Live review U.D.O., Zoetermeer, 16.03.2015

It was a Monday night when the metal package of U.D.O. had a stop in Holland. I can remember that when I talked to Udo he wasn't sure if the tour will bring him to The Netherlands. Having this in mind I was even happier when the show was announced.

The start was done by Garagedays. The four guys from Austria haven't had the benefit of a too packed venue. It was still a lot of space in De Boerderij when they entered the stage. But the guys didn't care and enjoyed their show. Solid metal songs, somewhere between power metal and thrash, met an energetic stage acting and The guys have been a positive surprise and they proved that Austria is more than only Jodelmusik.

Sister Sin came next. Their Warlock and Doro inspired metal worked very well. Playing new songs from the latest record "Blacl lotus" as well as tracks like "Outrage" from the "Sound of the underground" longplayer the band warmed-up the metal community very well. Anhd a few metal heads in front of the stage celebrated the band from Gothenburg throughout the entire set.

The four-piece band played a tight gig and had a good mixed sound. It's always impressive with how much power is singing seeing this delicate woman on stage. Where does she take all the power from? A well chosen support for the headliner: U.D.O.

Photos: Markus Wiedenmann

Covered in a camouflage net the stage was set for the legendary singer with the big voice.

From the first note on it was clear that we can expect a real metal night in De Boerderij. Starting into the set with the fast "Speeder" from the new album was an excellent choice. And also the following 19 songs didn't take any prisoners either. Focusing on new songs while having a good mix with older material made the night to a headbanging paradise.

I was impressed by the energy the band transfered. It seems that the generation shift within U.D.O. had something vitalizing for the group. The new guitarists Kasperi and Andrey had obviously a lot of fun on stage and not to forget the punch of Udo's son Sven being responsible for the drums since a few weeks.

The spirit of those young guys together with the experience of Udo and Fitty formed a tight playing band with a dense sound.

Going back to the setlist; there have been of course some Accept songs too. The encore turned De Boerderij into a metal madhouse. The crowd highly appreciated "Fast as a shark" as well as "Balls to the walls". Hearing those tracks with Udo behind the mic makes still a difference. I think that also "Princess of the dawn" was planned to perform, but due to timing issues this classic was sacrificed. Maybe a bit of a downer but since the alomst 100 minutes long shows was filled with great tunes it was something that could be handled.

Having seen the show was an excellence experience. Real heavy metal and a headbangers paradise. A great thing to spend a Monday night and you missed something if you haven't been there.

Photos: Markus Wiedenmann

Setlist:

U.D.O.

Speeder
Blitz of lighting
King of means
Decadent
Independence day
Black widow
Never cross my way
Mystery
Under your skin
Tears of a clown
Secrets in paradise
Faceless world
Pain
Untouchable
Let me out
Metal machine
Metal eater
Break the rules (Encore)
Fast as a shark (Encore)
Balls to the walls (Encore)

Sister Sin:

Food for worms
Outrage
Chaos royale
Heading for hell
Desert queen
Fight song
On Parole
Sail North
Hearts of cold

Location: De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands

Date: 16.03.2015

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