On Sunday, May 15th, Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody and Primal Fear hit Club Red in Mesa, Arizona, as part of their co-headlining tour across the US. It was a very hot day in the desert as always; the sun was blazing, and everybody was anxious to see the show on a Sunday night.
We had two opening local bands that night – DemiAura and Luminatus – and both their sets were quite good. I especially enjoyed DemiAura as they are an instrumental band and have a great keyboardist. These are definitely two of our more talented bands out here in the valley. It was an interesting set and everyone at the venue seemed to enjoy it.
Primal Fear was up next, and they did a killer job. Ralf Scheepers’ voice was on point. He is an incredibly talented front man, his voice hits such high pitches, and his vocal range sounds great live as well as on albums. The band played a few songs from the new album as well as some classics. Their set list was a mixture of new and old. Fan favorites included “Angel in Black”, “Nuclear Fire”, “The End Is Near”, “Metal Is Forever”, “Rollercoaster” and “Running in the Dust.” From start to finish, it was amazing to see such classic heavy metal. The best reaction from the crowd was definitely when they played “Metal Is Forever” as everyone was headbanging and singing along. This was my third time seeing them live, and they never disappoint.
Finally, it was time for Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody. This being the first time I have personally seen them, I was incredibly impressed. Everybody in that band is so talented, and the audience was mesmerized by Luca and how he shred on his guitar. All the guys seemed to be having the time of their life on stage, and you could tell they were happy to play. Alessandro Conti‘s voice was phenomenal; it was such an incredible performance. The band opened with the track “Knightrider of Doom” which for me brought back so many memories from when I was a kid listening to Rhapsody. The rest of their set was great; they covered new and old Rhapsody songs which included “Land of Immortals (Rhapsody cover)”, “Unholy Warcry (Rhapsody cover)”, “Son of Pain (Rhapsody of Fire cover)”, “Dawn of Victory (Rhapsody cover)”, and “Emerald Sword.” Another special moment was when the guys added a drum solo featuring the “Game of Thrones” opening theme. It was pretty cool and everyone was clapping along; you can tell that many metalheads really like that show. Getting to see the old classic as well as new Rhapsody songs was fantastic.
In short, both Primal Fear and Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody were just perfect that night, with immense talent and diversity all around. The combination was great, and you could see how the crowd was really excited and into the whole affair. Overall, it was a killer show, and we hope they pass through Arizona next time around!