So here we go - DragonForce

Venue: 02 Academy Glasgow
date: 10/10/08
support bands: Turisas
Friends there: Dechlan

So it was my first gig, i chose DragonForce because they were my favourite band of the time, still enjoy them, though not so much as i used to. Me and Dechlan got a lift to glasgow from his mum, and i didnt know what to expect from my first gig. Sure everyone knows what happens at a gig - a bands live performance, its fairly simple, but watching a gig and being at a gig are 2 completely different scenarios, which is hard to comprehend fully until you experience the atmosphere of a gig. As the singer of Skindred put it at Sonisphere 2009: "You can go online, and download all the fucking music in the world yeah, you can go on itunes, kaza, all that bollocks right, and download all the music in the world. But im gonna tell you this much, you see the atmosphere that is created in this place? you will never download that! ok!" Too right my friend, words of wisdom. The atmoshpere is sometimes what makes a gig, if everyones headbanging like mad, then your likely to join in, if your at a small gig where nobodys moving at all, your gonna feel a bit self-conscious being the only guy headbanging and shouting.

So anyway, Turisas were the first band on, id never heard them before but i really enjoyed their music, they actually opened up a whole new genre of music to me - folk metal, with their electric violin and accordion players, and songs of ancient viking battles and such. I now love a variety of folk/viking/pirate metal - korpiklaani, amon amarth, alestorm, tyr, eluviete etc.

Then It was time for DragonForce, we moved a bit further into the crowd, but still not too far in, i was still unsure of what to expect so didnt want to be surprised out at the front. But then as the band started to play i just started to have fun, headbanging where i thought necessary, and all the other usual gig stuff. They played through all the best songs of theirs, with the exception of valley of the damned if i remember correctly. It was also my first glimpse of mosh pits, and it makes me laugh to think about how i wasnt sure about them first time i seen them. There was even a wall of death to through the fire and the flames (guitar hero made sure that one was famous to everyone by then) and what a spectacle that was first time, to see the room split in 2, and then as the music reaches the fast part, the 2 sides charging at one another, crashing into each other and forming one big mosh pit in the aftermath. Of course, it was only at a later gig that i took part in my first mosh pit, and after that iv loved them ever since, theyre just so energetic, they get the adrenaline flowing through you.







After the gig since we didnt have a train or bus to catch, we decided to head to the back of the venue and wait for the bands to come out to their tour-buses. Sure enough after a good little wait (where i presume they were eating pizza as a delivery man got allowed through the barrier) DragonForce came out, and me and Dechlan got autographs from most of the band

And with Dechlans help, i even got a photo taken with my favourite guitarist of the time, Herman Li!!!

So all in all, a very good first experience of gigging, and it started me off on a path which i dont regret, despite the vast amounts of money that gets put into it!