Description
Double album on orange swirl vinyls. Limited 150 copies
The King returned to North American in the Autumn of 2014. He was joined on stage by long time band members Andy LaRocque, Mike Wead, Hal Patino, Matt Thompson and backing vocals would be taken care of by Myrkur. But this time around the fans would be able to witness the band’s full European festival stage show. These was the most ambitious and largest productions in North America in the band’s entire history. The King had been absence from the US concerts halls for nearly 10 years due to various health related issues (growing old sucks, even for devil worshiping metal singers). Everything however was worth the wait, the 58 year old singer felt stronger than ever. He had also stopped smoking which made his voice the strongest for decades. This album was recorded at Stage AE in Pittsburgh on the 19th of October 2014. The band arrived on the multi level stage, behind a gate, and kicked things off with The Candle, the opening track from his first solo album Fatal Portrait. King’s voice was strong, loud and clear, and the band was tight. They followed with Sleepless Nights and Welcome Home, with the return of Grandma to the stage (and it was obvious things would not end well for the poor old thing). They avoided the temptation to simply play a greatest hits set, and revisited their last album (2007’s Give Me Your Soul…Please) with Never Ending Hill and Shapes of Black. The show incorporates a lot of props and actors to hint at the story lines these songs are part of (most of King Diamond’s albums are concept albums), and the band used the opportunity to play several deep cuts like At the Graves which hadn’t been played in a long time. The strongest moment of the show came when King revisited his old band Mercyful Fate and played Evil and Come to the Sabbath. The crowd sang along in unison and banged their heads to every musical 90 degree turn, and it really highlighted how important that band is to the story of heavy metal. King Diamond’s voice is, shall we say, an acquired taste, and the satanic lyrics may have cut them off from mainstream success, but there is no doubt they were pioneers in the genre. The main set ended with the classic Eye of the Witch, followed by Cremation where the evil grandma got her comeuppance. The encore went back to what might just be his best album ever, Abigail and offered The Family Ghost and The Black Horsemen to finish the evening. Despite the facepaint, the evil lyrics and occult imagery, King Diamond comes across a gentle soul, and more than ever he seems very appreciative of his fans, and of the opportunities to play for them. He doesn’t come across as typical rock star bullshit. King Diamond is a true metal icon, and let’s hope he keep touring for many years.
Track list:
1. The Candle
2. Sleepless Nights
3. Welcome Home
4. Let It Be Done
5. The Puppet Master
6. At The Graves
7. Tea
8. Digging Graves
9. A Visit From The Dead
10. Evil
11. Come To The Sabbath
12. Never Ending Hill
13. Shapes Of Black
14. Eye Of The Witch
15. Cremation
16. The Family Ghost
17. Black Horsemen