Or not.
MUSIC I've had the double-disc concert DVD Kamelot: One Cold Winter's Night for several months but never got around to watching it (my excuse: I have too many DVDs to watch and little time). I finally did this week, and it brought me back to 2005, when -as an exchange student living in Canada- I attended one of my most personal concerts ever. Of course, the DVD is a medium/large-sized arena in Oslo, whereas the one I went to was at Lee's Palace, a small bar in Toronto, but the feeling, the excitement, the energy that Kamelot emanates is something to highlight. I've seen them put 110% on their show, and it really shows on the DVD.
So I remembered I had written a review on the concert that day, a couple hours after the end of it. I searched for it (and the pictures I took) and here I present it, fully translated.
It’s 2am but I have to write this before going to sleep.
I just got back from a hell of a show… I had waited so long, imagining myself for years at one of their concerts and all, and it finally happened: November 19th, 2005.
Penetrator/Seven Witches/Kamelot So Penetrator (WTF kinda band name is that?) was on early, so early I didn’t even see them, thankfully. With that name, I wasn’t that interested. We got there when Seven Witches was starting their set, I had heard little from them (the one that struck me the most was “Metal Asylum”, which they didn’t play), and the first thing that got my attention was that the vocalist (Alan Tecchio, recently incorporated to the band) sounded –and looked a bit- like Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, which was very amusing (his high-pitched vocals were impressive too). Founding member Jack Frost stole the show when he disappeared from the stage at one point, only to reappear in the general admission area, playing a cordless electric guitar, while people around him were going insane.
Seven Witches ended their set at 11:30, when my friend and I pushed our way to the front of the crowded place, only to be held back at the fourth row. Luckily, some fellas from the third and second row were from Colombia, so I started talking to them, and a couple minutes later, the let me get in front of them (they were taller than me anyway), and that way I got to be in second row. Lee’s Palace is a small venue (I estimated 250-300 people) and the place was packed. I had never been so upfront in a concert before, it was going to be something to remember. The lights go out, the crowd screams, and the concert begins…
“Center of the Universe” is the song they start with, “Karma” the one they end it with. About 90 minutes of musical mayhem (only song missing for me was Shadow of Uther), with appearances by Mari Youngblood (guitarist Thomas’s wife, beautiful voice), who took my hand a couple of times when she was onstage; Oliver Palotai on the keyboards (recently made a permanent member of the band) who did a great piano solo; Casey Grillo did an incredible drum solo too, and I almost got one of his drumsticks (it was taken by a bigger guy standing next to me); Glenn Barry (bass) was the one I saw the least, he didn't stand at the center of the stage too often; Youngblood, whose feet I kept hitting when he was playing a guitar solo close to the audience =) ; and Khan, who shook hands with me more than anyone else there, I think (I was shouting a lot, I have to admit. I was very excited by the concert). I had a great time, a special concert for me, being so close to an excellent band whose music I enjoy a lot. I hope to see them again someday.
If you want to experience it yourselves, get a copy of "One Cold Winter's Night" and have them play for you right at home. Highly recommended.
GAMES I'm completely hooked on Puzzle Quest. Have you played it? If you had, you'd know what I'm talking about. Putting RPG elements in a puzzle game was not a bad idea as I first thought. In fact it's great! (Not for hardcore gaming, but casual puzzle solving was never this fun). I still have to buy a new motherboard + processor so I can get into Crysis and The Witcher, I hope it's very soon.
