Review & photos by Andrew Bansal
November 4th 2015, The Observatory North Park, San Diego CA: After a successful headline run in 2014 and the Mayhem Festival trek in the summer of 2015, metal legend King Diamond announced a special Fall US tour wherein he would perform his iconic ‘Abigail’ album in its entirety, and months before it started, tickets to nearly all shows were snagged in no time, extra shows got added in New York and Los Angeles due to overwhelming demand, and it quickly became one of the most anticipated heavy metal events of the year. King Diamond arrived in San Diego last Wednesday November 4th 2015, for a show that was announced less than a month prior, at the Observatory North Park with support act Holy Grail, and San Diego metalheads gathered in large numbers to treat themselves to the ‘Abigail’ live experience in a venue most apt for it.
Doors opened at 7 PM, and the show began at 8, as Los Angeles metal warriors Holy Grail took the stage for a 9-song, 40-minute set. This band has been in existence for more than six years, and their founding members have collectively always cited King Diamond as a major influence, as was proven by them covering King Diamond’s ‘No Presents For Christmas’ for a track on their 2011 ‘Seasons Bleedings’ holiday special EP release, and the fact that their members were rocking out to the King Diamond set here later on, just as much as any paying attendee. Holy Grail has traveled the country and beyond on extensive tours and shared the stage with several high-profile metal bands, but this was perhaps their proudest moment, and it showed in their performance as they gave it their 100 per cent and much more, singer James Paul Luna extracting every ounce of his talent to belt out roof-shattering screams that Holy Grail fans have almost never heard live. The set list was perfectly balanced between tunes off of the two full-length albums ‘Crisis In Utopia’ and ‘Ride The Void’, along with two unreleased songs ‘Sudden Death’ and ‘No More Heroes’ which will feature on the long overdue new album. Exodus has been the sole support act for most if not all of these King Diamond ‘Abigail’ shows, and while Metal Assault has absolutely nothing against Exodus, it was refreshing and heartening to see Holy Grail being chosen to do the honors for this particular show, as younger bands like them are in far greater need of such opportunities. The theater was not packed to capacity during Holy Grail’s set but a large percentage of it was populated, and the crowd gave Holy Grail a very positive response. For first-timers here, this was an introduction to a young band that is right up their alley, and for longtime Holy Grail fans, it was indeed a special occasion that lived up to expectations.
Photos:
Set List:
01. Immortal Man
02. Crosswinds
03. No More Heroes
04. Bleeding Stone
05. Sudden Death
06. Call Of Valhalla
07. Ride The Void
08. My Last Attack
09. Fight To Kill
After the end of Holy Grail’s set, the stage was curtained to conceal the preparation for the start of King Diamond‘s set. At 9:15, as ‘Out From The Asylum’ was played on the PA, the curtains drew apart, and out came King Diamond, the backing band first and the frontman last. The first segment of the set comprised six songs including classics from the early King Diamond albums along with two Mercyful Fate covers. The crowd was delirious with excitement, and the King started out this show at his peak right from the outset, delivering an incredible performance on vocals and owning the entirety of the stage in a manner only he can. The ‘Abigail’ portion of the set hadn’t even begun yet, but the first half hour in itself could be deemed worthy of the admission price, as the rendition of these old songs through the combination of flawless musicianship, powerful strobe-laden lighting patterns and compelling theatrics successfully created a world of its own, a world no one in attendance wanted to get out of.
Then came the ‘Abigail’ performance in order of the tracks from start to finish, bringing out the theatrical element much further, as King used the elaborate stage setup which included full-fledged staircases and a balcony, to take a variety of positions all over the stage and give the audience a number of different angles and scenes. The lights were used brilliantly, and during some moments it appeared as if light was coming in from the windows in the backdrop. This being an entirely general admission show, it was best to view the show from two vantage points, up front to get a close look at the King, and in the back and center, to be able to absorb the entirety of the show, both sonically and visually. The sound system here at the Observatory North Park was state-of-the-art perfect, and every layer of the music could be heard clearly even in the farthest corners of the theatre.
King Diamond has enjoyed quite a resurgence in popularity over the past year since resuming active touring. To longtime old-school King Diamond fans it comes as a surprise to see such massive turnouts which certainly wasn’t the case a decade ago, but these audiences are primarily of a young age, and it is purely a result of the younger generation discovering the music that came before their time, and wanting to catch up on what they missed out on. But regardless of the extent of their King Diamond fanhood or knowledge, every single person walked out of this show genuinely mind-blown, and even those that aren’t fans of the music itself but were dragged to this show by someone else would have enjoyed this show, because without doubt, the most telling feature of a King Diamond show is that it’s guaranteed to entertain fans and non-fans alike. If you’re fortunate enough to be getting a King Diamond ‘Abigail’ date in your town, attending the show is an absolute no-brainer.
Photos:
Set List:
01. Welcome Home
02. Sleepless Nights
03. Halloween
04. Eye of the Witch
05. Melissa (Mercyful Fate cover)
06. Come to the Sabbath (Mercyful Fate cover)
07. Funeral
08. Arrival
09. A Mansion in Darkness
10. The Family Ghost
11. The 7th Day of July 1777
12. Omens
13. The Possession
14. Abigail
15. Black Horsemen
Remaining Tour Dates:
11/06 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
11/08 – The Rialto Theatre – Tucson, AZ
11/09 – House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
11/13 – Housecore Horror Fest @ The Aztec Theatre – San Antonio, TX
11/15 – The Civic Auditorium – New Orleans, LA
11/16 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
11/19 – PlayStation Theater – New York, NY
11/20 – PlayStation Theater – New York, NY
11/21 – PlayStation Theater – New York, NY
11/23 – Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
11/24 – Orpheum – Boston, MA
11/25 – The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA
11/27 – Aragon Ballroom – Chicago, IL
11/28 – The Fillmore – Detroit, MI
11/30 – Myth Live – Minneapolis, MN
12/02 – Brady Theater (Club Brady) – Tulsa, OK
12/04 – House Of Blues – Houston, TX
12/05 – House Of Blues – Dallas, TX
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