Luke, André, and I just got back from a Blind Guardian concert last night. I must say I’ve never seen anything like it. The atmosphere and energy in the room was amazing. I’ve never seen so many people cheer for Fingolfin as he smote Morgoth or mourn with Troy over the burning of the citadel.

It was an interesting crowd there; over 90% of the fans were wearing black. I half-expected someone to walk in cosplaying as an Elf lord. We wondered for a bit if the live show might lack some of the effect that gives the albums much of their punch—the vast choirs supporting Hansi really give certain songs an epic feel. It turns out there was no need to worry; the eager fans provided an excellent choral effect.

All in all, an immensely powerful show. My only complaint was that they disallowed photography, so these are just some shots from Flickr.