Symphony X Shines At Fine Line
Riding those hump day vibes and with picturesque weather, was in a good mood as I made my way to Minneapolis to see Sonata Arctica and Symphony X. As I like to do, wanted to grab a pint before heading into the venue. Hmm, where to go? Maybe a bar this time versus brewery. Only a five minute walk from Fine Line, 91 years young Gluek’s bar was going to be my chosen evening haunt. Got a frosty mug of Summit EPA and chilled for a little bit, listening to some post-work gossip from the fellow patrons.
Doors were at 7, so around 7:15 started to walk over. To my surprise, there was a long line still in front of Fine Line with the two tour buses hanging out in front. Hmm, well it’s a small club so when doors open, usually everyone can squeak inside in a jiffy so the line disappears as fast as it formed, so I was puzzled. Hung out in line with two couples thay were on dates. One clad in normal rock shirt and jeans, the other in his and hers Hammerheart patched vests. A brewery that used to be down here in the cities for years, then moved up to Ely, MN (visiting it’s new location this fall and I’m very stoked.) Staff came down the line to check IDs and said doors would be opening shortly. About 7:45pm, we were allowed to file in. A bit anxious because Sonata Arctica was supposed to go on at 8:00pm and didn’t want to miss a single song.
Got to the front of Fine Line, small area on the left side to take photos from. Started talking to the sound guy, he goes “Gonna be waiting here a long time.”
I respond confused, “Uh what?” He shook his head sadly.
“Sonata Arctica can’t play tonight.”
Uhg. A “bus bug” as the Symphony X lead singer told us later when on stage had been going around between the bands. It was sadly Sonata’s turn to deal with it. Bummed out, and with some time to spend, made my way around the venue to creep on people and peep the merch. Some cool tour shirts, was tempted. Also reasonable prices for both bands at $40 a pop. Well, what’s a girl to do? Get another beer and sit a bit. Went upstairs with my Surly Mosh Pit IPA ($12 for a cup vs the typical tallboy, not horrible but for a smaller venue, was hoping a bit better for a local draft.) Fine Line lets you rent out tables on their balcony level but there are a few rare open ones with cushy stools up for grabs if you are lucky enough. Guess I picked up enough litter this week cause there was a single stool left. Asked the gentleman sitting at the other side of the high-top if he minded me bothering him, he said not a problem. Hailing from Iowa, Jason, my new table buddy, came to the show with his adult son. We talked metal, pet peeves about shows, the music cruise he just was on (saw Sonata Arctica on that one so he wasn’t too sad about not seeing them at Fine Line.) Love meeting genuine people at shows that love a bit of chat like I do. Time flew by and before I knew it, had to scoot downstairs for Symphony X.
The crowd was pretty relaxed, socializing and hanging out since Sonata Arctica had left them w a touch more time. As the lights dimmed for Symphony X, everyone got into business mode and made sure to well fill out the space around the stage. All the tables upstairs were also sold out upstairs, the small spaces next to the balcony rail were also well populated. Didn’t feel like a small venue anymore with this Friday night energy on a Wednesday.
As the intro song of Dio’s “Holy Diver” faded, Symphony X members came out from the back to a roar of applause and cheers from the audience. They launched into the jams right away with their vibratingly hot song “Nevermore,” the lead singer Russel Allen kept his sunglasses on looking very neat with the green light shining on them. He can fricken sing. After being formed in 1994, though not the original singer, joined the band as the lead singer during their founding year and is killing it over 30 years later. Everyone is the band holds their own and works sop well together. They also seem to be having a jolly time playing together and interacting with the audience. Playing with the mic stand, Allen did a fun “oops almost dropped it” move, which got front row good. Speaking of talent and finesse, guitarist Michael Romeo is a wizard. Fast and clean, was a most excellent time just watching him riff and solo during the set. Only one other photographer was in the media area with me, so had plenty of space even with a smaller footprint to take photos within. Not having a sea of elbows to dodge makes for great photographing experience as you can probably guess.
After the first three songs, hung out in the crowd for a few then headed upstairs to check out how the sound was from up there due to it been a few moons since seeing a show at Fine Line. Stellar quality, shout out crew and techs. No one would have a good show with out them, deserve more highlights in reviews in my opinion. After a fantastic 12 song set including the encore, fans were left musically full and satisfied even with the unfortunate absence of Sonata Arctica.
Hope they feel better soon, and I’ll be eagerly awaiting their next visit to the Twin Cities.
