The highly anticipated KK's Priest & Accept North American co-headlining tour (Sep-Oct 2024) made it's way to the Northeast, embarking on a gig in the sleepy & ornate town of Ridgefield, CT. Booked at the historical & intimate Ridgefield Playhouse, a theater dating back to origins in the 1930s, appeared to be a rather unusual venue to host a Metal concert considering it's a venue that typically showcases theater, children's performances & other diverse forms of live entertainment. Additionally, a Monday night is NOT typically the day of the week Metalheads come out to headbang & thrash, however the intimate theater not only supported the gig with very up close & intimate seating (500 capacity), but also one kick-ass & LOUD sound system (oh yeah, and free parking to boot considering it's adjacency to the surrounding school & facilities). And for us Metal Veterans who've endured one too many 2:00am gigs at a smokey club, a 7:00pm show start with a 10:00pm curfew was an added bonus.
Act One of this fully sold out concert, Accept, began the evening's festivities complete with the Ushers handing out a paper program to the Patrons with the "Full Metal Assault 2024 Tour" poster gracing the cover (I hope a few of those get mixed in to the boxes when "The Nutcracker" hits the stage in the Holiday season). Observing the Bands from the third row allowed for a rather snug feel being that close to the stage, yet Accept orchestrated their performance no different than if they were playing in front of 50,000 plus Fans at Hellfest or Wacken during the European Summer festival season. The unit of Six, led by legendary Band founder & guitarist Wolf Hoffman and vocalist Mark Tornillo now in his 15th year fronting the Metal icons, packed the stage with stacks of amps, a monster arena size drum kit & showcased a multitude of guitar changes & synchronized Metal moves, performing a stellar 75 minute/ 14 song set of classics & material from the recent "Humanoid" release. Tornillo remarked very early on how impressed they were with the energy of the audience, especially considering it was a Monday, plus the Band was energetic, loose and having fun with one another all night (perhaps because it was a lower-key venue & city, they were a bit more relaxed). The setlist was juggled a bit, as evident with the surprising add-on to the back end of show closer "Balls To The Walls", performing the Metal/ Punk track "I'm A Rebel" to end the set. Post-event, bassist Martin Motnik mingled with fans at the merch table, pointing out to me his appreciation for Metal Mayhem ROC during a meet up in 2023 at "Rock n Pod" (hell yeah!), plus I was fortunate to chat with the very approachable, humble & warm Wolf Hoffman outside the tour bus.
Setlist:
The Reckoning
Humanoid
Restless & Wild
Straight Up Jack
Midnight Mover
Dying Breed
Son Of A Bitch
Princess Of The Dawn
Metal Heart
Teutonic Terror
Fast As A Shark
Pandemic
Balls To The Wall
I'm A Rebel
Act Two, KK's Priest, out on their second US leg in 2024 promoting "The Sinner Rides Again" album, also performed a 75 minute set, heavily leaning on tracks from both the KK's Priest studio albums, along with some Judas Priest staples & deep tracks, plus a few surprise additions added. Complete with a massive state of the art digital backdrop & all the effects & videos to go along with it, the setting was of arena size proportions for this show, complete with an over-abundance of smoke explosions dropped throughout the performance. Although KK & Tim Ripper Owens are the face of the unit, they are complimented by an excellent Band that includes guitarist AJ Mills & bassist Tony Newton, highly regarded Players from the UK, both who have contributed to the two studio albums. Like Mark Tornillo, Ripper was also very enthusiastic all night & on several occasions took it upon himself to have one on one dialogue with some Fans in the front rows, but where he really shined was in his near flawless singing, especially with his signature Metal screams. Highlights of the show included KK's Priest favorites "Hellfire Thunderbolt" "Strike Of The Viper" & "Raise Your Fists", & "Burn In Hell", the latter track from the highly underrated Judas Priest "Jugulator" album, however the showstoppers were some Judas Priest songs not played on the first tour leg: The mellow & quieter "Before The Dawn", a favorite song of KK's but never played live with Priest & a blistering rendition of "Sinner", which relies heavily on the showcasing of the legendary guitar work of KK himself.
Setlist:
Incarnation
Hellfire Thunderbolt
Strike Of The Viper
One More Shot At Glory
The Ripper
Reap The Whirlwind
Night Crawler
Sermons Of The Sinner
Burn In Hell
Hell Patrol
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)
Before The Dawn
Breaking The Law
Sinner
Raise Your Fists
Reviewer: Metal Walt
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