Review and Pictures by Celtic Bob
My third HELIX show the year and in a little over a month as
well.
Am I tired of seeing them? Not a bit.
Would I go see them a fourth or fifth time in the same year?
Damn right I would. They put off a killer show no matter what
the venue or attendance. As I did with my last review (30th) and
my intro to EvilG’s review of the SJ show I will begin a little
earlier than showtime.
Saturday morning I show up at the hotel and am greeted in the
parking lot by Brian and Lynda Vollmer. We hop in my car and
take a quick spin around town then back to the hotel for
breakfast. We then go back to their room where Brian has a band
rehearsal in a little while. Lynda and I leave the room and
proceed over to the shopping center to get a couple of things
for that evenings show. Once we return to the hotel we meet up
with Rick and EvilG who just arrived in town for the show after
driving 4 hours in the pouring rain. We all goto the hotel room
where EvilG interviews Brian. Once he finishes we head over to
Rainer and Cindy’s room
to interview Rainer. After that a few of
us (Lynda, Rainer and Cindy) as well as Rick, EvilG and myself
all go out and see some sights around the area. After that, the
band all head out for supper and do sound check’s etc. We get to
the show as the gate’s open and there is nobody there. We go
into Dooly’s and relax until the band is supposed to hit the
stage at 11:15pm. Just prior to them starting Archie comes along
and says to come backstage for a beer before the show. We
go back and everyone is getting geared up for the show despite
the small crowd. We then head out to the show as the band does
last minute preparations for the show.
The security wanted to keep the crowd back about 10ft from
the stage but as soon as the band hit the stage Brian got us ALL
up against the stage like a true concert should be. Despite the
insanely small crowd Brian and co. played and performed like
they were in front of 300,000 and not the 300 that were there.
The setlist was basically the same as the St. John’s one but
this time they got to play “Deep Cuts the Knife” which got
omitted last time. I swear this guy’s voice keeps getting better
as time goes on. At one point in the show Brian said that seeing
how he was in NL he had to go get some Fish and Chips. After
that he went shopping and got a new shirt (which he was wearing
under his Zep one). When he removed the Zep shirt he was proudly
wearing a tee with the NL flag on it. At
one point during the show he made a comment about the small
crowd saying that everyone should tell their friends the next
day what an excellent show they saw and that they could thank
them that they have Search and Rescue next time they get lost in
the woods. This show was supposed to be a benefit for Search and
Rescue but that is a whole different story that I will not get
into. Anyways the band performed about 18 songs and played until
about 1am. During “Rock You” Brian got off the stage and out in
the crowd to sing, which seems to be the trademark for this RnR
anthem. He brought Cindy out to the front for “Dirty Dog” which
was great as she is an excellent addition to the band. Jim and
Stan were on 11 the whole show playing great and putting on an
excellent show for the people there.
Rainer pretty much stayed on his side of the stage but
definitely made his presence known with his playing. At one
point during the set I believe it was “Running Wild” that I
noticed Archie looking a bit pissed and motioning for a sound
guy to come up on stage or crank up his monitor. After a second
I realized he lost his kick drum. Cindy came up and couldn’t fix
it. Finally as the song was almost over some sound guy came up
and fixed it in time to end the track. Apart from the missing
pedal Arch never missed a beat the whole time. It just goes to
show the great musicianship in the band. This is the most solid
group of players Vollmer has had behind him since the Classic
80’s/Capitol line-up. Hopefully this line-up will stay with him
for many years to come and release a lot of great music which I
know they are quite capable of doing.
After the show the band went back to the Merch booth to meet
fans and to sign stuff. Afterwards I went backstage to talk to
the band, have a beverage and relax.
The next morning I hopped in my car and drove to Gander again
and met up with Brian and Lynda. We did a bit of sightseeing and
were about to drive to my hometown for a visit but plans changed
and Brian, Lynda, Rainer, Cindy, Robin (Driver) and myself all
hopped in a rent a van and went sightseeing along the coast. It
was a great day and I think a good time had by all. After
returning to Gander the band all got ready to go out and I got
in my car for the journey home.
3 Helix shows in a little over a month, met a bunch of great
people and had a lot of good times. I guess summer is over now?
Helix Reviews In Metal-Rules.com
Helix 30th Anniversary July
2004
Helix Live in St. John's June 2004
Helix Official Website:
www.planethelix.com