With just one debut record, Anthem Of The Peaceful Army under their belts, Greta Van Fleet has become a household name paving a limelight throughout YouTube and the rock radio charts earning chart busters and climbing in the top ten for weeks at a time.

So you think to yourself “this band is quickly becoming extremely popular, and you have to catch them as sometimes they don’t come around as often as you would want so at any given opportunity much like this you make a point to catch them before they move into arena rock band territory”.

I can’t remember the last time a band of this magnitude sold out consecutive nights in one “market” other than say Phish or Dave Matthews, obviously those bands been around the block and then some but for the likes of Greta to have a line (queue) going from the door of the Metropolitan Opera House, down the block across the street and back round the block again, you would have to see it to believe it!

Whilst you hear how great they are live from other fans standing outside in the freezing cold, you think for a moment and take a minute to pinch yourself to be one of the many lucky fans holding a ticket to witness greatness prevail on stage.

Greta’s music already impressed me greatly on just hearing a hand full of songs and reading a few reviews about their stage presence and rock star charm and charisma so I had to see them for myself how great they are live.

The minute the lights went down after sitting through a decent opening act, it was time for a quick set change and then the Grand entrance of Greta Van Fleet to take center stage.

From the minute they opened the set with When The Curtain Falls I was hooked and had to watch the entire show from start to finish without even looking at my phone!

The fan to band connection Greta has is cemented rock solid and you can feel that with the energy throughout the room within the first twenty minutes of the show. They even managed to include a John Denver cover The Music Is You in their set.

For a huge fan of rock bands in general I have seen many shows but this was perhaps the best show I have seen from a great band not just starting out but taking concert venues by storm and climbing up rock radio charts with a silver bullet.

The energy that these four individuals have as musicians blended so well together live it was an incredible evening of a show that made history not just with me but with everyone else packed inside The Met. They finished their night with an encore of Watch Me by British singer songwriter Labi Siffre and the fabulous crowd pleaser Safari Song.

This was one of the greatest events closing out a year for shows in my backyard, and for others this was the best show of the decade, the sound amazing, a light show fantastic but the band in itself nothing short of spectacular overall.

Live Review & Photography by Steve Trager at The Met, Philadelphia for Greta Van Fleet on 30th December 2019

Many diehard fans know his distinct falsetto voice from the days of black metal with early band Merciful Fate which propelled King D into a phenomenon. His now trade mark mask and a microphone handle, consisting of a femur and tibia bone in the shape of a cross, add to the mystery. What can this instigator of satanic rock opera bring to Pennsylvania tonight?

For many fans that had a chance to catch this band performing across Europe, alongside some legendary iconic names, over the summer of 2019 captivating many of the well known rock festivals seemed to be a great indication of what King Diamond would give to North American fans in a run of dates of what he is calling it The Institute Tour in support of the new album which will be released in 2020.

While it’s been more than a ten year wait for the mastermind of King Diamond to release new material, we settle for nothing less than, what we hope will be, a great live experience.

Sitting through two opening bands is no easy task especially if you don’t know a damn thing about either bands and looking up info on line sometimes has an advantage but takes the enjoyment of what to expect of any band rather quickly. First up was a great short set by Portland Oregano’s Idle Hands a five-piece power house that certainly provided a great six song set from their debut album, Mana, which is worthy of a check on the list of albums to get this year.

A quick set change over and then in direct support of the Diamond Tour was UK Doom rockers Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats led by Kevin Starrs who also entertained the us with tracks from their first five studio albums.

After the final preparations had taken place during the 25 minute intermission, the lights went out and the intro started to fill the speakers of the Tower Theater. The curtain lifted and the entertainment took over, from a the naked eye it appeared to be a two level complete stage set up like a vintage hospital…of course The Institute!

I have always liked how the visual special effects like this makes a typical show much more impressive with lights, smoke machines and a battery of blazing set of lights flashing across the stage.

Out comes King Diamond strapped to a gurney (a wheeled stretcher used for transporting hospital patients) that set the mood of a dead rock star that suddenly comes alive, a bit confused throws he himself off the contraption, and the show begins to unfold with the opening song, The Candle, from the1986 album Fatal Portrait.

We all have out favorites and wished the entire show would be based around every well known song he has ever written but that’s not possible, as a seventy minute show could have easily turned into two plus hours or more if we had it our way.

Other favourites by the Danish shock rocker were pulled from 1990s record The Eye, with Behind These Walls played among cult classics like Voodoo and Halloween spanning his catalog and going way back like a history lesson in gothic metal.

It’s always refreshing when an artist references where it all began for them and King D yelled out to the packed house “it’s nice to back where it all started for me in 1984 with the group Mercyful Fate”.

The energy and the display of the great-well-rounded-musicians he has with him, made for a fantastic show complete with just one new song Masquerade Of Madness from the forthcoming album. Rounding out the complete set list of this show King Diamond unleashed two amazing encores from relics in his catalog Burn and from 1987s Abigail album release, Black Horsemen, which was a heartfelt dedication of the recent passing of his former bassist Timi Hensen.

It was certainly a high energy show with many spectacular songs that have made this individual more than just a performer, he is the King of his own show… enough said.

Review and Photography By Steve Trager at the Tower Theater, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. 10^th November 2019.

One things for sure, it hasn’t taken Ghost that long to become ultra popular in today’s music camp and this American tour has really propelled them into superstars. Whilst finishing up their current Ultimate Tour Named Death for 2019, the band made a trek to the downtown area of Trenton, New Jersey for one incredible evening of music.

Along for the entire tour were support Nothing More which are also a stellar band in their own right. They opened the show with a great forty-five minute set of blazing songs including Don’t Stop, Go To War, and Jenny.

I would have thought for a small arena (“only” 10,000 capacity folks!) that the show would have been sold out, but when you have multiple events going on in and around the area, it’s probably a tough choice of what to see and where.  Honestly for me, Ghost was the hands-down choice for variety, great song lyrics, musicianship and a stage show that will never compare to any normal rock act, which makes them unique as a band.

With a black curtain draped over the entire stage and band crew getting everything prepped the band to take center stage, the intros began to play, it felt like we were in a church ritual, I could see the smoke rising and then the lights gleamed out from behind the curtain and the first opening song Ashes got the show off to a fantastic start..

I have seen this band a few times and if I were to compare then this new show wins hands down. The Nameless Ghouls in this new guise seem head and shoulders above other incarnations. It’s not always about the main individual in bands or supergroups anymore , it is more about the entire show with a fan immersed in the visual experience rather than glued to their cell phone and a band like Ghost certainly puts true emphasis on fascination and creating a great spectacle.

I absolutely love the interaction of not only Cardinal Copia (singer Tobias Forge) centre stage but also many of the, seven strong, Nameless Ghouls head banging, constantly running from side to side and even at one-point fist-pumping each other. Cardinal Copia is the fourth and perhaps less identifiable masked creation as the band leader of Ghost following on from the iconic skull and mitre of Papa Emeritus.

Sitting through twenty plus songs is nothing less than stellar with Cardinal Copia heckling the fans “ So this is Trenton New Jersey” he taunts…  “what do you say we get to know each other a bit better, sort of like a first date, you tell me about you and I will tell you about me”…..  nothing wrong there, by all means, give it your best shot.

They performed one of the heaviest songs from their 2016 album Meliora, Cardinal Copia addressing the fans and saying, “are you ready Trenton this will rock your willy off… it’s called Mummy Dust“.

No Ghost rock show would be complete without pyrotechnics, there is loads of smoke rising from beneath the stage the entire time and hell-raising flames soaring across the stage and the dollar bills shooting out from the confetti canons makes for a fantastic reach out and grab some cash game show.

Finishing off the night with Dance Macabre and the encore that earned them radio success Square Hammer nailed the coffin shut on a great experience of Ghost in concert on this North American tour What a rock show to get your energy and excitement fix, it’s a night’s rich ritual never to forget in Trenton New Jersey.

Live Review & Photography by Steve Trager at Cure Insurance Arena, Trenton, New Jersey for Ghost on 25th October 2019.