accept_2011_02

» Accept 2010 02 17

Reviewed by Tobbe
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Special guest: Grand Magus + Steelwing
City: Stockholm, Sweden
Venue: Arenan, Fryshuset
Date: 17 February 2011
Set length: 115 minutes

Accept

Five weeks through their European tour, Accept arrive in a cold and snowy Stockholm. Last year they played a couple of reunion shows at small clubs and one gig landed in Stockholm in May. That gig was reviewed as one of the best gigs in 2010. This time, just nine months later, they return with a new album, the critically acclaimed Blood Of The Nations. This tour is a great opportunity to show everyone that the new Accept is something worth listening to. The crowd was filled with prople in their 30's and 40's, and we all know that nostalgia has a strong impact. Would the new songs go down well or would all just be waiting for the 80's stuff?

The band enters the stage and up first is Teutonic Terror, followed by Bucket Full Of Hate, both from their latest release. These songs goes down well and they had set the pace for the rest of the show. They continue their set with a couple of 80's songs, which even brought my nostalgia back to a level that cannot be described. You could really see that the band feels safe with their new lineup and with lead singer Mark Tornillo. They are smiling and laughing more than ever and are interacting with the front rows in ways that cannot be misinterpreted.

The set continues with loads of great songs, such as Restless And Wild and Metal Heart and the crowd seems to be enjoying every minute. A bit later, tonight's surprise Aiming High is played. I would never have expected them to play this song and by the response from the people in the venue, this is a favorite song, which should stay in the set for a long time. One song that didn't go down that well though, played earlier in the set, was the new song New World Comin', which I think, should have been replaced by another song from the new album, like Rolling Thunder or the title track.

We get a long version of Princess Of The Dawn with a short bass solo, followed by a Peter Baltes/Wolf Hoffmann duel. I would have preferred one extra song instead, since solos isn't my cup of tea and never will be. They play a pair of songs more and then it's time for the encores. The intro to Fast As A Shark gets the crowd going and later explode during the song. They also perform the new song, Pandemic. It takes a lot of self confidence to play a new song second to last, when they have tons of great songs in their catalogue which aren't played. Balls To The Wall is closing the set and everyone seems happy with this performance.

Accept is now a solid quintet and if their next releases are as good as their last, they will have a hard time picking their setlists for future gigs. One thing is certain. I will definitely try to see them again this summer during the European festival season.

7,5 chalices of 10

Setlist:

Intro
Teutonic Terror
Bucket Full Of Hate
Starlight
Love Child
Breaker
New World Comin'
Restless And Wild
Son Of A Bitch
Monsterman
Metal Heart
Neon Nights
Bulletproof
The Abyss
Losers And Winners
Aiming High
Princess Of The Dawn
Up To The Limit
Burning
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Fast As A Shark
Pandemic
Balls To The Wall