Dragonforce (with Horse the Band and All That Remains)
The Showbox, Seattle
9/13/06



Wednesday night was an event that I had been waiting on for a very long time. Dragonforce played the Showbox. Incidentally it was also my birthday, and I can't think of a better place to be on my birthday than at a Dragonforce show!!!

I managed to completely avoid Horse the Band and nearly managed to avoid All That Remains completely. I heard their last song and that was it, thank goodness. The show had sold out, so there were a LOT of people there. I thought that it would mostly be All That Remains fans - after all, how many people in Seattle are into Dragonforce, a power metal band from London? Apparently more than I thought, because I think almost everyone there was there to see Dragonforce. It was pointed out to me later that Dragonforce had recently gotten a lot of exposure from playing Ozzfest this year, so that probably had a lot to do with how many people were there.

The band played very well. There were a few missteps, and I heard a rumor that one of the lead guitarists was completely trashed, but on the whole every one of those guy sare brilliant musicians and it shows. They are also complete dorks.

Exihbit A:



A lot of the time when they would make jokes the crowd didn't really react. Bad sign. ^_^ But it was obvious that they were having a great time which makes the bad jokes and stupid banter okay. And of course all of the songs were awesome. There really is nothing quite like seeing power metal live. ^_^ The guitarists were a pleasure to watch, and the basist have a monster of an instrument. They were dynamic onstage and totally messing around with each other, and weren't lax about the power metal posing, lead singer especially. Highlights of the show were the songs 'Black Fire', 'Through Fire and Flame', and 'Valley of the Damned'.

Unfortunately about 3/4 of the way through the show I got totally owned by a crowd surfer-- kicked in the side of the head. Hard. Due to a combination of heat, not having been able to get a full lungful of air since Dragonforce started, and the kick, I got lightheaded and felt ill... totally saw stars. So I had to step outside for a few minutes, and I missed a whole song. >_<

I mentioned that 'Valley of the Damned' was one of the highlights of the show. It's my very favorite Dragonforce song, and I had been waiting for them to play it the whole show. When I had to step out for a minute I was afraid I had missed it. But it was their very, very last song. What a way to finish the show. ^_^

Ultimately, the concert was awesome, and I had a great time. I will definitely see them again if I get the opportunity!