ConcertsLive

U.D.O. & Existence live @ Fabrik Coesfeld / Germany

23rd September 2022, Fabrik Coesfeld, Germany

PHOTOS HERE

This tour is one of those which were postponed due to the pandemic. This September it finally took place and the tour stopped by also at Coesfeld near Munster. This region of Germany is not known for its Heavy Metal fanbase and in addition there are hotspots to North (Osnabrück) and to the South (Ruhrpott with cities like Dortmund, Bochum and Essen). For those reasons, only a few tours find their way into this area as well. A circumstance that seems to change right now: The Fabrik, German for factory, appears increasingly on the Heavy Metal landscape. Doro played here short before the outbreak of the pandemic, today U.D.O. and several more concerts are announced for the following weeks. The venue features a very good view to the stage, a good catering and also a good transport connection. A great development for headbangers in this region.

Today first on are Existence. When the four guys from France enter the stage at 19:45, actually no-one seems to know them. A circumstance that has changed when the last notes of ‘From Hell’ fade away at 20:30. The guys play their classic Heavy Metal with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. They use every square meter of the stage and also the photo pit. They use show elements like synchronized banging, singalongs and jumps like pros. At the middle of the set, all arms are going up already. At the end there are even loud demands for encores – and not only from a few people. Which is remarkable as nobody knew this band only 45 minutes earlier. A real kick-ass band I can only recommend to check out!

When U.D.O. enter the stage, it seems the audience is not quite in the mood yet. Maybe it’s a matter of the high energy opener and people still need to re-charge, or maybe it’s because of the first songs. ‘Prophecy’, ‘Holy Invaders’ and ‘Go back to Hell’ do not work so well. No reason for Udo Dirkschneider to become nervous, though. When the band plays ’24/7′ and ‘Independence Day’, the audience finally wakes up. Thus the following tracks e.g. ‘A Rose in the Desert’, ‘The Bogeyman’ and ‘Man and Machine’ receive a triumphant reception.

The bass player Tilen Hudrap cannot play with the band this evening, because he had collapsed at a show recently and still has to recover. Today he is replaced by Udo’s old friend and companion Peter Baltes (former Accept). Maybe this is the reason why the band plays a couple of Accept classics later. This is quite surprising, because Udo said before that he would no longer do that. ‘Princess of the Dawn’, ‘Fast as a Shark’ and ‘Balls to the Wall’ are more highlights in the set. But back to Peter Baltes: It is obvious that he enjoys every second being on stage and playing with Udo again. No sign of boring routine! When leaving the stage at the end of the regular set, he has an accident backstage and hurts his head. A bleeding wound and a turgor in his mouth, which he treats with ice cubes during the encores, are the result – but being a total pro, he carries on nevertheless.

After two hours, ‘Balls to the Wall’ closes this concert evening. The band and the audience have exhausted their last energy resources and it’s time to leave the venue into the cold, refreshing night. It was nice! I really hope that Udo remains active for a long time to come!

 

Setlist UDO:

Prophecy
Holy Invaders
Go Back To Hell
Never Cross My Way
24/7
Independence Day
King of Mean
Rose in the Desert
Kids And Guns
Princess of the Dawn
Blind Eyes
The Bogeyman
Like a Beast
Metal Never Dies
I Give As Good As I Get
Man And Machine
Animal House
Fast As A Shark
Balls To The Wall

Timo Pässler

timo@stalker-magazine.rocks - reports, reviews, photos - - - Favorite genres? - - - Power, Speed, Melodic, Symphonic and Thrash Metal, sometimes also Black and Death Metal, when I am in mood for it - - - Favorite bands? - - - Blind Guardian, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Powerwolf, Kreator, Vader, Avantasia, Iced Earth, Amon Amarth and many more! - - - Other interests? - - - Music (listening + playing), sports, acting and scouts