Joey Tempest of Europe performing at the Rockbar Theater in San Jose, CA. January 19, 2016. Photo: Jared Stossel.
At this point in time, older music is outselling newer music. While this can be harder for new artists right now, this doesn't have to be a horrible situation. The people that are purchasing old music and absorbing it are generally in a younger demographic, if that's a fair assumption to make. Undoubtedly, these fans are going to have a general curiosity about the artists that were inspired by these legendary musicians. They'll follow the path of succession, looking not only at the newer albums from these artists, but who they're touring with, what other kinds of shows they're playing at, etc. It's like a reverse chain reaction (i.e., the people who are listening to new music that go back and look at their influences).
This speaks not only for purchasing albums and streaming sites like Spotify and Apple Music, but for concerts as well. The Rockbar Theater in San Jose has been hosting a wide array of talent, both older and newer, and it made me happy to see it as packed as it was on a TUESDAY evening for Europe's performance. It gave me confidence that the state of rock music is finally getting to a better place.
The five-piece rockers from Stockholm, Sweden played an epic eighteen song, hour-and-a-half long set. Their set began with the eponymously named "War of Kings", from their most recent album that was released last March. The song led into one more War of Kings track, "Hole In My Pocket", before going all the way back to the opening track of 1988's Out of This World, "Superstitious".
"Wasted Time" and "Last Look at Eden" followed, before launching into the most powerful sing-along of the night, "Carrie". Even through my earplugs, every line of the chorus permeated the sound barrier protecting my ear drums.
The set later featured a brief, albeit cool, drum solo from drummer Ian Haugland, played in time to a classic symphonic overture (I apologize for not remembering the composer; I'm not as well versed in classical music as I would like to be.) The band returns to the stage and launches into "Let The Good Times Rock", "Rock The Night", and "Days of Rock And Roll" before what was undoubtedly considered the most anticipated moment of the night: "The Final Countdown". I don't really even need to describe what happened during the last song, but in case you were wondering, it was epic, and a great end to a rock-filled evening.
SET LIST
War of Kings (War of Kings - 2015)
Hole In My Pocket (War of Kings - 2015)
Superstitious (Out of This World - 1988)
Wasted Time (Wings of Tomorrow - 1984)
Last Look At Eden (Last Look At Eden - 2009)
Carrie (The Final Countdown - 1986)
The Second Day (War of Kings - 2015)
Firebox (Bag of Bones - 2012)
Sign of the Times (Out of This World - 1988)
Vasastan (War of Kings - 2015)
Girl From Lebanon (Prisoners In Paradise - 1991)
Ready or Not (Out of This World - 1988)
Nothin' To Ya (War of Kings - 2015)
Drum Solo
Let The Good Times Rock (Out of This World - 1988)
Rock The Night (The Final Countdown - 1986)
Days of Rock 'n' Roll (War of Kings - 2015)
The Final Countdown (The Final Countdown - 1986)
This has been another Shameless Promotion.