listened to “March of Time” start playing, I get goosebumps. The band stormed onto the stage with the aim of transmitting so much energy that it would conquer the crowd from the very first seconds. They continued with the epic “The king for a 1000 Years”, which, when performed on stage, is an “aggressive river” of power metal melodies almost equal to the band’s glorious past. So far, the band has been fantastic on stage.
Their professionalism and fanaticism were at their peak. The show continues at a slow pace with “Future World” and “This is Tokyo” making the audience sing the choruses continuously. It’s only been four songs and I’ve already lost my voice. As I mentioned in the presentation of “This is Tokyo”, this track will be a big hit at concerts. This was proven right before our eyes at the time. People loved the song and the emotions it transmitted.
I have stated many times that if there is a third “Keeper of the Seven Keys”, it is “Heading for Tomorrow” or “The Time of the Oath”. Both are beloved albums for many people, basically for the majority of melodic power metal fans. As soon as “We Burn” started playing, there was incredible chaos in the pits. Okay, it’s an album that has grown generations along with “Master of the Rings”. An album that bears the greatest share of responsibility for Helloween’s rebirth from their “ashes”.
One song we never expected them to play on tour was “Twilight of the Gods”, and suddenly we hear the melody at the beginning and we are going back to 1987. The audience went wild with the speed of the song and the refrain that made you scream with joy. Kiske rose magnificently to the occasion, delivering a professional performance, he’s not 20 years old anymore, after all.
Be that as it may, his performance was amazing. Kai Hansen, one of the band’s founders, takes the stage, starts playing “Ride the Sky”, and causes chaos among the audience. At some point, there is a technical problem, Kai realizes it and turns to Dani laughing. Within seconds, the legendary song returns to normal. Pure professionalism.
t’s time for a ballad, a new ballad from the new album, “Giants and monsters”. You can read our review of this wonderful album here. “Into the Sun” was left over from the recordings of the previous album, so they put it on the new one. A wonderful track with two stunning performers taking you on a journey towards the sun.
“Better than Raw” continued the revival that had begun with “Master of the Rings”, with Deris as one of the band’s leaders. It was impossible not to honor this album by choosing the single from this pivotal release in their career. “Hey Lord!” is a concert track that makes the crowd sing along to every lyric. An excellent choice.
“Universe (gravity for hearts)” is one of the biggest hits from their latest album and was written by Sascha Gerstner. The “youngster” of the group, who joined the band in 2000, has contributed some great compositions of the highest quality, genuine melodic power metal. No doubts, such a beautiful song would not be missing from their set list. The band’s stage presence and performance are generally wonderful and professional, with no sign of fatigue in their performance.
It’s as if you’re watching 20-year-olds. A song from the crazy Markus Grosskopf couldn’t be left out, so “Hell was made in heaven” was included. This song is often featured in their performances and has a very strong Judas Priest influence. Of course, to everyone’s surprise, I would prefer from them to choose “Deliver us from temptation” from Markus’ compositions. You should have seen the chaos in the audience then.
Dani Löble has absolutely nothing to envy his predecessors.
Next up was a drum solo by Dani Löble, which gave the rest of the band a breather before continuing with the show. Let’s not forget that most of them are around 60 years old. An excellent performance by the Swiss-German drummer who joined the band right after Gerstner, replacing a really good drummer, Uli Kusch. “I Want Out” is usually part of their encore, but on this tour it was chosen to be in the middle of the setlist. It is one of the band’s signature songs, which causes delirious excitement among their fans at every concert. We have been sweating profusely until now and our voices are about to disappear.
A stage is set up for ballads and two stools and microphones are placed on it. Andi Deris and Michael Kiske appear with guitars. Kiske begins the introduction to “Pink Bubbles Go Ape” from the self-titled album, which is controversial for its quality. Later, we move on to “In the Middle of a Heartbeat” and arrive at “A Tale That Wasn’t Right”, where the rest of the band makes a triumphant appearance. During the songs, the performers switch roles with the guitars. A beautiful interlude before the “storm” came.
Heavy Metal is the law that keep us all united free
“Heavy Metal (is the law)” is our speed metal “anthem” by Helloween. First of all, let’s say that it has a terribly catchy refrain and incredible drumming. It was just what we needed for the rest of the setlist, which brought us back to the fastest compositions. Another “anthem” comes next, “Halloween”, and the arena goes wild. The crowd sings all the lyrics, often drowning out the vocals of Kiske/Deris. Thirteen minutes of triumphant European power metal straight from its founders. What else could you ask for?
The two “Keepers of the Seven Keys” are honored
The band retreats to the backstage area, and we all wait for the encore. “Eagle Fly Free” begins and what happens next cannot be described in words. The crowd is ecstatic, the band is in another dimension, and about me, have traveled back to the glorious year of 1988. The band’s performance is “out of this world” and this is conveyed to the audience, who become one with the band, singing not only the chorus but all the lyrics.
The next song is a composition, “guide to life”, the lyrics and music of “Power” are among the best Weiki has ever written. A big concert song that always gets a huge and enthusiastic response. I was ready to jump on stage and sing it with Deris. Andi once again proved what a great performer he is and why he remains the “soul” of the band.
Let’s move on to “Dr. Stein” one of Helloween’s greatest hits. Its release as a single skyrocketed the band’s popularity. It is a favorite song for us, the die-hard fans of the band from Hamburg, so you can imagine what happened when the first notes were heard. At the end, the final notes of “Keeper of the Seven Keys” from the album of the same name rang out, bringing Helloween’s epic concert to a triumphant close. Personally, I would have liked ten more songs, but you can’t have everything in life. I’m joking of course.
At loss of words
I honestly don’t know how to give an end to this report. This happens to me all the time with my favorite bands when I see them in concert. Helloween is a band that has been accompanied me since I was 13, so you can understand that albums like the first four with Andi Deris hold a special place in my heart. Generally, whenever I see them live, whether I’m in Lisbon, Berlin, Antwerp, or Athens in the past, the feeling is the same. Personally, I didn’t feel the slightest bit tired after the concert, imagine that I was out all day walking around.
Epilogue
The band has delivered lessons in modern European power metal and has reached a point where it cannot cover its entire discography. Many songs that are pivotal to their career are left out. Logically, when they come back to Europe, they will shuffle the deck again. We will talk again in the next European metropolis where I will go to report their concert. See you then!
Credits to Z! Live Rock and of course Fran_Cea_Photography
