Demon - Hof ter Lo Antwerp 1st September 2007

Setlist: Night Of The Demon / Into The Nightmare / The Plague / Blackheath / Standing On The Edge / Sign Of A Madman / Life On The Wire / No More Hell On Earth / Don’t Break The Circle // One Helluva Night
For most people, going to a gig 'with the band' ranks as a special occasion and is the reason for a great deal of [well-deserved] excitement and bonhomie. For me too, this is also still the case; it just never gets boring, in spite of everything that you see, but had never considered before. What do I mean by that? Well, for a start, you get to see the glamorous side of the life of a rock musician. Not!
I guess if you're Iron Maiden, Metallica, or one of the other mega bands, then there is glamour but, for most, the life is a lot less glitzy. That's not to say it doesn't have it moments, it surely does, but there is also a lot of shit to wade through with venues, promoters, pr, fans and all the other crap that comes with it. So, rising with the Lark's fart, I made my way to meet with Mike Stone and the minibus and we set off to pick up the boys in the band. Next stop: the Channel Tunnel. I have to say that, even in spite of its ffrenchiness, it is quick, easy and relatively pain free. By early afternoon, we had passed through ffrance (myself refusing to set foot in the bloody country!) and crossed over the Belgian border.
ffrance may be ffrench, but Belgium is dull. Sorry, all you Belgians out there but 90% of your country is not great. That said, at least you're not ffrance, and I do have some Belgian friends. We arrived at the hotel mid-afternoon. It has to be said that it was not what I expected! But, it was clean, friendly and packed with people from all parts of the world. Sleeping arrangements were made and we made our way to the rooms to drop off our stuff before checking out the venue.
For most people, going to a gig 'with the band' ranks as a special occasion and is the reason for a great deal of [well-deserved] excitement and bonhomie. For me too, this is also still the case; it just never gets boring, in spite of everything that you see, but had never considered before. What do I mean by that? Well, for a start, you get to see the glamorous side of the life of a rock musician. Not!
I guess if you're Iron Maiden, Metallica, or one of the other mega bands, then there is glamour but, for most, the life is a lot less glitzy. That's not to say it doesn't have it moments, it surely does, but there is also a lot of shit to wade through with venues, promoters, pr, fans and all the other crap that comes with it. So, rising with the Lark's fart, I made my way to meet with Mike Stone and the minibus and we set off to pick up the boys in the band. Next stop: the Channel Tunnel. I have to say that, even in spite of its ffrenchiness, it is quick, easy and relatively pain free. By early afternoon, we had passed through ffrance (myself refusing to set foot in the bloody country!) and crossed over the Belgian border.
ffrance may be ffrench, but Belgium is dull. Sorry, all you Belgians out there but 90% of your country is not great. That said, at least you're not ffrance, and I do have some Belgian friends. We arrived at the hotel mid-afternoon. It has to be said that it was not what I expected! But, it was clean, friendly and packed with people from all parts of the world. Sleeping arrangements were made and we made our way to the rooms to drop off our stuff before checking out the venue.
The slideshow below shows the entire two-day trip to Antwerp, starting off with the journey there, getting to the hotel, before, during, and after the gig, and the journey home with a brief stop in Ghent on the way back.

Collateral Dave suffers from post-gig slump
The Hof Ter Lo is quite a nice little venue, I must say. The organisation was good and both staff and fans were very friendly and welcoming. The parking was diabolical and the food, well, continental in the extreme. But, on the up side, this was Belgium and there was plenty of beer. Demon's performance was a good one and the crowd certainly enjoyed their set, giving them a very warm reception and showing their appreciation. All in all, it was a good gig and, to be honest, it would be nice if the band got this kind of reception
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
11th September 2007
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
11th September 2007