Almost 10 minutes before time, the lights went down and the room got so filled with smoke you couldn’t even see as far as the backdrop. The loud shouts for Iced Earth still made it quite apparent what was coming though, something wicked…

As the crowd was, on an average, a bit older than we’re used to, there was no surprise they were taking things a bit more calmly than the younger crowds would, but this should not be mistaken for not enjoying the concert. I believe everyone here, even those who had come solely for Saxon, were loving Iced Earth. The shouts in the short breaks between songs were deafening, and a lot of arms were raised with horns pointing at the sky.
And why not?
The band seemed to be in an excellent mood for the show tonight; they were sending out a lot of energy which the crowd was more than willing to receive.

“This is for all the black-hearted people out there; this is Pure!”
- Matt Barlow (vocals)

Matt Barlow was quickly answered with a roaring “Evil!” and this was then repeated a couple of more times before the song started. This was one of a select few exceptions, as the tight set did not leave much room for chitchat. Now, I’ve always been a fan of bands which make the most of their time on stage, and play as many songs as possible; this was definitely true for Iced Earth, and a definite plus in my book. The only longer pause they had was the planned encore between My Own Savior and Iced Earth.
Still, with what, to me, felt like a short stage-time, I was certainly left wanting more; although this is supposed to be a good thing at live-shows isn’t it? Ok, so this was a co-headliner tour; I accept this would not be the time for them to repeat the 3 hour concert from their Horror Show tour, but how come they, in their 16 songs long setlist, didn’t play a single song from the Burnt Offerings album? As this was the first Iced Earth album I got, it holds a special place in my heart; this might be why I’m not a 100% objective about it.
Apart from that, the set (which for a large part revolved around the Something Wicked mythos) was well put together. It kicked off with the opening tracks from their newest release The Crucible Of Man; In Sacred Flames and Behold The Wicked Child, and later on old songs stood shoulder to shoulder with newer ones, and the tempo was varied so there wasn’t a dull moment. A few more surprises in the choices wouldn’t have upset us though.

Now, I realise that these last couple of remarks might have misled you to believe that the show wasn’t all that interesting. Don’t be fooled, this was an amazing show and it left us in a veritable Iced Earth frenzy for days to come! It made me remember how good these guys and their music really is, and also that I needed to start listening to them on a more regular basis.
I had hoped to meet either Jon Schaffer or Matt Barlow afterwards to tell them this, but both seemed to quickly vanish after the concert was done. Freddie Vidales, their tour bassist, however stayed and hung out at the downstairs bar for the most of the evening, gladly speaking to fans and friends alike.

Setlist:

In Sacred Flames
Behold The Wicked Child
Invasion
Motivation Of Man
Setian Massacre
Burning Times
Declaration Day
Vengeance Is Mine
Violate
Pure Evil
Watching Over Me
Ten Thousand Strong
Dracula
Melancholy (Holy Martyr)
My Own Savior
Iced Earth