DARKER HALF AND GEOFF TATE REVIEW
Darker Half and Geoff Tate played at the Manning Bar tonight and we got to watch one hell of a show.
First up was Dalker Half and it was great to see them back in the spotlight as they haven't played since 2020. Darker Half delivered an exceptional show full of energy and metal. They kicked off the set with 'Shadows' and it gave us the charge we needed for the rest of the show. Darker Half continued with 'Falling, 'Glass and 'Heaven' and the heavy guitar riffs and singing echoed through the venue which left fans excited for Geoff Tate.
As the mosh pit filled we knew it was time for the main act Geoff Tate and he was playing Empire and Rage For Order in its entirety. He was excited to play it to his Australian fans. The fans cheered as each band member walked on stage, one by one and they gave the biggest cheer when Geoff came out in his top hat.
Geoff Tate kicked off the set with 'Walk In The Shadows' and the room was full of everyone singing every lyric. Geoff stopped and said " How are you doing Sydney" and the crowd clapped then Geoff said " It is nice to be here, it is nice to be back, it has been a long time, the world has changed and here we are, it is really nice to be back to see you once again. Tonight is the night, tonight is a very special night, tonight we are playing the entire Rage for Order album for you and if that one isn't enough the entire 'Empire' album as well" the crowd cheered even louder and then the band played "I Dream in Infrared".
Geoff continued with more hits like 'Gonna Get Close to You' and the Heavy bass lines, 2 guitars, drum beats and clean vocals bounced off the walls in the venue. As we continued to watch the set there were epic guitar solos and the band stepped off the stage to let Danny do a mad drum solo and the crowd threw their metal horns in the air.
Halfway through the first set Geffo Tate said " Rage for Order came out in 1986, raise your hands if you were alive in 1986, let me see" and the crowd raised their hands then Geoff said " and here we are in 2023 raise your hands if you are still alive" and the crowd raised their hands again then he said mark my words " In the future, in the history books, they will call all of us survivors. When the album came out people said it was dark, they said it was brooding, and they said it was futuristic. well yes, yes and yes it was all those things and that's what I loved about it. In fact, the only reason we are playing it tonight is that I wanted you to see it. It has been on my bucket list for years and I never got to play all the songs on that album. Thank You for indulging me with my bucket list. All these dark brooding futuristic songs kind of work together in some sort of strange theme, except this next song, this next song is what we call an anomaly and although very fun to play the lyrics take on a very different meaning in 2023, especially with what our friends in Ukraine are going through right now we give this to them this one is called surgical strike". As guitar and vocals were booming in the venue you could see how diverse and unique this band was, and how epic their albums are.
Geoff Tate walked off stage and the crowd cheered for one more song, Geoff walked back on stage and introduced his band Kieran, James, Jack and Danny and then played one more song to finish off an epic night. Geoff Tate proved they could play anything on stage, from heavy music with fast drum lines and bass lines to slower ballads, they proved they could play anything on stage and you go and check them out before they leave Australian shores.