Helloween: Lost in America

Helloween
Showbox, Seattle, WA
03.06.16

Coming straight off of a Florida cruise, Helloween was kind enough to make Seattle one of only seven stops on their brief North American tour. I had been fortunate to photograph them for both of their aforementioned cruise shows, where Helloween was a big draw on a very diverse, European-heavy lineup. Not having visited the States in over three years, it wasn’t surprising that they played to a well-packed, captive audience; however, those cruise sets were only an hour long, and since they usually play longer, I was hungry for a full set of the classics.

Helloween is here in support of their fifteenth studio album, My God-Given Right, and celebrating just over 31 years as a band. This five-piece formed back in 1984 in Hamburg, Northern Germany, and are most famous for being one of the early pioneers of the power metal genre. Guitarist Michael Weikath and bassist Markus Grosskopf are founding members, while the remainder of the lineup has gone through several changes over the years. Vocalist Andi Deris, Guitarist Sascha Gerstner, and drummer Daniel Löble have now been a mainstay since 2005.

Though the Market Showbox was not as full as I had expected, the 300-some strong were loyal, diehard fans that were there to see their heroes. Because Helloween has but seven dates, all of which were fly-in fly-out, it was a stripped down stage. They brought their backdrop, and simple graphic-covered steps on each side of the drum riser.

The front row sang along passionately, and as I peered around, many were singing word for word along with the band. They played just as though it was sold-out and had great interaction with the crowd, and smiles were abundant as they crushed through their long, diverse set. One of the best moments occurred when Deris described how they came about naming the song “Lost in America.” Apparently, they were flying through the southern states when the captain came over the speaker to tell the passengers that they weren’t actually sure where they were at the moment. Deris then chimed, “we are lost, we are far, and we don’t know where we are.” Not exactly the kind of thing you want to hear from your pilot.

Since meeting Helloween on the cruise, it was really great the see these guys again, and many of the pictures reflect that interaction. It’s clear that they still have fun with each other, playing off of one another and hamming it up with the crowd. Deris is such a dynamic front man, with a vocal range that has defined Helloween’s legacy. They played nearly two hours and left the diehard fans more than satisfied. They departed immediately after the show, getting on an early flight to LA for the last North American date before heading back to Europe.

Helloween Set List
Intro (Walls of Jericho)
Eagle Fly Free
Dr. Stein
God Given Right
Steel Tormentor
Mr. Torture
Waiting for the Thunder
Straight Out Of Hell
Heroes
Drum Solo
Where the Rain Grows
Lost In America
Power
Forever and One (Neverland0
Medley (Halloween / Sole Survivor / I Can / Are You Metal / Keeper of the Seven Keys)
Before the War
Future World + Guitar Solo
I Want Out
Outro (A Tale that Wasn’t Right)