Tag Archives: nokia theatre times square

Events, Reviews

Apocalyptica @ Nokia Theatre Times Square (8/24/2010)

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Logo - Apocalyptica

Artist: Apocalyptica
Venue: Nokia Theatre Times Square (New York, NY)
Opener: Dir En Grey, Evaline
Date: 7/28/2010
Label: Jive Records

Apocalyptica was back in NYC once again and this time the master Finnish cellists would be supporting their recently released “7th Symphony” album. The music found on the CD follows a similar premise as we found on “Worlds Collide” from a couple of years ago where the group is accompanied on some tracks by vocal personalities of note.

Evaline: I walked in on this independent group, and didn’t mind much of what they were playing but I had to admit that it was not enough of a dose to formulate a sound opinion on what they were all about. Had I hated the two songs I heard it would be unfair to lambast them and had I loved the two songs I heard it would be equally unfair to toss them roses at the end of the performance. That being said, they did not sound bad and I would check them out again in the future if the circumstances found me being able to do so.
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Events, Reviews

Queensryche “Cabaret” @ Nokia Theatre Times Square (8/20/2010)

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Logo - Queensryche

Artist: Queensryche
Venue: Nokia Theatre Times Square (New York, NY)
Opener: n/a
Date: 8/20/2010
Label: Rhino Entertainment

Wow, so where do I even begin with this one. I guess I will just have to begin at the beginning and hope that all of you can make a decent mental picture from the words that I am about to deliver because this managed to even throw my very open musical mind for a loop. I’ve enjoyed the band Queensryche since I first caught them as an opener for KISS’ “Animalize” tour back in 1984 and while it took me until the bands return with Iron Maiden for their “Powerslave” run I have stood by them with album after album even though at times they have left me scratching my head with the output. That brings us to 2010 and the show I am reporting on. It’s pretty safe to say that the last thing people associate with the band Queensryche is the seductive art of burlesque but despite that viewpoint, here we were at the Queensryche Cabaret concert. It was a show that had posters that broadcast its being an “Adults Only” gig that would feature Go-Go and Burlesque dancers, aerialists, contortionists, professional ballet dancers and drag queens. Yes, you did read that last one correct and I did not make a typo. Clearly we were in for something different but still something that I hoped would be entertaining. The show begins with Geoff Tate reflecting on a couch that looked like lips and during this he is flanked by a Go-Go dancer and a Drag Queen and from here he seems to be setting up the tale that will unfold over the course of the night.
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Features, PiercingMetal Says

The Song Remains The Same, Yet The Name Does Not

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Or “The Nokia Theatre Times Square is now The Best Buy Theatre”

You might recall a recent blog posting where I welcomed back to the world of live performance the venerated Rock concert venue Irving Plaza. Of course, the space had never truly gone away per se, but after running under that name for many decades, it’s purchase by Livenation found it restamped as “The Fillmore NY at Irving Plaza”. You had to admit that it was quite a mouthful but that whole tale can be better examined HERE. Now where was I? Oh yes, the discussion about the venue formerly known as the Nokia Theatre in Times Square. Depending on your age and concert visiting habits, you might only have known this space as the Nokia Theatre because its been that way since early 2005 but before it was converted into one of the cooler places to catch a live band it was a movie theater called the Loew’s Astor Plaza. During its time in this manner it hosted up to 1500 movie lovers and boasted to the world how it had the largest single screen in New York. That was pretty cool, and if my memory serves me correctly I had seen a couple of the Star Wars and Star Trek films here before the conversion. Moving on, I loved when this opened up as a concert venue because now it would fit over 2000 people and depending on the concert would often sell out. The venue is owned by AEG Live (a very well-established concert promoter) and it’s title reflecting its advertising sponsorship. The bright corner sign positioned above 44th and Broadway on Times Square could be seen for blocks depending on your direction of approach and often informed the Metal Republic of sad occurrences such as performance cancellations.

nokia theatre times square, nokia theatre times square marquee
The Nokia Theatre as the Bearer of Bad Metal News

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Events, Reviews

Overkill @ Nokia Theatre Times Square (5/1/2010)

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“Killfest” was in NYC and while the guys in Overkill originally hail from New Jersey, it’s pretty safe to call them one of New York’s most popular bands as well.  Tonight the band would be bringing their traveling Metal circus to the Nokia Theatre in Times Square and as the night progressed we would learn that the Metal was not the only excitement brewing in the city that evening.  The show itself featured Woe Of Tyrants, Evile, Warbringer, God Dethroned and Vader as support for the band and WOW, was that a lineup to sink one’s teeth into.  Click the bands logo below to be taken to the complete concert article on the main PiercingMetal.com site.

Logo - Overkill

Artist: Overkill
Venue: Nokia Theatre Times Square (New Yore1k, NY)
Opener: Vader, God Dethroned, Warbringer, Evile, Woe Of Tyrants
Date: 5/1/2010
Label: E1 Entertainment

There are Metal shows and then there are METAL SHOWS and tonight my fiends was clearly going to be one of those events that went down in history for a number of reasons. The operating title of the tour was listed as “Killfest” and it was spearheaded by New Jersey’s own Overkill. The legendary Thrash Metal outfit was celebrating their latest release “Ironbound” on their new label E1 Entertainment and also a very productive 25 years at the craft of dishing out this kind of music.

Woe Of Tyrants: The first band up tonight would be Woe Of Tyrants, a not too long ago signing for the folks at Metal Blade Records. Interestingly enough, the last time I caught them they were appearing as one of the openers for the God Dethroned guys and they would be up on the stage shortly. So far, my absorption of the kind of Metal that these guys do is still rather new and they have not yet managed to snare me. They are tight in their delivery but it is not all that different for me to gauge a better view at this time. I need to see them again and perhaps sit down with a CD to offer you more. There was not yet much of a crowd when they played and from various parts of the room there was both indifference and interest going on at the same time. Just goes to show you that some folks love what others hate and vice versa. Evile was next.
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Events, Reviews

Kreator @ Nokia Theatre Times Square (3/6/2010)

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Logo - Kreator

Artist: Kreator
Venue: Nokia Theatre Times Square (New York, NY)
Opener: Voivod, Nachtmystium, Evile, Lazarus A.D.
Date: 3/6/2010
Label: Nuclear Blast Records

And thus we began what I had been referring to as “March Metal Madness” in the weeks that actually led up to its arrival as Kreator returned to the USA for the second leg of their “Hordes Of Chaos” tour and also to celebrate the bands 25th anniversary. I’ve been lucky enough to see Kreator at what appeared to be every one of their NYC stops over the last few years and while I didn’t follow them “back in the day”, I had to say that I became one of those quick studies who greatly enjoyed the Metal devastation that they unleash. The show this evening at Nokia Theatre Times Square was going to be both a long and an early one with four opening acts leading us into the Kreator set and as result the doors opened at 5pm and the show commenced at 6pm. Joining Kreator for this go round would be Lazarus A.D., Evile, Nachtmystium and the one and only Voivod. Lazarus A.D. would be the first band up tonight but an emergency technical faux pas found me needing to miss them in order to address it. I did manage to catch the end of their second to last song and final number and found them to be a really solid group and definitely one of those bands that I will make note about seeing the next time around. Evile was coming up almost immediately and that was to be expected if tonight was going to run on time.
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