Edge of Paradise

It was a good concert. All four bands were decent. Edge of Paradise played third, and they gave a hell of a performance -- really played their hearts out. They have great music, and they showcased it well. The lead guitar player was totally awesome, just masterful; the drummer was great, like Dr. Cool with his sunglasses, knocking out the beat. The bassist and rhythm guitar played really well, and the singer, Margarita is great, certainly the focus of the show. She was overplayed by the music a lot of the time, and I don't know if it was because I was to the right of the stage, by the amps, or if there was an imbalance in the set-up, but overall, the band played great; clearly the best band there that night, in my opinion. Attendance was terrible -- maybe 100 people at best, not that the venue was all that large. The place, maybe, could hold about 300 people, on all 3 levels. It could be because the venue is a little strange and out of the way, or it could be that the top of the ticket was weak. I think it was mostly the latter. Don't get me wrong, Firewind is a great band, very solid, with good music, but they're really better as a back-up band. They've been around for a long time, but I don't think their following is large enough to pull off sold-out shows, and I suspect that will have a lot of impact on this tour. Meet & Greet, EoP. I went to the meet & greet and enjoyed it immensely. It turned out to be a great opportunity to visit with the band. All of the band members were there including Margarite's boyfriend, who was a really cool guy. It lasted about half an hour, concluding with pictures with the band. Margarite also handed out a piece of art that she made. The M&G is supposed to include a signed tour poster, but the option was given to pick it up after the show or to get it at the M&G. Do NOT pick it up after the show, as it will be unsigned, as mine was. Get it signed at the M&G. By the end of the show, the band is just not around.