Last year, Europe released (surprisingly to everyone and myself included) one of my absolute favorite albums. When I first heard War of Kings, I was so blown away and taken back by the sheer awesomeness of this album. As a matter of fact, after hearing this album I went back and discovered that they had put out a lot of really great albums that totally went under my radar. Now, all of the sudden, they were way more than a band that put out and album that I really loved as a kid. They were very much still a relevant band in this day in age who has plenty of great music in them.
When it was announced that Europe would be hitting the road for their first, extensive North American tour in a couple of decades, you can bet your sweet ass that I was pumped as all fuck to see this show. When Europe rolled into town, the day of the show I was full of all kinds of questions. What would the crowd be like? Would the band really meet my expectations? Would they play “Carrie” and make me NOT cringe? All of these answers were to be revealed to me soon enough but before that, I had to make it through the opening act: Gabbie Rae
Gabbie Rae
First off, Gabbie Rae? If I had to try and judge a book by its cover, I would say that Gabbie Rae was a young girl (all of 17) who was more than likely an American Idol contestant trying way too hard to be a “rocker” chick. Well, by the end of her 40 minute set (which was about 30 min too long) I pretty much felt like I had nailed it. Gabbie Rae hit the stage with her hired gun backup band of LA Guitar Center employees and they looked fantastic. I’m pretty sure she actually had “look” auditions for this band.
Anyways, Gabby Rae hit the stage with a quiet thud playing some of the most generic, forgettable yet un-insulting hard rock music. Gabbie and her band launched into one of the most contrived, forced versions of “Ace of Spades” I have ever heard. From there, her set was peppered with covers such as Heart’s “Barracuda”, and two Dio covers (“Last in Line” and “Neon Knights”) that were about as sincere as a Christmas card from Watain. At the close of their set, her bassist got on the mic and said, “What do you think of the future of rock n’ roll?” Well, my answer to that was, “If this is the future of rock n’ roll, the future looks very weak, contrived, and not so exciting.”
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Europe
After a completely underwhelming set from Gabbie Rae and her boyz, it was finally time for Europe to hit the stage. The house lights went out and the crowd roared as the band slammed right into “War of Kings” and right off the bat I couldn’t believe it. They sounded so full of fire and full of gusto. Europe is not your run of the mill nostalgic 80’s band. These guys proved that they are still very capable of making intriguing, exciting new music that, in my opinion, eclipses the nostalgic hits that put them on the map. Before I could even get my shit together they were going head first into “Hole in My Pocket” which once again was just killing it. To see them opening with not one but two new songs showed that these guys still have a lot of to say.
“Rock the Night” followed from The Final Countdown and what a damn great song. It sounded so good alongside the newer material but also gave the old schoolers something to sing along with but it was “Scream of Anger” from Wings of Tomorrow that had my jaw hitting the floor. To see them dig that deep was so fucking amazing and a total nod to us Europe fans who’s love for them extended far beyond “the hits.” The rest of the setlist had the band pulling heavily from their later era albums with such great songs such as the stellar “Second Day”, “Nothin’ To Ya”, “Firebox”, and “Last Look at Eden.”
The last inning of the show had Europe delivering a 1-2-3 punch starting with my favorite track from The Final Countdown, “Cherokee.” At this point, it was all I could to do contain myself and I just lost my mind and started singing along with every word that Tempest was singing. Europe closed out with “Days of Rock & Roll” before returning for, you guessed it, “The Final Countdown.” Say what you will about this song but hearing this song live in 2016 and hearing it not sound dated or overly nostalgic was really amazing for me. They played this song like they were playing it for the first time and it was every bit as exciting as the rest of their mind blowing set.
Europe played every song with so much passion and energy. The band was absolutely on fire and I have to say that, if it’s not already known, Joey Tempest is hands down one of the greatest front men in hard rock. He sounded and looked amazing and the way he held the audience in his hand was something truly magical to see. Seeing a band so passionate and so invested in what they are doing made me feel like I was seeing something really special. This show was an absolutely mind blowing experience and stands as a very loud testament to the fact that Europe is not your typical old school nostalgic band. If you are someone that is going to write off Europe just because you don’t like “The Final Countdown”, you are really missing out on a band that has a long, vast catalog of remarkable music and a that is more than capable of putting one of the best live performances you will ever see and/or hear. Yes, you can quote me on that.
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