Yngwie Malmsteen / Burning Heat at the Plaza Live in Orlando, FL 05-24-2013

What a great concert! I had never seen Yngwie in concert and had no idea what to expect.

First off we got New Yorkers Martyrd as an opener. Very interesting interesting young band but they definitely need a little more experience. Maybe the fact that the guy running house lights was asleep didn't help with enjoying this band. The house lights were on for practically their whole set! Bummer.

Next we had guitar prodigy Ethan Brosh and his band Burning Heat. Another very interesting band. Considering that Ethan is known for his excellent guitar playing and his instrumental music, I was expecting a little more flash from him. I quickly realized that was not the point of this band. This is a ROCK band! Excellent tunes and very good crowd reception.

Yngwie totally rocked the house next! Like I said earlier, I had no idea what to expect. I thought I would grow tired of all the arpeggios about midway through the show... but no, I was captivated for the whole thing. Yngwie still does the kicks, the twirls, throwing guitars in the air etc. He played a bunch of classic tunes (Far Beyond the Sun, Rising Force, Heaven Tonight) and some new ones from his latest iTunes exclusive release "Spellbound". Do yourself a favor and see Yngwie at least once if you never have. It's a total 80s throwback that you will enjoy!

The only downside to the show was all the shilling of products... I felt like it was witnessing a live infomercial. Products pushed were his latest release on iTunes (I had no problem with that though), his book, his new signature series guitar by Ovation, and his online guitar lessons. I understand that bands these days live and die through the sale of their products but please... have the products at the merch table and let me watch the show in peace!

Here are some pics of the show for you to enjoy... I was allowed to shoot Burning Heat only, so pardon the light amount of Yngwie pics.

Suicidal Tendencies at the Plaza Live in Orlando, FL - 5/3/2013

Radioactive Metal had the pleasure of being granted a photo pass for this great concert. Not only was this my first time seeing Suicidal Tendencies in concert, it was my first real exposure to Sick Of It All as well.

Waking the Dead was the opening act for this hardcore night. Former ST guitarist Mike Clark is pulling double duty in this awesome trio, handling both guitars and vocals. I was pleasantly surprised at the reception they received for the sometimes frigid Orlando crowd. Everybody seemed to enjoy WtD brand of crossover and I sure was one of them!

Sick Of It all was next in line and they did not disappoint! I'm only familiar with them by name, can't say I know any of their songs. I came out of there being thoroughly educated as to what a true hardcore concert is! And I have to say that taking pictures of these guys is quite challenging... it's like swatting at a swarm of mosquitos: You'll hit a few of them but you'll miss most. Taking pictures of guitarist Pete Koller is nearly impossible, even when he stops to pose for you.

Suicidal Tendencies played 3 of my favorite songs right when they came out: starting with "You Can't Bring Me Down", "Institutionalized", and "War Inside My Head". I was a happy camper! I'm not very versed with ST's material, having only heard songs here and there over the years through some friends. But I have to say that most people there were cheering like maniacs for every tune they played. My lack of knowledge of their music did not take away from my enjoyment of the show. Unfortunately, I had to leave before the end of the show (I had a prior engagement early the next morning). I missed the grand finale when Mike Muir invites the crowd to come on stage but saw some pictures a friend of mine took and it looked insane! I really should have stayed...

Below are some pictures that I took of the show... Enjoy!

Roch \m/