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This is a show that I have been looking forward to ever since it was announced and there was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity to see it…even though the nearly 4 hr drive is a pain in the ass.

The show started with Jag Panzer of course. Their last album did not overly impress me but I have to admit they sounded a lot better live than they did on Mechanical Warfare. The sound was good and the presence and energy they displayed was excellent. They only played for about a half hour but they did exactly what they were supposed to do as an opening band and that is to get the crowd started.

Next up was In Flames. I always thought these guys were an OK band but never really got into their music as much as their contemporaries in Dark Tranquility. Just as was the case with Jag Panzer they pulled off an excellent set in which I was more than a little impressed. After getting home from the show I broke out a few of the In Flames albums and had to give them another chance and for some odd reason they seem to sound better to me now.

Finally the time almost everyone there was waiting for and Iced "motherfucking" Earth hit the stage. I could rattle on how well the songs transferred live or how well they were played as well as the crowd just going insane but the thing that struck me more than anything else about their set was the power and conviction with which the band brought forth the music. You not only heard the music but you also felt it as well. After doing as many shows as these guys have done on this tour you would think that the intensity level for the band would be dropping a bit but that certainly wasn’t the case for Monday night and the crowd was the recipient. The way I noticed this most was just by looking around during the set at the crowd reaction. On the slower more personal songs like "A Question of Heaven" and "Watching Over Me" the same metal heads that were screaming and slamming in the pit one minute now were transfixed on the stage and you could literally see them getting choked up. I have never seen this before in any other concert that I have seen and it really brought me a new respect for the band’s stage show.

The only bad thing I could say about the show was simply that I think it should have been held in a larger venue since the place was absolutely packed. You couldn’t move more than 2 feet without running into someone and trying to get some decent live shots was damn near impossible. I don’t know what the capacity is for the club but if I would have to guess I would say the show was oversold simply by the amount of people crammed into the bar. Another minor complaint was how quickly t-shirts sold out and the lack of any Iced Earth North American tour shirts. I was hoping for a specialized shirt for the tour for North America but the only band that had one was In Flames.

Overall the show was excellent from start to finish and well worth the time and expense of getting there. This is definitely one of those shows that if you don’t have the money for a ticket you may consider selling one of your kidneys on the black market to get the cash…hell you really only need one anyway… :)