Well I really enjoyed the gig last night, as I said in a previous post Shihad are an odd band for me. I really like them as people whenever I've seen them interviewed, their recorded music covers a spectrum from like to love, but live with the exception of when I saw them open for Sabbath they're excellent.
I scored corporate box tickets for last night, because I missed out on my own lottery draw tickets, so that was an interesting experience. Great view, and really cool being served canapes and beers/drinks while you watch the show. Very different experience from being down on the floor, but then again I gave up going down the very front after seeing Maiden at Reading about 9 years ago and almost dying so I usually end up standing about 2/3rds back and as I
m not that tall I don't get a great view...
Anyway, hope these pictures can be seen on here as they're linked from my facebook page, apologies if they're a bit blurred but they're iPhone pics with no flash etc. etc.
I would also say that having this broadcast on Sky Arena live meant they had done a superb job of staging the event. The whole stage area was extremely clean, and black, all the amps/cabs were nearly identical. Great screen visuals behind the band and good lighting both on stage and into the arena to light the crowd - it was brighter than it usually is for shows but that's because it was being filmed.
Mesa 4x12 cabs, Orange heads for guitars (looked like different amps for Rhythm and Lead, buut I don't know my Orange amps well enough to give models), Bass was Ampeg 8x10 cabs at a guess, definitely 8xsomething, assuming Ampeg heads from a close up I think I saw on TV.
Lead looked to have the usual Wet/Dry setup with two amps/cabs live both miked up. Rhythm looked to have one head (although there was another behind it) and two cabs one either side of drum riser/kit).
Guitars wise John and Phil looked to play the same giutars, without swapping or retuning for the whole of the new album set at the start, a blonde tele of some description and a Jaguar/Jagmaster(I'm not sure but one of those melted odd Fender shapes that I'm not a huge fan of so don't remember
) for the rest of the show they swapped guitars a fair bit, John had a few teles and Phil had a variety including a Les Paul and I think a tele but won't swear to that. Basses were swapped quite a bit during the current album slots.
The sound was superb and they wee incredibly tight, highlight for me oddly enough was the amazing tone Karl was getting out of his bass especially during the early tracks.
I got to chat to one of the main guys with Sky Arena before the show and he said that Shihad had done a full play through rehearsal on Thursday and another full run through on Friday during the day before doing it all again on Friday evening, and it really showed as they were very good.
First shot, the opening number:
second shot, massive synchronised arm waving for Pacifier, very impressive from where I was watching from.
