The fact that it has been only a few days after the assassination of the young kid from a police officer downtown of Athens turning the major Greek cities into warzones had influenced adversely my psychology, even though I was anxious to see MONSTER MAGNET on stage. On the other hand I didn't want to miss that concert, so me and an old friend of mine, went to the venue.
Unfortunately, I've missed more than the half set from POTERGEIST. Of course, I have seen_heard the band before, but I never got across their stuff. Gagarin 205 was half full and the classic attitude of the Greek audience of not listening to a Greek support band continues. They tried to warm up the audience with their Stone Rock and they succeeded it in a certain level. After listening to four songs, I can say that for a support band in Greece, the sound and the light show (!!!) was as good as possible. The only thing I didn't like was their on-stage presence. I never understood the meaning of wearing a hood or a cap or both! We are not listening to hip-hop or rap, but ROCK / METAL music. Anyway, I liked their songs and I will probably give their next album a chance.
The venue was full and just after 20 minutes, the headliners hit the stage. Dopes To Infinity, Crop Circle and Powertrip grabbed us from the neck! The sound was as dirty as it should be for a band like MONSTER MAGNET. But there was something missing. I don't know if it was just me seeing the things from a different perspective, but I strongly believe that every single one of us that went to the concert, had our minds to what is going on outside the venue. The reactions of the crowd were not as passionate as the Greek fans most of the times are, excluding the first rows. Wyndorf was a little bit short-spoken on stage but the overall appearance of the band was nice. They played a strictly professional set list , without having any surprises, like for example Melt or Unbroken. But as everything nice, our trip in space was not a long one. Just one hour and twenty minutes.
I believe that most of the fans had a great time and if things weren't that bad in our capital I think that we would have enjoyed the concert even more. In the bottom line a really good, professional show from MONSTER MAGNET. Wyndorf may have gain some weight, he may was a bit laconic but the band still kick major ass! It was a nice trip in order to forget all the problems for a while.
Setlist:
01. Dopes To Infinity
02. Crop Circle
03. Powertrip
04. Twin Earth
05. Third Alternative
06. Zodiac Lung
07. Radiation Day
08. The Right Stuff
09. Negasonic Teenage Warhead
10. Space Lord
Encore:
11. Superjudge
12. Tractor
13. Spine Of God
