Adriana Sertorio contributed to this review
The presentation of the German band Blind Guardian in São Paulo August 10th was a complete success. Via Funchal held full capacity to attend the tour of the new album A Night At The Opera. Early in the morning, people were walking around the place, and they could imagine that it would be a very special night. Therefore, the line was already going around the block. After 4 years of waiting, the fans livened up, and in a climate of much euphoria and anxiety, they were shouting and singing to the successful songs before the doors opened. The tickets were gone, and the ones who bought them before the show had to pay abusive prices.
Promptly 8:30pm, Heaven’s Guardian, a band from Goiania City, entered the scene to show its heavy and melodic style. The performance from Heaven’s Guardian was better than the expected, and the climax of the show was when they played the classic Judas Priest anthem, “Breaking the Law”.
Minutes later; darkness, and the pit was in ecstasy. More than 7000 people shout “Guardian, Guardian”, and finally Hansi and his partners appeared on stage after the introduction, “War Of Wrath “. The fans were so happy that they didn’t even notice that drummer Thomen Stauch, who couldn’t make it to Brazil due to problems in his arm, had been temporarily replaced by Alex Holzwarth, drummer for the Italian band Rhapsody and Oliver Holzwarth’s brother, the bass player of Blind Guardian. Fireworks blew like fireballs. Astonishing, the people in the pit could not believe what they were watching and listening. Successes as “Lord Of The Rings”, “Mordred’s Song” and “Journey Through The Dark” followed, and the song that Hansi believed to be the favorite one (and he was right); “Bright Eyes”, which was the most popular and applauded song this night.
At Via Funchal, lead vocalist Hansi had an anniversary, so the production team of the show entered the stage with a cake, and the fans sang Happy Birthday in 2 versions: English and Portuguese. But everything good have to finish, just like this night, a real Night At The Opera. The show was almost 2 hours, but still not enough to quench the hunger of the Brazilian audience. It is now a legislated law here in Brazil: There has to be at least one Blind Guardian Concert per year.
The Setlist: War Of Wrath, Into The Storm, Welcome To Dying, Nightfall, Script For My Requiem, Lord Of The Rings, Valhalla, The Soulforged, Born In A Mourning Hall, Mordred’s Song, Banished From Sanctuary, Bright Eyes, Punishment Divine, Bard’s Song, Imaginations From The Other Side
Encores: Happy Birthday Hansi, A Past And Future Secret, Journey Through The Dark, Mirror Mirror
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