Amazing power metal invades British Columbia!
Alestorm just finished a headlining tour across Canada with support from Sweden’s Twilight Force and Seattle’s Greyhawk. The last stop of the tour was this past Sunday, May 31, in Vancouver, BC, and my son and I drove up for the occasion! The show was at the Commodore Ballroom, a venue I had never been to, and it was simply fabulous. It may be the nicest venue I have been to in Vancouver, with fabulous sound and lighting and a slightly bigger capacity than the other typical venues I see metal shows at.
With it being a work night, I had to leave early to get back to Seattle, so I only saw Greyhawk and Twilight Force.
Greyhawk
Heavy/power metallers Greyhawk are my hometown band, and I always enjoy getting to see them. They unfortunately have had a bit of churn recently, losing their vocalist Anthony Corso. This was a huge bummer for me since I love his vocals so much and thought they were a perfect match for the band. Greyhawk has zero quit in them, though, and they came up with an amazing solution for this tour: enlisting the talents of Dan Cleary, the amazing frontman for Striker. Striker is always a blast to watch, and Dan is tremendous, but the stylistic differences between the 2 bands made me wonder how well he would mesh. Well worry not, as watching him perform might have had you thinking Dan had been a longtime member! He worked so well with the lineup, and I loved hearing him tackle the more power metal vibe. Vancouver is home for Darin (bassist), and you could see how excited he was, riling up the crowd early in homecoming fashion. Jesse and Rob were fabulous as always on guitars, with plenty of movement and great facial expressions, and Nate is always incredible behind the kit. The band did a great job warming up the crowd and getting the energy flowing!
Setlist:
Greyhawk played a 5-song setlist, bookending with 2 older crowd favorites and filling in between with 3 tracks off their latest album “Warriors of Greyhawk” and the always amazing Jesse Berlin guitar solo. This guitar solo was different from any I have seen him do previously, as he got a piggyback ride into the audience while searing his strings. It was so fun seeing him do this, and I loved the creativity! The setlist was:
- Intro / Spellstone
- Take a Stand
- Ascension
- Warriors of Greyhawk
- Jesse Guitar Solo
- Don’t Wait for the Wizard
Twilight Force
Swedish symphonic power metal band Twilight Force was up next. I had last seen them at ProgPower in September 2024, and I will be seeing them in just a couple days at Mad with Power Fest. Their live show is always spectacular, with plenty of theatrics and showmanship. Alessandro is a phenomenal vocalist and frontman, so engaging and energetic while effortlessly hitting any note necessary. At point during the set, he held a note for what felt like forever while making faces, fake checking his watch, etc…making it seem like it was nothing! Kristin Starkey complements Alessandro so well, with her own broad range and incredible voice that adds amazing texture primarily as background vocals, though she absolutely kills it when taking the lead. Keyboardist and founder Daniel Beckman is so fun, acting as the narrator between songs and leading the audience along the journey, including teaching us how to diabolically laugh at one point. Guitar, bass, and drums were super tight and technical, with deft bass lines, string melting guitar solos, and myriad drum rhythms ranging from more standard gallops to blazing blastbeats. Much like Greyhawk, they got the crowd energized, with a number of crowdsurfers and some moshing action. As I said, they are always great, and this show was no exception!
Setlist:
Twilight Force played a 7-song setlist, mostly featuring songs from their last 2 albums. They did go way back to their 2014 debut for “Twilight Horizon,” which saw Alessandro leave the stage and Kristin fabulously taking the lead vocals helm. Personal favorite “Flight of the Sapphire Dragon” saw the blow-up dragon floatie bounce its way all over the audience, a consistently fun component of any Twilight Force show. The set definitely felt short, but it was amazing. The setlist was:
- Twilight Force
- Dragonborn
- Thundersword
- Flight of the Sapphire Dragon
- Twilight Horizon
- Dawn of the Dragonstar
- The Power of the Ancient Force
Final Thoughts
Even needing to leave early, I had an absolute blast and thoroughly enjoyed both Greyhawk and Twilight Force. And I know I made a number of folks happy by giving up my spot on the rail right before Alestorm. Go see these bands! You will not be disappointed.