The first impression was a shocking one…I arrived at the venue at exactly 20.30 (this was the time when the doors were supposed to open for the public) and I came across the enormous queue of 9 people!!! I started wondering whether I had missed a cancellation announcement or something…40 seconds later it just hit me… This is the country that is still so hooked up to the 80s, it bloody stinks. The sad truth is that there are very little instances for the Greek audience to enjoy a band at it's peak (in a decent venue at least)… And it is not the fault of the promoters; it is not the fault of sponsors or the media; if you seek the guilty you need only look into a mirror.
I'm not talking about you that have never even heard of this band or don't give a damn about their music. I'm referring to the people that constantly ask DJs to spin their records in all major and minor metal clubs of this city…Where were you?
In any case, the doors opened at about a quarter to nine and the crowd of 40 people or something stormed in! First act were the Greek IN UTERO CANIBALISM and by the time these guys hit the stage half an hour later the audience had reached the number of a little less than a hundred. These deathsters are good! A solid forceful unit that managed to impress me even though I'm not into brutal death metal. IN UTERO CANIBALISM played for about 40 minutes and their stage performance was splendidly energetic. They have an amazing rhythm section and both guitarists performed with razor like precision. I was told that their latest album "Psychotic Killing Lust" was really good but they made me want to check it out as soon as possible. They even played a couple of crowd pleaser tracks by Dying Fetus and Cannibal Corpse to add the finishing touch to their show…Cool!
At exactly 22.20 PAIN hit the stage. "Same Old Song"! I expected them to start their show with something out of their latest "Psalms To Extinction" album but they proved me wrong by choosing the starting track of their earlier and absolutely amazing "Dancing With The Dead" album. Anyway, the audience (of about 300 people) is absolutely delighted and they welcome
Peter Tagtren as a true new age icon. Delirium and frenzy strikes the front couple of rows (I am not sure about the people behind me, but they sounded enthusiastic as well). The second song comes without a seconds pause. "Eleanor Rigby"!!! (and again, I hadn't seen that coming) This song, taken out of their "Nothing Remains The Same" album is perhaps one of the best cover tracks I've ever heard. The performance of PAIN is plain perfect. From that point on they own the venue and they know it. No light-show exaggerations, no stage show hypocrisy, the gig seems to be a real party. The 36 year old frontman (twisted beard and all) wears his trademark red shirt and black tie and seems to be the most relaxed person on the face of the earth. It all comes out spontaneously. Next up: "The End Of The Line" and "Zombie Slam". Tagtren jokes around for a while and then he throws a punch line that sounded something like "I hope there will be more people next time!" That really hurt…Are there really any chances for a "next time"?
More great songs followed and it seems that PAIN really paid some serious attention when they built their set list. "Dancing With The Dead", "Stay Away", "Suicide Machine" were just a few of the songs that went after and these guys seemed to be on fire! All the session musicians seemed very experienced on stage and often joined in for the chorus vocals, obviously boosting the whole stage performance outcome a step further, not to mention the machine precision drumming. "On and On"!!! Definitely one out of the two highlights of the evening. PAIN are absolutely stunning as they perfectly perform one of the best tracks from their "Rebirth" album. They seem to be having a great time and that is obvious by their performance as well.
They are awesome! "If you don't like the next song…Then just hate me!" Said Tagtren and "Just Hate Me" comes right after. Clean and simple. A slightly slower song to give us all a break right in the middle of havoc. "Are there any ladies in here? Well, the next song is for all you ladies!". "Bitch" (!!!) follows…PAIN started leaving the stage, waving goodnight and thanking all that managed to show up. But still the audience yells impatiently and PAIN soon get back on stage.
Their encore starts with the phrase "You know we couldn't leave without playing this next song. You all know what it is! Does anyone have a mobile phone or something?" The ultimate crowd pleaser track, "Shut Your Mouth", begins with that familiar "wake up" tune and Tagtren barely gets to sing through this one! The crowd goes berserk and he passes one of the microphones down to the front rows. The audience strongly demands "Bye-Die" as a second encore. Tagtren laughs and admits he does not remember the lyrics yet he drags the whole band back on stage by force! (a bit theatrical but what the hell…) "Bye-Die" it is!! Tagtren (until that time we all thought he was joking again) completely forgets the lyrics of the second verse and starts laughing and shouting something that sounded like "I told you I didn't remember the f… lyrics!!!" but PAIN play on. No one seems to care. It is all authentic. Everyone is just jumping around ecstatically and so is the band. Another couple of songs follow and PAIN end their show precisely at midnight. More than one and a half hour of rapture…Thank you guys!!!
Tasos Serras
TIME: 20:30, an unknown flying object landed in the area of Athens. From a cold, distant galaxy, came a huge mother ship, having on both sides, symbols that were creating a word: PAIN. The doors opened, releasing a dim, green light and a human form appeared. Peter Tagtgren was here, and that night he spread the alien disease in club Gagarin and infected all humans who were present.
Blessed are they, who were in Gagarin and experienced this live.
The doors opened at 20:30 and once again the luck of audience was annoying. About three hundred people gave their presence and I think its about time to stop fooling ourselves with the myth that we have the hottest crowd or that we are erudite when it comes to metal. I can't possibly believe that a band like PAIN has only three hundred fans in Greece.
So, for those who know or like PAIN and didn't show up that night, it's really a pity…
Anyway, the Greek band IN UTERO CANNIBALISM opened the show playing death/grind and giving all they've got on stage, making the environment livable for the horror out of apace that was about to follow. Making a sound check that lasted only fifteen minutes (which is a rare fact, at least in Greece…) and proving their complete professionalism, PAIN got on stage. With his red shirt and the black tie, Peter Tagtgren and his companions filled the atmosphere with unearthly emotions, universal sounds and of course with megatons of metal! Songs like "On and On", "The Same Old Song", "Shut Your Mouth" and "Eleanor Rigby" made the
small crowd jumping up and down, but they didn't stop there. "Just Hate Me", "Bye/Die" and "Bitch", combined with the unstoppable headbanging of the band, increased the adrenaline in dangerous level. Warm, friendly and communicative, making jokes and exhibiting his soul through his music, this great musician and performer that hears in the name of Peter Tagtgren, gave the 100% to please us; and he succeeded! Passing the microphone to the crowd and saying that he forgot the lyrics of "Bye/Die" and needs some help, showed the dignity and the low profile of a man who is considered as a metal god in Sweden and not only. The band played almost two hours and it was one of these concerts that I didn't want to end. When the show was over and I left the club, I had this strange sense that I was a little bit taller than I was before…
Congratulations to the organizers for the great band selection and the good sound which made us all leave totally satisfied from the club that night…
