Stratovarius Community

I just got in from the NYC show at BB Kings in Manhattan. It was fantastic! I had never seen Strato before. It was great to have them here in the states. The crowd was very welcoming.

Strato played for almost two hours, coming out for two encores including Hunting High and Low, Forever and Black Diamond. The band was tight and I swear Timo Kotipelto sounded better live than he does in the studio. I think his voice is stronger now than ever.

I got some great pictures, so as soon as I am able I'll post them. They look really good on my digital camera!

HHammerhead wrote:coming out for two encores including Hunting High and Low, Forever and Black Diamond.

Wow that's a surprise ! I didn't imagine they would ever play those three...

MaFiaBoY wrote: Wow that's a surprise! I didn't imagine they would ever play those three...

Oh... don't be so mean!

There was a fourth song in the encores, I just don't remember what it was.

Some other highlights from the set:
Father Time
Twilight Symphony
Kiss of Judas
United
Against the Wind
Speed of Light
Coming Home
Legions
Will the Sun Rise?
Destiny


There are a couple of other songs that I'm missing here, but you get a feel for what the setlist was like. The other interesting thing is that the only solo of the night was from the new bassist, Lauri Porra.

The band put on a great show. The other thing that surprised me was how gracious the band was. They acknowledged the crowd continuously. Kotipelto led the crowd in chants and singing, bowing to the crowd and thanking them/us for the support. Tolkii was gracious as well, nodding and mouthing "thank you" as well.

It was my first Strato show after being a fan for years, and I'm really glad I had a chance to see them.

I was there too, and took some pics, I'll post them later....

TK was the surprise, he was great, and his voice was the finest!

Damn it, I was right there under they by the end of the night....

Hehehe I was one of the few singing Maniac Dance/LOIAS/United....

Oh...the night was great!

The bad points were the long wait before they start, the fire in the middle of Destiny, and the crappy band before them.....

IntoEternity....

Great show last night. I felt it was better than the Atlanta show. I could do without the 20 minute tour video beforehand. That thing seems to go on forever. Then you have the 6 minute "Land of Hope and Glory" intro before the band finally hits the stage. TK sang great and TT actually smiled. I guess he took his medication before the show. They played the usual set and actually seemed as if they had been listening to the American fans about the number of ballads. They sang them anyway
Another word on the tour video....why do Europeans still insist on wearing Speedos???

Great show last night. I felt it was better than the Atlanta show. I could do without the 20 minute tour video beforehand. That thing seems to go on forever. Then you have the 6 minute "Land of Hope and Glory" intro before the band finally hits the stage. TK sang great and TT actually smiled. I guess he took his medication before the show. They played the usual set and actually seemed as if they had been listening to the American fans about the number of ballads. They sang them anyway
Another word on the tour video....why do Europeans still insist on wearing Speedos???

frohicke63 wrote:Another word on the tour video....why do Europeans still insist on wearing Speedos???

Well, someone lost his while challenging the brave waves in some beach in some southamerican country

@ Equinox: What is the surprise of TK being great? And what fire during Destiny?

Rock On!

Ok, here's the official set list. Hope you can read it. I'm too lazy to type it in.


As much as I enjoyed seeing them at ProgPower, the show in New York City was better. Sound, energy, everything. I do think that intro is a little long, but I think the guys are buying themselves some time with it. And I don't mind waiting. Took a lot more photos, but we didn't get in from the show until after 5am so I'm too tired to do more. They'll all be on BeyondEarCandy.com (with larger ones) in a couple days. I swear.




I love hair swinging shots!

Dawn_is_Here wrote:Well, someone lost his while challenging the brave waves in some beach in some southamerican country

:rotflmao1: :rotflmao2:
well, I warned about that beach!

What does TTs shirt say? Something about Fucking.......... I can't read the rest of it

Yeah, it got my attention.

Dawn, which StratoGuy lost his Speedos?

That caught my attention, too.

New York Fucking City. It's suppose to be funny, not an insult. Where I live we all call our state Fucking Jersey. It's a joke.

Cristiane wrote:

Dawn_is_Here wrote:Well, someone lost his while challenging the brave waves in some beach in some southamerican country

:rotflmao1: :rotflmao2:
well, I warned about that beach!

Yeah, I didn't dare to get into the sea, the waves were too big!

...But you know how Finnish Sisu works But still was so funny! Even 2 old ladies who also witnessed it ended up laughing and clapping! :rotflmao1: :rotflmao1:

Sorry BEG, I will keep the secret unless the guy himself wants to reveal it

Rock On!

Dawn_is_Here wrote:@ Equinox: What is the surprise of TK being great? And what fire during Destiny?

I mean, like I wasn't expecting HIM to be the most euphoric. I was expecting JJ to be the craziest.

BTW, he was so calm! that it sucked.

Oh, yeah the fire!

In the begining of destiny, a smell like if someone was smoking was in the air, and I though "who the hell is smoking" but after a while, JJ caught my atention 'cuz he was throwing water at some gears behind him....and inmediatly, a guy from the venue ran over the stage but, I didn't saw any flame, just the odor. I just called it 'fire'

Dawn_is_Here wrote:

Cristiane wrote:

Dawn_is_Here wrote:Well, someone lost his while challenging the brave waves in some beach in some southamerican country

:rotflmao1: :rotflmao2:
well, I warned about that beach!

Yeah, I didn't dare to get into the sea, the waves were too big!

...But you know how Finnish Sisu works But still was so funny! Even 2 old ladies who also witnessed it ended up laughing and clapping! :rotflmao1: :rotflmao1:

Sorry BEG, I will keep the secret unless the guy himself wants to reveal it

Rock On!

You don't have to tell--I know who you all spent time with&through deductive reasoning, I know! Sounds like fun!

For those of you who were at the show, here's the shot Timo took from the stage. Anyone see themselves in it?

I'm not there.

I'm not in the picture either, but I do recognize the guy in the front with his mouth wide open. He was standing beside me for most of the show. I have a crowd shot to share, and one of me and the drumstick I caught. TT threw that one! He just flipped it over his shoulder when he was talking to Jorg.

Damn, I have to get those pictures up. Working on it....

Lucky Catch!

HHammerhead wrote:I'm not in the picture either, but I do recognize the guy in the front with his mouth wide open. He was standing beside me for most of the show. I have a crowd shot to share, and one of me and the drumstick I caught. TT threw that one! He just flipped it over his shoulder when he was talking to Jorg.

Damn, I have to get those pictures up. Working on it....

Really? So, u were in TT's side?
'cuz I was right in front of LP.....

Drumsticks...Nice!

TK throw the other one over my side...but I was far...

No I was dead in the middle of the stage with one or two people in front of me at all times. The guy that's in the picture looks exactly like a guy that was on my right for most of the show. He could have been in front of TT when the picture was taken and been pushed around.

The drumstick WAS a lucky catch. I was paying attention to TT and the thing flew right into my waiting hands! TT had his back to the crowd for about 20 seconds (right in front of the drum kit) and then flipped it. I guess everyone else was watching the other guys.

This picture uploading thing sucks! I'm trying to get them on my webspace for the first time. Downloading and now learning HTML programs for the first time....

HHammerhead wrote:This picture uploading thing sucks! I'm trying to get them on my webspace for the first time. Downloading and now learning HTML programs for the first time....

Don't worry my friend, I know the feeling.

I can't believe they are finally here!!! I hope I can afford a tour shirt (or even make it to the show!). I've been talking about this band for years and they are constantly in my thoughts. Timo's new guitar is fucking awesome! One day I vow to have my own custom ESP signature model (or another favorite company of my choice).

I just got back from NY and it was amazing! I'd never been to the city before and I had a blast! NY is sooo cool!
But that's beside the point...

Equinox wrote:
The bad points were the long wait before they start, the fire in the middle of Destiny, and the crappy band before them.....

IntoEternity....

Most of the evening was really awesome. I agree that the wait was really long, but hey, it provided a chance to do some "metal bonding" with the people around me.

Personally, I like Into Eternity. I'm not going to run out
and buy one of their cds, but this was my third time seeing them and I think they put on a really kick ass live show.

My only complaint is all the assholes who were pushing so hard. I was in the very front, a bit off to the left, and everybody behind me kept shoving so hard that I had trouble breathing. I've never had that problem before at a metal show.

The best part for me was getting TT's pick. He was right in front of me so before they played Black Diamond I shouted up to him "can I have your pick?" and he replied "we'll see", then when they finished the song he walked over and gave it to me! It made me feel special

You were special! I bet you will keep it forever! Bronze it or frame it? Whatever. Its cool!

maiden_of_ironness wrote:
My only complaint is all the assholes who were pushing so hard. I was in the very front, a bit off to the left, and everybody behind me kept shoving so hard that I had trouble breathing. I've never had that problem before at a metal show.

That happened to me when I saw Children of Bodom, Dimmu Borgir, and Symphony X. (different shows of course) Sucks, but gotta' deal with it *shrugs*

I was at the show Wednesday night and it was absolutely PHENOMENAL. The wait between between Into Eternity's set and Stratovarius' set was quite the buzzkill at the time, but I would've gladly waited twice as long if I'd known how awesome Stratovarius' set was going to be.

I was standing behind the wall that overlooked the center booths and tables for the first two-thirds of the show (right next to a guy who was doing an atrocious job of recording the concert), but then I worked my way down to the floor over the course of two songs. Looks like it payed off; I'm the screaming guy second from the bottom on the far left who's silhouetted by the horns of the long-haired guy in the very front (you can only see part of my right hand; I'm not too sure who the hell's hand that is to the immediate left of me; and hooray for run-on sentences!).

The bass solo caught me really off-guard, but I was pretty psyched, between being a bassist myself and my only prior experience with Stratovarius live being limited to "There's one good news and one bad news: bad news is, the drum solo hasn't finished. Good news; no bass solo!" It was definitely one of the best bass solos I've heard in a long time, if not ever; although I should've suspected the show would be different from what I was anticipating when they broke up the metal monotony of the playlist before Into Eternity came on with some Weather Report.

All-in-all, despite the unheeded advice in the form of a "Stratofortress" chant in between nearly ever song, it was a pretty kick-ass show.

Edit:

I felt that Kiss Of Judas was easily their best performance of the night. What about you guys?

browneyedgirl wrote:You were special! I bet you will keep it forever! Bronze it or frame it? Whatever. Its cool!

Hell yeah I'm gonna keep it forever! As soon as I find a drill it's going on my necklace next to the two HammerFall picks I got in August.

B.B King's is such a great place to see a show...I saw a Dream Theater, Rush and Queensrÿche tribute there as well as Hammerfall and Edugy this summer....

If there wouldn't have been a Philly show I could go to..I would've gone there...

Actually, if I would've had more money...I would've gone to both

I dont know why people are soo hard on Into Eternity... They are soo good, noting to compare to stratovarius but still. People should be more open minded...