Coma Alliance Tour 2016
Seeing DIARY OF DREAMS and DIORAMA sharing stages… is like a dream that comes true. It already happened in the past, 14 years ago, as Adrian Hates mentioned. That must have been an awesome evening back then.
Both bands stand alone and are an exception in the scene. And both bands live under the roof of Accession Records. So it actually suggests itself to finally tour together, as often desired and wishfully awaited by the fans.
And here we go: The Coma Alliance Tour - a joint venture of DIARY OF DREAMS and DIORAMA, consisting of 3 shows, at first, starting in Krefeld, Dresden and Heidelberg. The Coma Alliance Tour was and is a heartfelt wish, so Adrian said, and will be continued. Fans, who missed the first 3 shows can breathe a sigh of relief and look forward. There is more to come ;)
I used the chance to see the very first show of the Coma Alliance Tour at Krefeld’s :: KuFA ::. Knowing that there is hardly ever a photo pit and knowing that DOD fans are pretty much reluctant to share space in the front row with photographers, I started out very early. Well, it didn’t pay off… As I arrived at the KuFa all parking space was already gone and thus the queue loooong. And though, we were in luck, we - the photographers, because this time there was a photo pit :)
:: Pics :: DIORAMA ::
Ok, early arrival means much time to use up. Perfect moment to visit the wonderfully designed merchandise with all the great new items I actually wanted to shop the day before at the Accession Records shop, but there the part for textiles was empty.
8pm. Show time for :: DIORAMA :: and the first chance to present their brand new record: Zero Soldier Army (released Sep 9). To make it short: it was a spectacular show!
DIORAMA kicked off in pure darkness, with the ZSA video on the screen behind. The band appeared without Torben Wendt and was left in darkness too. In the second third of the song, where ZSA gains momentum, Torben stormed onto stage and took over. Frenetic applause and screams blazed up! And so it went on. It followed highlights from the previous albums, hit by hit, played with brute force, downright heavy, edged and powerful. Wow! Got blown away and was left in awe. No prisoners, no break for the crowd that could only do one thing: dance.
Another new song was presented with Polaroids, which saw the premiere of the song’s video, DIORAMA were still working on prior the show. DIORAMA called on their fans to use the jig in the new album to make photos, Polaroids, of them with Zero Soldier Army. Many pics were sent in and the band made a video of them.
DIORAMA were in high spirits. Even guitarist Zura, usually rather reserved, started to rock out. Torben Wendt performed as lively and emotional as we know him so well, while Marc was grinning like a Cheshire cat. What a marvelous, highly energetic show! The crowd was freaking out, crazily cheering and adoring the band.
DIORAMA played an 80 minutes set, presenting the half of the new album, and embedded classics within. Apropos… classics. Torben played E Minor, from the 2001 album Her Liquid Arms, on the keyboard, and the melody line sounded much, very much, like Moonspell’s Fullmoon Madness. Secret metal listener, eh? ;) Great taste anyway!
Thanks Buddha, there was a photo pit. Enough space to do the job during the first 3 songs, and then I could put the cam away (without bad conscious of possibly missed photos) and… right… dance :) Only with the lights the band could have performed a bit more magic. Stunning show! Really!
Setlist: ZSA, Child Of Entertainment, Hope, Off, Polaroids, Ignite, &, Defcon, E Minor, Reality Show, Synthesize Me, Why
:: Pics :: DIARY OF DREAMS ::
Little break, a beer and some talks… And then time has come to open another chapter of the :: DIARY OF DREAMS ::. Again, DIARY OF DREAMS performed unusually heavy too. I even saw Adrian Hates headbang and heard him growl ;)
But first, looking questioningly: where is Dejan? There was a new face behind the drum kit. No announcement, no introduction. Hm. Now I know his name is Felix. Instead, Adrian Hates dropped a passing mention a little later that Gaun:A goes but the band will carry on. What? WHAT?
Was that a statement? A farewell? An announcement for line-up changes? So many questions, no answers. As for that I finally saw new keyboarder Max performing live. He seems to be much popular with his own fans ;)
However, DIARY OF DREAMS focused on their still up to date album, Grau im Licht, and arranged many classics around. Some of them I didn’t hear live for ages or even never heard being played live at all, like False Affection, False Creation for example, from the timelessly beautiful debut Cholymelan. Oh dear, so lovely… *sighs*
DIARY OF DREAMS are also in best mood and shape, rocked out on stage as if there were no tomorrow. But, directly compared to Diorama, the DOD show was somehow… with a certain reserve. The guys from Reutlingen were definitely one step ahead.
By the way, sharing stages means sharing songs, so to say… Of course, Torben came onto stage for Butterfly:Dance! during the first encore, and later for Traumtänzer, for the grand final. No need to mention that the many-voiced crowd choir at Traumtänzer caused goose bumps all over and sent shivers up and down the spine.
What can I say? It was a fantastic concert evening!
Setlist: Schwarz, Sinferno, The Plague, MenschFeind, Malum, Grau im Licht, Soul Stripper, Ikarus, Haus der Stille, Reign Of Chaos, Die My Phobia, A Dark Embrace, Endless Nights, False Affection, False Creation, She And Her Darkness, The Wedding, Kindrom // Butterfly:Dance!, Undividable // Traumtänzer
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