Live concert is the bread and butter of any sworn Metal music fan and for Israeli Metal fans there isn't much butter to put on the bread. The lack of good live concerts in Israel is a fact, although this year an Israeli Metal music fan did have a few nice live concerts. The coming of
SABATON to Israel has always been a day of celebration for Metal fans and, I think, for all music fans alike. After all, it's not every day that we get a band that sings about Israeli wars and comes to perform here on a regular basis.
As always in Israel the door opening that was scheduled to 21:00 only opened at 21:30 and eventually the concert started at 10:30? Again and again live concert producers in Israel are bluntly misrepresenting what they market to the Metal music fans and let people stand for a long hour till they start the concert itself. Btw a note to the production: (there will be many notes to the production so this is note number 1) Not all Metal Music fans in Israel are kids! Some of them, like me, are working men and women that would appreciate it very much if the show started on time.
Around 22:30 people finally started to pour into the "Reading 3" complex in Tel- Aviv. It's always nice to see a "Black Army of Metal" marching into a live concert! You can see the fire in the eyes of the "Army" from miles away.
The warming act was delivered by a band I have heard of before named DESERT. However, I have never heard them on stage before. It seemed like allot of the fans did recognize the songs and were wearing T- shirts with the band's name on it. All in all their performance was of no consequence because of the low quality of sound and acoustics. Note to the production: I don't think that Reading 3is a good place to host Metal Concerts. I was there previously, at some other Music concerts and even at a Dance party, the acoustics of the place wasn't built (I think) to stand the bass and distortion nor the screaming and shouting of a Metal lead singer.
DESERTconcluded their act with a final song with SABATON's front man joining his counterpart, Alexei Raymar, for a joint singing. With no offence to Raymar,SABATON's frontmanJoakim Brodén's voice could be heard clearly over Raymar's. I don't know if it was a courtesy or just the tuning of the microphones by the soundman, regardless the appearance of Brodén created mayhem in the crowed, a good kind of mayhem.
There is not much to say about SABATON's performance even though 70% of the group changed, they still deliver a clean, strong and mind blowing act with songs that elevated the crowd to the sky despite the bad sound quality. It's a shame that a band like SABATON couldn't be provided with a proper venue to the Israeli Metal music fans. Excluding the kids that were mosh pitting, others, like me, came to see, and most important, to hear the band and again the sound quality damaged the whole experience, at least for me.
Finally in the encore SABATON pulled out all their big guns"Panzer Battalion","Metal Crüe" and the hymn of war"Primo Victoria".Leaving aside the sound quality, these songs can overcome any bad quality and to create an amazing atmosphere, especially in a place such as Reading 3! Something that place probably had never experienced at that kind of magnitude before.
Last but not least it was really emotional to see Brodénup on stage for the last song "Counterstrike" with the Israeli flag, it does seems that we are not hated by all, there are some that truly like us. I think that the state of Israel should give SABATON a status of ambassador of good will, after all SABATAON does better PR to Israel then all the government people together.
Eldad Live Concrete Check List
· Hangover - Check
· Stiff neck - Check
· Headache - Check (only cause of bad low quality sound)
· Stiff Body - Check
· Adrenalin burst up to 10 hours after the show - Check
Over all a good show that was damaged by the sound quality and the price of beer. Personal note: I don't think that the area where Reading 3 is located makes it a good place for Metal concerts.
SETLIST
1. The Final Countdown (Europe song)
2. The March To War
3. Ghost Division
4. Uprising
5. Gott Mit Uns
6. 40:1
7. Cliffs of Gallipoli
8. Dominium Maris Baltici
9. The Lion From the North
10. The Price of a Mile
11. Into the Fire
12. Carolus Rex
13. Midway
14. The Hammer Has Fallen
15.Attero Dominatus
Encore:
16. The Art of War
17. Panzer Battalion
18. Metal Crüe
19. Primo Victoria
20. Counterstrike
