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Report

Headbangers Ball Tour Live Report From Nov. 6 2004 at Worcester, MA

Band Photo: Cradle Of Filth (?)

The queue was winding around the corner when I arrived at The Palladium. It was around 7 and the venue was already packed. I was amazed to find out that the crowd was predominantly made up of hardcore kids. I saw only a few painted faces here and there. I remember thinking during the day that it's a very brave decision on behalf of the organizers to mix black metal and hardcore fans and I was convinced ( judging from my overseas experience) that a bunch of fights would ensue. Fortunately, this didn't happen. The American fans seemed tolerant of other people's musical tastes.

The show started 30 minutes earlier than announced. HIMSA came out all hyped and managed to ignite the crowd. The vocalist was so enthusiastic that by the third song a bunch of crowd surfers were landing in the photographers' pit. Even the singer tried crowd surfing but his mic cable was too short.

Next came BLEEDING THROUGH. Judging by the number of people singing along, this band has hordes of fans in this area. Brandan was even more energetic and acrobatic tonight than when I saw him this summer at Ozzfest. He was running and doing diving rolls from one end of stage to the other, and leaping high in the air. Then he climbed onto the barriers and a few kids got a chance to exhibit their vocal abilities. And again, a multitude of crowd surfers. I even started to recognize the faces of the kids who came crushing into the pit in front of the stage.

ARCH ENEMY too had their own strong and loyal crowd. A couple of kids were holding up the Swedish flag. Angela came out in ragged jeans and captured most male attention. They opened up with Enemy Within, from their 2001 LP "Wages Of Sin". These guys were very tight and had some great moments, especially on the recently popular We Will Rise. The setlist was mainly comprised of songs from their last two full length albums- "Wages Of Sin" and "Anthems Of Rebellion":

Enemy Within
Silent Wars
Burning Angel
We Will Rise
Dead Eyes See No Future
Dead Bury Their Dead
Savage Messiah
Instinct
Bury Me An Angel
Ravenous

Last time I saw CRADLE OF FILTH was at the last years' NJMHF where they had a naked chick hanging on red curtains from the ceiling. This year the stage props weren't as elaborate but still quite impressive. The backdrop consisted of tall arch- like screens that later on served as a background of artistic and, at times, obscene projections.

The guys emerged on stage in black monks' cassocks. Adrian and Martin were at either end of the stage. Angelic- voiced Sarah Jezebel's platform was between theirs. Dreadlocked Dani & Co. started off with Gilded C**t and Nemesis. Then followed an extensive set, including the renowned Her Ghost In The Fog and From Cradle To Enslave, to which many fans were singing along and incoherent moshing occured. Not much headbanging though, except for two kids that were doing so in perfect unison. The setlist:

Gilded C**t
Nemesis
The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh
Mannequin
Nymphetamine
Her Ghost In The Fog
The Forest Whispers My Name
The Promise Of Fever
Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids
From Cradle To Enslave

The show was a feast to the metalhead's visual and auditory senses.Guitarist James was particularly impressive, especially with his ability to maintain perfect control of the melody while spinning his marvellous three foot blonde tresses. Dani was inspiring as always. A great performance, displaying both style and artistic skill.

You can view photos from this show in the Photo Gallery.