The most talented bards and demons in the world took the city of Toronto by storm on a more than beautiful night in celebration of pure heavy music.
OPENING ACT: Night Demon
What a fantastic night together with the bards in Toronto, my friends! And all started when we decided NOT to park at the parking lot in front of the venue, the revamped Rebel, which looks amazing from the inside and with a really cozy and ample patio, but which is also a nightmare when it comes to leaving the parking lot after the show is over. The best option is parking at the Distillery District, which is cheaper and just a 15-20min walk from the venue, plus the fact there are countless good options to eat and drink there before heading to the show. And as we’re always all about the music, let’s cut to the chase and talk a little about the unique experience of watching live NIGHT DEMON and BLIND GUARDIAN during their breathtaking The God Machine Tour 2024, another striking event brought to the city by Noel Peters of Inertia Entertainment. Keith Ibbitson of Metal Paparazzi and I wouldn’t miss it for the world, and my excitement for seeing the bards after almost 20 years was beyond visible to anyone who knows me.
The doors at Rebel opened at 7pm, giving all concert goers enough time to have some drinks, chat outdoors (as it was a gorgeous night in Toronto, with a beautiful sunset), and buy some quality merch before Ventura, California’s own Heavy Metal trio NIGHT DEMON began their thrilling performance precisely at 8pm. Still promoting their 2023 album Outsider, the band formed of Jarvis Leatherby on vocals and bass, Armand John Anthony on the guitars, and Brian Wilson on drums put on a very energetic and fun warmup for Blind Guardian, impressing anyone who was already at the venue with their charisma and dexterity onstage. Keith said those guys sounded much more powerful live than in the studio, and I fully agree with him as the live versions of their songs do sound a lot better, which is an amazing thing because live music is what we truly love, right? And if you know nothing about those guys, go check their music on BandCamp and on Spotify, because they live and breathe Rock N’ Roll and you’ll certainly have a blast whenever they invade your city with their awesome creations.
Setlist
Prelude
Outsider
Screams in the Night
Escape From Beyond
Dawn Rider
The Howling Man
Beyond the Grave
The Wrath
Welcome to the Night
The Chalice
Night Demon
Band members
Jarvis Leatherby – vocals, bass
Armand John Anthony – guitars
Brian Wilson – drums
The excitement started to grow stronger and stronger inside Rebel until all hell broke loose when it was around 9:30pm, as German Power Metal bards BLIND GUARDIAN ignited their unforgettable performance in the city, already blasting our faces mercilessly with the all-time classic Imaginations From the Other Side. You know, when a band kicks off a show with such a deep, bold song like that, the night will be beyond amazing, of course. I bet all fans at the venue felt the exact same when André Olbrich, Marcus Siepen, Johan van Stratum, Frederik Ehmke, and obviously the band’s iconic frontman Hansi Kürsch hit the stage with their fantasy-fueled Power Metal almost nine years after their last show in Toronto.
Speaking of Hansi, I honestly don’t know how he has managed to sound the exact same for almost 40 years, stunning us all with his unique, deep vocals from start to finish. Seriously, that guy is a beast on vocals, never sounding tired or out of tune. His vocals are so impressive to the point you can play to me any live version of any of their songs, and I wouldn’t be able to say the year that was recorded. That, ladies and gentlemen, is what makes him one of the best vocalists and frontmen of the entire metal realm, and if you’ve never had a chance to see Hansi singing live, you don’t know what you’re missing. Let’s say it’s like a mandatory experience for anyone who enjoys good music, not only metal.
Back to the concert itself, the band blended some of their best, most majestic classics including Nightfall, Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill) and Lost in the Twilight Hall, and the biggest surprise of the night (at least for me, the thrilling Into the Storm, with newer songs from their 2022 album The God Machine, those being Blood of the Elves, Violent Shadows and Secrets of the American Gods, and don’t think that because those are new songs that they sounded out of place during their set; quite the contrary, the new songs had the same impact and energy of their classic, which goes in line with what I was saying about Hansi, as his vocals turn every Blind Guardian song into a timeless sonic voyage. The reaction of the fans to all songs, including the new ones, was fantastic, with endless fists in the air, horns raised high, lots of screaming, and even some mosh pits were generated during the concert’s faster songs and moments. The sync between the band and their fans was a thing of beauty the entire night, I must say.
Any Blind Guardian concert is not complete without The Bard’s Song – In the Forest, and of course Toronto also had the pleasure of singing it along with our beloved German bards. It was simply epic, with every single person at the venue putting their hearts and souls into singing, proving why that is one of the best metal ballads of all time. And what about the encore? I was honestly getting worried they didn’t play Bright Eyes during the “regular” set, but when Hansi and his henchmen began playing it during the encore I really felt it in my heart. Right after that, let’s say it was pure metal madness with the Power Metal hymn Valhalla, with it’s iconic chorus being sung in full force by everyone at the venue, making Hansi truly proud and excited with the more-than-warm reaction of the band’s Torontonian fans. When they started playing another undisputed classic, Mirror Mirror, closing their concert on a high note, I was just a tiny bit disappointed that Majesty was left out of the setlist in Toronto, but let’s say we can’t win it all, and that their setlist was 99.9% perfect, alright? Maybe next time they visit Toronto we’ll have the pleasure of seeing them playing that classic live, because based on their successful concert in the city, the bards will be back really, really soon, no doubt about that.
Setlist
Imaginations From the Other Side
Blood of the Elves
Nightfall
The Script for My Requiem
Violent Shadows
Skalds and Shadows
Into the Storm
Secrets of the American Gods
The Bard’s Song – In the Forest
Time Stands Still (At the Iron Hill)
Lost in the Twilight Hall
Encore:
Sacred Worlds
Bright Eyes
Valhalla
Mirror Mirror
Band members
Hansi Kürsch – vocals
André Olbrich – lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars
Marcus Siepen – rhythm and acoustic guitars
Johan van Stratum – bass, backing vocals
Frederik Ehmke – drums