Last Thursday, December 6th, it dawned quite calmly, contrasting with what happened on September 20th, 1998, in the now extinct venue Dramático de Cascais. On that day, the pilgrimage began quite early and filled the quiet village with Helloween fans, eager to witness live the most famous album repertoire “Keeper of the Seven Keys” and “Walls of Jerico.” In spite of everything, there were already some movements near the door of the Tejo Room of the Altice Arena early in the day. Although, quite tenuous, by comparison, of people hoping to reach their goal of being as close as possible to their idols.
Throughout the day, besides these early birds, it was possible to see some groups of people passing by the technical vans of the party, not hesitating to stop to take a photo next to them, immortalizing the moment, with the already mythical symbol of the band present.
More persistent fans expected to get a glimpse of the band members as they left the sound-check that took place inside Sala Tejo. We could see fans who brought records, framed paintings of the band members, as well as the traditional tickets, waiting for autographs. But the wait proved fruitless since no element was to be seen at the artists’ exit.
With the approaching start time, and with Sala Tejo becoming packed, the consequent queues were observed to buy the merchandising of the band (quite varied), as well as for the beer stalls, where they hydrated the throats so that everything was ready for the vocal accompaniment to the songs chosen for the setlist of this special meeting of the pumpkins. One could listen to the arguments about who would have been the best frontman of the band during their long existence, without, however, coming to any consensus at all. Others were already trying to find the best place not to miss a single moment of the concert.
With an almost full venue, whoever was present was eager for the entrance of Kiske, Deris, Hansen and company. After a short delay, the show began, through the song “Let Me Entertain You” by Robbie Williams, causing some strangeness in some.
But the truth is that the waiting was about to come to an end and behind the front panel featuring the logo of the band, the pumpkins appeared on stage and showed that who knows, never forgets! The warm-up was made with “Helloween” (sorry it had been cut at the beginning), with Andy Deris alternating vocal duties with Michael Kiske. Kai Hansen, on the other hand, joined Michael Weikath during the solos, demonstrating very good complicity resulting in the delight of the public. The performance had commenced, with the audience in full sync with the band.
The band had a few tricks up their sleeves, such as the introduction of “I’m Alive” in the lineup, as well as the legendary album “Keeper of the Seven Keys”. “If I Could Fly”, “March of Time” or “Perfect Gentleman” were presented by two funny cartoons (Seth & Doc), who kept us company throughout the show, warming up the environment for the most awaited moment by fans of the band: the medley of the album “Walls of Jericho”, with a fantastic performance by Kai Hansen … who else?
Also not missing were the mythical “Starlight”, “Ride the Sky”, “Judas” as well as the well-known “Heavy Metal (Is the Law)”, causing many wigs to shake in constant headbanging reminding the good and gone 90’s.
Meanwhile, the most emotional moment arrived … As Daniel Löble entered the stage, repeating a drum solo performed by the old drummer Ingo Schwichtenberg, who appeared on the giant screen, paying homage to this former element. Judging by the reaction in the venue, the audience responded by shouting his name loudly several times, Ingo will never be forgotten! The show continued with more classics and the already known switch between vocalists. Always accompanied by the tireless, well-watered throats of the public, who seemed to show no fatigue.
As expected, after two hours of spectacle, the first threat occurred, unfortunately, the farewell time of Andi, Michael, Kai and company, with the song “How Many Tears”. But the audience wanted more … and made itself heard in such a way. The band promptly responded by playing “Eagle Fly Free” followed by “Keeper of the Seven Keys”. The result? More headbanging and the lyrics loudly intoned, showing that the spirit and energy characteristic of the ’90s in Cascais was back, in spite of all these years!
The end was coming, but there was still time for a more intimate moment with guitarist Kai Hansen, who performed one of his characteristic solos. This was accompanied by the characters Seth & Doc, who helped him introduce another classic: “Future World”!
Suddenly, during “I Want Out”, giant pumpkins and confetti fall from the ceiling of the venue, creating a party atmosphere. At the same time, this was the definitive farewell of this visit to Portuguese land.
Thus, another closed chapter of Helloween coming to Portugal. This time giving the fans an opportunity to review the original band lineup, which demonstrated that “only rags are old”, as they say in good Portuguese. In fact, this was a good concert. Sala Tejo was a good venue bet for this event since the sound was good, compared to the main hall of the Altice Arena. Being a mostly old-school audience, we didn’t see those absurd amounts of mobile phones in the air, trying to record or photograph the entire concert! Great!
This was undoubtedly a great opportunity to see and review one of the biggest names in Heavy Metal worldwide, one that helped shape the way we listen to heavy music these days. We hope that the rumours will be fulfilled and that this extended formation will continue. Perhaps present a new album that can raise the name of Helloween to the top of heavy music again…
Text by Ricardo Branco
Photo © Bluegazine, MeoBlueTicket
Managing editor: Filipe Gomes
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