James Labrie / Evergrey
30 April 2005
Mean Fiddler, London
Dream Theater have a pretty devoted fan base, but it seems for many of their followers, James Labrie isn`t their favourite member. Although there`s a lot of Dream Theater shirts tonight, there`s also a considerable amount of space in the Mean Fiddler.
It`s a brave man who has Evergrey as a support band and given the full stage, backdrop and lighting ,it feels like you are watching the headline band as they cruise through a classy nine song set.
Blinded kicks things off, with Tom S. Englund announcing, "We are Evergrey from Sweden" after the songs intro riff. The usual first song sound problems were thankfully just that with things picking up considerably as the technical introduction signalled End Of Your Days. Englund puts considerable energy into enthusing the crowd and has them clapping along to this song.
Evergrey tend to stick to their respective places, looking moody and headbanging in synchro such as at the start of More Than Ever, however there presence is such that running round the stage wouldn`t be right.
She Speaks To The Dead is the oldest song in the set tonight and after another clap along through the intro, Michael Håkansson appeared to be strangling the life out of his bass so absorbed in the song was he. Englund dispenses with his guitar for an emotive I`m Sorry, lightening the mood by pausing the song mid first verse for a sip of water.
Jonas Ekdahl was on his feet behind his kit to start the clapping for Recreation Day. Henrik Danhage tears through a particularly impressive solo in the song`s speedy section, immediately followed by Englund, as the song`s pace is pulled back.
After Mark Of The Triangle, a call for Evergrey to comeback and headline is met with a huge cheer from the rest of the crowd and Englund quipping, "Are you working for me?"
A round of completely out of time clapping from the crowd during the intro to A Touch Of Blessing doesn`t put Englund off and as the twin guitar bridge to the chorus floods through the venue the effect is uplifting. At the songs conclusion Danhage plays a brief solo before Englund jokes that Danhage isn`t singing tonight as he`s better at playing guitar. It turns out he`d actually got material on his vocal chords.
The Masterplan wraps things up in style. Evergrey deserve to be much bigger and in my view should have been headlining tonight.
Evergrey set list:
Blinded / End Of Your Days / More Than Ever / She Speaks To The Dead / I'm Sorry / Recreation Day / Mark Of The Triangle / A Touch Of Blessing / The Masterplan
Could James Labrie follow that? Well initially it seemed he could as the thrashy Crucify opened the set with Labrie working the whole stage. Alone, also from the Elements Of Persuasion album from which all bar Smashed was played, followed without a pause. Labrie points out keyboard player Matt Guillory and guitarist Marco Sfogli during their respective solos.
Labrie says how lovely it is to be in London and that the band, who he introduces, had been doing the "tourist thing" the previous day. He also makes it clear not to expect any Dream Theater songs tonight, which is met by a collective boo, pacified when he announces Dream Theater will be back touring Europe in six weeks time, though I`ve yet to see a UK date confirmed.
It`s from this point that things start to become frankly boring. You cannot fault the ability of the band but everything is played so clinically that it lacks feeling. Each song is a wait for the appearance of another impressive solo from Marco Sfogli. Sfogli looks uncannily like John Thompson from Cold Feet, but plays with the skill of John Petrucci. Unfortunately when his solo spot does come it sounds like an emotional musical interlude from Top Gun.
There`s also a solo for drummer John Malacuso, who`s CV includes stints with TNT, Ark and Malmsteen, and plenty of opportunities for the rest of the band to show off their talents during each song.
I appreciate Labrie was keen to air his solo material but a set of nineteen songs was quite a marathon even for the devoted it would seem as the crowd reaction became more flat and the numbers thinned as the set wore on. When Invisible is announced as the last song, it`s with a sense of relief.
James Labrie set list:
Crucify / Alone / Oblivious / Venice Burning / Confronting the Devil / Slightly Out of Reach / Undecided / Pretender / Falling / Drained / Lost / Listening / Shores of Avalon / Save Me / Freak / A Simple Man / Stranger / In Too Deep / Invisible
LINKS:
James Labrie
Evergrey
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