Enter the Dragon.

So we went to see DragonForce last night. Utterly ridiculous. Metal should never be in a major key!

Since y'all are undoubtedly interested, here's some of the highlights:

#1 The place was packed. The audience — mostly kids born after 1985 —  knew the words to every song, singing lines like, "So now we fly ever free / We're free before the thunderstorm / On towards the wilderness our quest carries on / Far beyond the sundown, far beyond the moonlight / Deep inside our hearts and all our souls." Can you believe it? I couldn't.

#2. The band cracked weird sexual jokes about one another. It seemed a little too cozy, if you get my meaning.

#3. The singer can hit all the notes.

#4. Guitarist Herman "Shred" Li is out of control. Two-hand tapping is just the tip of the iceberg with this fella. His Digitech whammy pedal makes the solos sound like sped-up video game music.

#5. They had a wind machine, a fog machine and a giant banner. It was as if they were performing in a stadium. Band members took turns running to either side of the stage, stepping out front and flipping their hair around. Rinse and repeat.

#6. The keyboardist took a solo during which he played the keytar with his teeth. Ever go through the patches on a synth and wonder who the hell would use those cheesy factory presets? I found the answer in this guy.

#7. They have an honest-to-goodness power ballad. The shirtless frontman actually asked if there were "any single girls in the audience" before donning a glam-tastic black cowboy hat and crooning like it were 1987.

#8. The ladies actually ate it up.

#9. The drummer must have Popeye-size forearms from all that jackhammer snare action.

#10. All of the songs employ the same formula and construction. That didn't stop the audience from singing along, raising their fists and hopping up and down as instructed.

It was truly a bizarre spectacle. The world has apparently gone mad. I'm just waiting for the inevitable a capella craze.

Speaking of silly metal stuff.... Thanks again, Mark!

Comments

[Meghan Dewald]

Gahlord and I were there too, at least for the first half of the Dragonforce set. I was astounded by the audience fashion parade. First prize went to a guy decked out in neon green spandex tights, ammo belt, black sleeveless tee and, yes, a zebra-print bandanna tied round his forehead. I swear he wasn't a day over 25.

I did relish seeing a keytar played live, though. And those guitar riffs were crazy!

Sorry to have missed the power ballad.

Re: a cappella . . . NSYNC was just the first wave.

[gd]

damn, im sad i missed that show.
sounded ridiculous

[Murf]

Photos! We need photos!

Is a wind machine just a fan or something metal-tastic? Regardless, I love the fact they had a wind mchine AND fog machine. I can just imagine the competing weather fronts within HG. Breezy by the back bar. Rainy at the side bar.

[Tanner]

I use a wind machine when i blog.

[casey]

Dudes, it's totally a wind machine. A *fan* is someone in the audience making the devil's horns.

[cresmer]

I have a kid, and this is what I miss. Damn.