Official Helloween thread v. Pumpkins United

[wolfking]

 

[Samsara]

Just got back.

Pics and a review tomorrow after work.

WOW!!

THank you for a couple pics last night. June 3 can't get here soon enough. Looks amazing.

[cramx3]

I also saw them last weekend (in NYC)



I need to do my write up as well, but my videos came out well (I think).  Interested to read Tim's thoughts since he's big on Helloween compared to me (and this was my first time seeing them).

Helloween - Future World LIVE @ Terminal 5 New York City, NY 5/20/2023

Helloween - Best Time LIVE @ Terminal 5 New York City, NY 5/20/2023

[pg1067]

Damn...I sort of forgot about this.  I'll be seeing them next Friday! 

[Samsara]

I AM SO EXCITED.

I was, as Paul knows, going to do two shows, but it was back to back nights and travel, and just couldn't do the gig down in LA. But bring on San Fran.

37 years since I first heard them, I am finally seeing them live. I saw the setlist, so I'm happy with it (pt. 1 could be more represented, but the pt. 2 material makes up for it). And the pictures - that looks amazing, and similar to a few years back when I sadly had tickets for LA and couldn't go.

NO STOPPING ME ON JUNE 3. I'll be there at like 3 p.m. waiting in line, even though I have reserved seats (first row, no one in front of me, in the lower lodge!) CAN'T WAIT!!!! Debating on wearing a pumpkin costume I'm so excited.    (not really, but...)

[Samsara]

Okay F this. I just booked a quick trip to Vegas to see Helloween on June 1. I waited 37 years. I deserve to see this band twice with my man Kiske. CANNOT WAIT.

[cramx3]

Okay F this. I just booked a quick trip to Vegas to see Helloween on June 1. I waited 37 years. I deserve to see this band twice with my man Kiske. CANNOT WAIT.

Kiske did not disappoint

[TAC]

I also saw them last weekend (in NYC)



I need to do my write up as well, but my videos came out well (I think).  Interested to read Tim's thoughts since he's big on Helloween compared to me (and this was my first time seeing them).

Helloween - Future World LIVE @ Terminal 5 New York City, NY 5/20/2023

Helloween - Best Time LIVE @ Terminal 5 New York City, NY 5/20/2023

Marc, I watched your clips yesterday. In fact the big video (about an hour) showed up in my feed 3 minutes after you loaded it and I'll have you know that I was the first "like" for the video. I was about to add a comment, but I didn't want to let the youtubeverse know that I wasn't going to be home last night.

I didn't realize you were going, as I don't go into the Concerts thread a lot, as I don't go to many concerts.

I literally sat through your entire long video yesterday afternoon. It totally primed me.

[TAC]

So first off....Hammerfall!





Believe it or not, I was just as excited to see Hammerfall as I was Helloween. OK, maybe a stretch, but Hammerfall is the #1 band that I became a fan of as an actual adult with a family that I have yet to see, They were #1 on my concert bucket list. Joacim Cans is one of my favorite singers and he did not disappoint.

I've seen videos of them before, and I was afraid a bit because they never hit me as a great live band. But that all changed last night. They were tight as hell. The band actually seems really cool. Even Oskar, and I hope that's gray hair and not dyed blonde, which looks ridiculous, but that dude is the real deal. I've always considered him goofy, but he really impressed me.

My only complaints are that I didn't love the setlist, and they definitely were using piped in backing gang style vocals. But they were powerful.

They're playing a number of headline shows in between the Helloween shows. In fact, they're in the middle of a 11 night stretch. I would definitely recommend getting in there to see them. The place was packed last night even for Hammerfall.

[cramx3]

Marc, I watched your clips yesterday. In fact the big video (about an hour) showed up in my feed 3 minutes after you loaded it and I'll have you know that I was the first "like" for the video. I was about to add a comment, but I didn't want to let the youtubeverse know that I wasn't going to be home last night.

I didn't realize you were going, as I don't go into the Concerts thread a lot, as I don't go to many concerts.

I literally sat through your entire long video yesterday afternoon. It totally primed me.

I was hoping you'd catch the video, (and thanks for the thumbs up), but also, if you watched right after upload, you didn't get to see it in full HD as that takes an extra hour or so for youtube to process. 

As for Hammerfall, I thought they were solid (as usual from my experience) and a fun show live, but they just don't really make me want to go listen to an album of their music. 

[TAC]

As for Hammerfall, I thought they were solid (as usual from my experience) and a fun show live, but they just don't really make me want to go listen to an album of their music.

They have a fairly limited scope of what they do. For someone like me, who grew up musically in the 80's, they're a great mashup of bands like Dio/Priest/Accept/Saxon/Dokken. It hits a spot for me.

Like I said, they were the #1 band on my concert bucket list and they did not disappoint.

[cramx3]

As for Hammerfall, I thought they were solid (as usual from my experience) and a fun show live, but they just don't really make me want to go listen to an album of their music.

They have a fairly limited scope of what they do. For someone like me, who grew up musically in the 80's, they're a great mashup of bands like Dio/Priest/Accept/Saxon/Dokken. It hits a spot for me.

Like I said, they were the #1 band on my concert bucket list and they did not disappoint.

I can see that and even with the piped in backing vocals, they are still a fun live band.  My gf was digging it and loved the blond hair  I'll do my write up of the show tomorrow.

[Samsara]

I have an opportunity to see Hammerfall headline...if I like what I hear at my two upcoming shows that they are opening for Helloween.

[TAC]

SPOILER FREE REVIEW!!





So this was my third time seeing Helloween. The first time was in 1987, and then not again until the Pumpkins United tour in 2018. I ignored the Deris Era for the most part, only seriously giving it a chance about 10-12 years ago. During that time, I have been an all things Kiske guy. His voice, to me, is spiritual. I had long written off ever seeing him sing live again. But that all changed with the Helloween Reunion. It really was a dream come true for me.

For this tour, the setlist was quite a bit shorter because of having an opening band. If I had a complaint, it would be that other than the three new songs and ONE classic Kiske song added, EVERYTHING else was part of the Pumpkins United setlist.

Let me start with the elephant in the room, and that is Michael Kiske. So it's easy for me to sing his praises. Reading this, it'd be kind of expected, but let me say this...he was fucking INCREDIBLE. I mean, he struggled in some early legs on this tour last year. I was actually getting worried. But he is in tip top shape right now. I spent yesterday watching Marc's video, and Kiske sounded amazing. The songs he is singing on this tour are ridiculous. He is strong and powerful, and he is hitting the notes.
UNREAL.

And Andi sounded amazing as well. That guy is powerful, and he doesn't crack. He is the most fearless vocalist I have ever heard. He's sharing the stage with Kiske, and Andi is holding his own, easily. Plus, they actually sound great together. Their voices have a great and unique blend that really works.

But Andi and Kiske also have this great personal chemistry together. This jumped out at me the United tour and it's what really makes this so effective. Considering they had literally never met before the Reunion idea came about, hearing them talk about it is actually heartwarming.

One thing that was noticeably different about Kiske was his audience interaction. He's really a reluctant frontman, and on the United tour, he really stepped into the background when possible. Last night, he was out front and engaging with the audience. He really seems way more comfortable in his own skin. And he should. Vocally, he blew my doors off, but he has a lot of personality and he really let it show.

The other thing that jumped out at me was just how engaged with his bandmates Michael Weikath was. On the United tour, he just seemed grumpy. I know that's his look and style, but last night, he was making playful faces with the other guys. He was more involved with working the stage as opposed to standing in his spot. It was actually refreshing to see.

Both of these developments led to something I didn't notice the first time around and that is that the stage actually felt too small for all of them. Obviously, they play much larger stages than they did in Worcester, but there was a bit of clumsiness as they walked around the stage. It's not really a negative, but with the two developments I just mentioned, Kiske and Weiki being more active around the stage, it's a great trade off.

And fucking Kai Hansen.
His portion of the show was the best part of the United show, and it did not disappoint last night. He even came out and sang without a guitar to start. It was really cool. He did a lot of talking to the crowd during the show and he really owned the thing.

Is there a happier person on earth besides Markus? He is the most underrated bassist in music. He is audible in the mix and he is all up and down that bass. He's the one guy that smiles more than Dave Murray, and I didn't think that was possible.

I love Sasha, and the dude can flat out play. He had a cool solo spot, and he played a number of solos in the songs, but I don't know..he seemed like he was an outsider at points. It's hard to describe. maybe it's how he looks, but I don't know..I hope the band doesn't forget about him because I think he really has a lot to offer, and I would love to see him more involved vocally.

Finally, Dani blew me away the first time around. That dude holds the whole thing together and he really stood out. He didn't stand out last night like he did the first time, but probably because it's a thing you can only experience once. He was on point throughout, and like I said, he holds it all together. Helloween will never be confused with Dream Theater, but they throw a bit more at you musically than the typical power metal band.

Anyway, those are my Spoiler Free thoughts. Helloween is a Top 5 band for me. I'm already itching for the next time.

[Samsara]

SO. FUCKING. EXCITED!

10 DAYS!

[TAC]

Some pics..

[Zoom E]

TAC and Cram, you are getting me all psyched. Great photos. 

By happenstance, I will be in San Francisco in the first week of June, so I bought tickets just recently for the June 3 show. Like Samsara, this will be my first Helloween show even though I've been a fan forever. I never thought I'd ever get to see them with Kiske and Hansen. It has been a long time coming.

[wolfking]

Awesome review and photos Tim! 

I have hope they may come here again one day.  I saw them on the Gambling with the Devil tour in a small club and they fucking ripped!

[Grappler]

Unless something drastically changes, I'll be skipping this Friday's show in Chicago.  It was always going to be a day of the show decision for me, but we need some serious family time this weekend at home, instead of me skipping out of parenting duties to go headbang.  It sucks, but those are the decisions you have to make when you have kids.  I wish the bands were doing a more extensive tour and hitting additional cities (Milwaukee).  Looks like a fun show though.  I love the stage that they brought with!

[Samsara]

TAC and Cram, you are getting me all psyched. Great photos. 

By happenstance, I will be in San Francisco in the first week of June, so I bought tickets just recently for the June 3 show. Like Samsara, this will be my first Helloween show even though I've been a fan forever. I never thought I'd ever get to see them with Kiske and Hansen. It has been a long time coming.

If you've never seen a show at the Warfield, it's a great and historic theater, but NOT a great area. Just FYI. They've tried to improve it in the last several years, and there is a mall across the street and up a few blocks. But be mindful of the area.

Also, the pit area at The Warfield gets jammed pretty quickly, as it isn't very big. If you have a GA ticket, I recommend showing up early and standing on the level above the pit, on the rail. My wife and I have reserve seats in the lower loge. We just don't want to fight with the masses. 

[cramx3]

And fucking Kai Hansen.
His portion of the show was the best part of the United show, and it did not disappoint last night. He even came out and sang without a guitar to start. It was really cool. He did a lot of talking to the crowd during the show and he really owned the thing.

I'm not a huge Kai fan, based on his work with Avantasia and what I had previously sampled from Helloween.  It's no surprise then that his voice was my least favorite of the show.... but he was still pretty good and "owned the thing" seems legit.  I would have said that guys the band leader based on what I saw.  He was pretty good and entertaining live even if he's not my favorite singer.

I love Sasha, and the dude can flat out play. He had a cool solo spot, and he played a number of solos in the songs, but I don't know..he seemed like he was an outsider at points. It's hard to describe. maybe it's how he looks, but I don't know..I hope the band doesn't forget about him because I think he really has a lot to offer, and I would love to see him more involved vocally.

Don't know much about the guy, but I couldn't tell he felt like an outsider because of the band or because of my own thoughts of him just having a different and younger look to him.  He also has a unique looking guitar.  Regardless, I felt the same way.

[Samsara]

So, I'm psyched to finally see them twice - Vegas and SF. But I've been a fan since 87, so I have some thoughts on the band's evolution.

Sascha Gerstner has been with them for over 20 years. He writes a handful of tracks on every album starting with Rabbit Don't Come Easy. So while on stage, he's probably a bit overshadowed by the return of Kai Hansen on guitar, and of course the mercurial Mr. Weikath on the other guitar, Sascha more than holds his own, at least from a band contribution standpoint. I mean, in a celebration of Keeper of the Seven Keys Pt. 1 and Pt. 2, obviously, he's going to be the most understated guy on the stage at that point. But after 21 years, and all the songwriting credits, he's just as big a part of Helloween as anyone.

I'm not as big of a fan of Andi Deris as some, but I also give him a tremendous amount of respect and credit for basically saving the band. When he came in, his songwriting and ability to keep the band moving forward was just what they needed. His voice isn't nearly as dynamic and powerful as Kiske's is, but what Andi has contributed since Master of the Rings in 1994 has been phenomenal. I am SO GLAD that he and Kiske seem to genuinely love singing with one another, as their voices very much complement one another. Kiske will always be "my guy," and the first two Keeper records are on a pedestal, but Deris has my respect and admiration and always will.

I re-listened to the self-titled 2021 record today, after not being huge on it, other than Orbit>Skyfall. I am still not over the top about it, but "Best Time" stood out. I'm really looking forward to what they all do next once all the personalities in the band now have re-learned, or learned how to work with one another, writing-wise. It has to be difficult now, with so many writers in the band. Hopefully Hansen can get more involved, and they can figure out a way to keep that "Keeper spirit" that was in "Skyfall" and spread that throughout the next record, without taking away from what the other writers want to do.

BRING ON JUNE 1 AND JUNE 3! 

[Zoom E]

TAC and Cram, you are getting me all psyched. Great photos. 

By happenstance, I will be in San Francisco in the first week of June, so I bought tickets just recently for the June 3 show. Like Samsara, this will be my first Helloween show even though I've been a fan forever. I never thought I'd ever get to see them with Kiske and Hansen. It has been a long time coming.

If you've never seen a show at the Warfield, it's a great and historic theater, but NOT a great area. Just FYI. They've tried to improve it in the last several years, and there is a mall across the street and up a few blocks. But be mindful of the area.

Also, the pit area at The Warfield gets jammed pretty quickly, as it isn't very big. If you have a GA ticket, I recommend showing up early and standing on the level above the pit, on the rail. My wife and I have reserve seats in the lower loge. We just don't want to fight with the masses. 

Thanks for the warning about the area. I know SF is a bit sketchy nowadays, so I was wondering about that. Guess we will hightail it out of there after the show.

My days of GA tickets and standing on the floor are long behind me  . We have seats in the lower balcony.

[Ben_Jamin]

Can't believe my Denver show trek starts next week. So excited to see these guys.

[TAC]

I'm not as big of a fan of Andi Deris as some, but I also give him a tremendous amount of respect and credit for basically saving the band. When he came in, his songwriting and ability to keep the band moving forward was just what they needed. His voice isn't nearly as dynamic and powerful as Kiske's is, but what Andi has contributed since Master of the Rings in 1994 has been phenomenal. I am SO GLAD that he and Kiske seem to genuinely love singing with one another, as their voices very much complement one another. Kiske will always be "my guy," and the first two Keeper records are on a pedestal, but Deris has my respect and admiration and always will.

Totally agree. I remember getting the first pair of CD singles on Import. They were Mr. Ego and Perfect Gentleman. Andi's voice was not what I was looking for fronting Helloween. I didn't even like it, honestly. I basically ignored Helloween for years. I still don't hold Rings in very high regard, but if that first album was Time Of The Oath, and the advance single was Power, it might've worked for me.

But Sam, you are dead on with all you say. I connect with Kiske like no other singer, so there's always that, but Andi is versatile as hell, and has some amazing pipes. But he has huge fucking stones and he goes toe to toe with Kiske. There's no one I respect more in music than Andi Deris. He is gracious and classy. And you'll see that he's also a great frontman.

I re-listened to the self-titled 2021 record today, after not being huge on it, other than Orbit>Skyfall. I am still not over the top about it, but "Best Time" stood out. I'm really looking forward to what they all do next once all the personalities in the band now have re-learned, or learned how to work with one another, writing-wise. It has to be difficult now, with so many writers in the band. Hopefully Hansen can get more involved, and they can figure out a way to keep that "Keeper spirit" that was in "Skyfall" and spread that throughout the next record, without taking away from what the other writers want to do.

And Best Time is Sasha's song! I love that they kept Sasha's vocals in the song. He also wrote Angels, which might be the most interesting song on the album.
The thing about the album is that it's just a collection of songs, and there's no real collaboration. Everyone came to the table with their songs. Kiske with none, and Kai with just one. Kiske has already confirmed that Kai is already working on new songs so his writing I would expect to be much more represented. I love the album, but I don't know if I was expecting too much or what. I thought the Pumpkins United song was fantastic.
I would expect the next album to be a bit more seasoned and stronger.

[TAC]

TAC and Cram, you are getting me all psyched. Great photos. 

By happenstance, I will be in San Francisco in the first week of June, so I bought tickets just recently for the June 3 show. Like Samsara, this will be my first Helloween show even though I've been a fan forever. I never thought I'd ever get to see them with Kiske and Hansen. It has been a long time coming.

I'm very happy that you'll be finally seeing them.

[cramx3]

I re-listened to the self-titled 2021 record today, after not being huge on it, other than Orbit>Skyfall. I am still not over the top about it, but "Best Time" stood out. I'm really looking forward to what they all do next once all the personalities in the band now have re-learned, or learned how to work with one another, writing-wise. It has to be difficult now, with so many writers in the band. Hopefully Hansen can get more involved, and they can figure out a way to keep that "Keeper spirit" that was in "Skyfall" and spread that throughout the next record, without taking away from what the other writers want to do.

And Best Time is Sasha's song! I love that they kept Sasha's vocals in the song.

When I was listening to lots of Helloween last week, Best Time was by far my favorite track I sampled. 

[pg1067]

I just realized this will be my third time seeing Helloween:  November 1987 and April 1989, the latter of which was the Headbanger's Ball Tour with Anthrax and Exodus.

[MirrorMask]

Glad to see you all having a blast with the pumpkins 

I'm also glad that, even if you all don't bow to Andi's awesomeness, people can still recognize his importance in keeping the band alive. If there's an Helloween now for Kiske and Hansen to rejoin, it's because Andi saved it in 1994, that is basically a fact. I've always appreciated his vocals, his songwriting skills and his frontman skills, he's always so entertaining and captivating - heck, I'm gonna shoot high, I daresay that if you take away the legends like Bruce Dickinson or Rob Halford, Andi is *the* best heavy metal frontman. He commands the crowds like no other. Also, Helloween's situation is more unique than rare, but how many replacement singers would have welcomed back the classic singer without being insecure about it? it's crazy if you think how suprisingly well the reunion worked.

And I also have to agree with the self titled reunion album. When you take some distance from it and look behind the "OMG they're back together" factor, it's "just" another album of modern day Helloween, with a Kai Hansen epic song at the end. It's good, but it's not "Kiske and Hansen are back and so we're gonna basically get a Keeper 3... or 4 depending on how you count" good. It's solid and it's way better than My God Given Right, but take away Kiske and Hansen (and therefore Skyfall) and it does not even top Straight Out of Hell.

[TAC]

I just realized this will be my third time seeing Helloween:  November 1987 and April 1989, the latter of which was the Headbanger's Ball Tour with Anthrax and Exodus.

I have no idea how I missed the '89 tour. It's possible because either I didn't want to go all the way into Boston and/or it may not have been worth it for a "third band on the bill" setlist time.

[wolfking]

In regards to the talk around Sascha, I remember the Dark Ride being my first Helloween album.  I'd heard Eagle Fly Free and a couple of others but it wasn't quite my thing at the time.  Dark Ride hit me with the darker edge obviously.  I discovered the band around that time a few months before Rabbits came out.  I was hyped and I still think I'd take it as my fav Helloween album, it made my top 50.  Such a lovely spread of styles and influences and sums the band up nicely.

Anyway, I was bummed Uli and Roland were out and it shocked me when I finally brought the CD the amount of solos and writing credits Sasha had.  He came flying out of the gates.  I remember thinking looking at his picture in the booklet, 'Who the fuck does this new fella think he is taking over.'    I grew to love him, his playing and his songs.  Then when I saw them live on the Gambling tour, he pretty much steered the band sound wise.  Weiki always holds his own, but I think he knew with Sasha he could do his thing and let someone more proficient with good stage presence do his thing.  He didn't have the pressure to do anything extra out of his comfort zone.  I always admired that from Weiki, he let Sasha be such a focal point from the start and was such a big part of their sound across that period.

I wouldn't have expected anything different when the reunion happened in him staying there to really still stabilize the sound.  I would have been shocked and upset if they kicked him out.  Same as the Janick situation, I don't think booting him was ever an option.

[TAC]

Keeper Pt. 1 was released 36 years ago today.



I remember reading the above Metal Hammer magazine at a friend's house. I had fallen out of thrash/speed metal because of the image/lyrics..that sort of things. I thought the Helloween guys looked pretty clean cut and the way they described the music, I was definitely interested. I blind bought the cassette, and when I started I'm Alive, I literally drove off the road...well, I actually pulled inti a nearby park and sat there with the lyrics and listened to the entire thing. Blown. Away. Musical life changing..forever.

Saw them a few months later..

September 24, 1987
The Living Room
Providence, RI















And before the show...




















And yes....can't forget this pic!

[wolfking]

Jesus, I'm only 3 years older than this album!

[Grappler]

Old fogeys who could drive in 1987.      Love the pictures TAC!

[cramx3]

Love the pictures TAC!