by Franco Cerchiari
— Columnist —
The venue (a bar), showcased one of the smallest stages that this life long Rock and Metal fan has ever seen … the light show, minimal at best … the acoustics, okay … the number of concert attendees, sadly no more than 100 in total, with perhaps 50 of us standing on a hard wooden floor directly in front of the stage … and the beer, almost $10 a mug.
Despite all that the incredible music of Angra filled the air, and the band’s meager surroundings, in that bar on the southeast side of Salt Lake County, Fabio Lione’s powerful, operatic voice soared. While the guitar talents of band founder Rafael Bittencourt was spot on. Everything else aside, this concert will forever rank as one of my personal favorites. After losing myself in the music and watching the band (particularly Fabio Lione) soon everything else around became a blur.
The setlist took the attendee on an almost 90 journey, hearing songs from Angra’s earliest albums up to songs from their latest studio release, the fantastic, Omni. If one request could have been granted, it would have been to hear live one of their best songs, “The Rage of the Waters” from their Aqua release. But be that as it may, a true concert highlight and a true laugh-fest came when the remaining band members left the stage, leaving Fabio alone with nothing more than his handheld microphone, allowing his unique sense of humor to shine through as he spoke to us, laughed with us, and challenged us to mimic his acapella and fluctuating vocals.
He would first sing and then pointed the microphone to the audience allowing us our turn. Needless to say, our vocals paled in comparison to his, but it was so much fun nonetheless. Fabio Lione’s stage presence is irrefutable. Watching him use his voice, hand gestures, and body to accentuate certain musical passages added to each and every song. Like a finely trained opera singer, he truly knows how to use his God-given talents to their fullest which made the music of Angra seem larger than life.
About halfway through the concert, Fabio introduced us to 27-year-old drummer Bruno Valverde, allowing him to rip through a great drum solo that was met with roars of approval. Bass guitar God Felipe Andreoli, who was recently recognized, and rightfully so as one of the Metal world’s best bassists, used his 6 string bass to its fullest. Watching his fingers fly faster than one could actually keep up with was mesmerizing. Guitarists Rafael Bittencourt and Marcelo Barbosa were both allowed ample time to offer one guitar solo after another.
When it was all said and done, the hell with the size of the stage, the overpriced beer, and the ho-hum acoustics. What mattered was, “did the band unite with us, and with each other?” Did it make us attendees forget about the deadlines and the bullshit that the real world is all to often filled with, if even for a short time? Did they draw us into the world that is Angra? And lastly, and most importantly, how was the music?
To keep it short, answering with a single word to every one of those questions, yes, all of our expectations were met – and then some. On an every level, it was a concert that if even if we saw Angra in one of this world’s biggest venues, with acoustics that enabled the music to reach to the heavens and a light show that rang with lasers, strobes, fire, smoke, and spotlights, it wouldn’t really matter a damn bit. For this was just us, all of maybe 50 of us on that hard wooden floor, collectively singing, clapping, banging our heads, throwing up the “devil horns,” and shouting out our approval. So, to that end, a better concert couldn’t have been hoped for.
Perhaps this concert was perfect all the way around – just the way it was.
Setlist:
Newborn Me
Travelers of time
Angels & Demons
Nothing to Say
Insania
Ego Painted Grey
Upper Levels
Drum Solo
Black Widow’s Web
Spread Your Fire
Omni – Silence Inside
The Bottom of My Soul (Rafael Bittencourt on lead vocals)
Lisbon Mirror
Encores:
Rebirth
Nova Era
