Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Location: Velden am Wörthersee (Vrba na Koroškem) / Bluesiana Rock Cafe / Austria
Concert date: 31.10.2014
Attendance: 60
Ticket price: €29.00
On the evening of one of the most popular imported holidays, Halloween, American prog-metal up-and-comers Circle II Circle, under the superb leadership of (former) Savatage singer Zachary ‘Zak’ Stevens, rolled into Bluesiana, Austria’s concert temple of the blues. By usual Bluesiana standards, where most gigs run on bluesy rhythms (unless some legendary prog-rock romantic from the ‘prehistoric era’ happens to wander in, like Carl Palmer of Asia and ex-ELP did in the past), the Stevens band’s show, with its metal nature, was definitely a pretty unusual event, and with a rather meager turnout it also came with an unexpected but nonetheless very interesting twist.
The announced Italian support act never showed up, which probably nobody in the small, mostly Austrian crowd mourned too much, but that was far from the main surprise of the evening, during which we got a good fill of quality power/prog metal. For the first time on the current tour, which promotes the latest studio album »Seasons Will Fall« (2013) and the twentieth anniversary of the Savatage masterpiece »Handful of Rain« (1994), the Circle II Circle guys made a completely unplanned decision to play an acoustic version of the show.
They borrowed the instruments from the local organizers and music nuts, who chipped in a mic, two acoustic guitars and a piano. Mr. Stevens and his metal comrades (missing from the stage was second guitarist Marc Pattison, who preferred to stay at the hotel, while drummer Adam Sagan cheered his band on from the crowd) sat down on bar stools and tackled acoustic interpretations of one of the best Savatage albums and at the same time one of the mightiest moments of Stevens’ singing career. The absent Pattison was replaced on acoustic guitar by bassist Paul Michael ‘Mitch’ Stewart, ably backed up on a second acoustic guitar by guitarist Christian Wentz. Henning Wanner, former keyboardist of hard rockers Jaded Heart, proved himself behind the borrowed piano. The German keyboardist also made sure that any locals who happened not to understand English knew what was going on, while Zak and Paul served up plenty of more or less witty quips and anecdotes between songs.
Considering it was Halloween, which drives Americans absolutely nuts every year, and that this was an acoustic show in a much more intimate vibe than the usual, typically far more ‘rowdy’ Circle II Circle gigs, it was really fascinating to listen and watch how Zak’s band managed to ‘dress up’ the arrangements of some of the best-known Savatage classics in acoustic ‘shirts’. To be honest, the announced run-through of the whole of »Handful of Rain« (in an unannounced acoustic version) was the main reason that drew a four-strong Slovenian ‘delegation’ to Bluesiana, and that went for most of the crowd too.
Stevens’ slimmed-down band handled the acoustic format brilliantly and dealt well with a completely changed situation. They actually exceeded plenty of expectations, meaning they adapted both the Savatage classics and the Circle II Circle material superbly to the circumstances. Few metal bands these days have enough ‘balls’ to dare to rework an entire show acoustically, and even fewer pull it off convincingly. Circle II Circle proved they’re among the rare positive exceptions. Because of its special, though far from complicated, rhythmic structure, and with no proper rhythm section, they decided to skip the punchy energy catalyst »Taunting Cobras«, which is the opening track on »Handful of Rain«, a wise call under the circumstances. Instead they kicked off with the acoustic version of the title track, which thanks to its lyrics fit the setting perfectly, so the atmosphere loosened up right from the start and even a few people who had radiated almost total apathy before the Circle II Circle set started actively following the band.
Zak was, as expected, a chapter in himself. With his superbly preserved vocal cords he sounds almost identical to twenty years ago, and with enviable stage charisma he carried half of this rather demanding, acoustically arranged Circle II Circle mission on his own. The fact that the crowd responded lively to every acoustic number that night surely added to the band’s motivation too, so Zak and both guitarists got up from their seats early on.
Even punchier songs like »Nothin’s Going On« came across convincingly enough in their softer form that soon nobody missed the electric guitars, bass and drums. Special praise goes to bassist Stewart, who convincingly filled in on the second acoustic guitar for his absent six-string buddy and was Stevens’ ‘right hand’ in getting the crowd going. Even though most of the band look like truckers from the American Midwest, we got another reminder that they’re excellent musicians, even though two members weren’t on stage that evening, with Stevens changing his band’s lineup quite often. A few good jokes to liven up the atmosphere flew that night too, and the late ‘King of Pop’ wasn’t forgotten either. The drive, diligence and convincing acoustic interpretations didn’t let up during the Circle II Circle songs either, which peaked with the standard »Watching In Silence«, from the self-titled debut, nicely showcasing their past output.
The sound was good all evening, apart from a few usual fixes to the tuning of the acoustic guitars, after which everything was fine to the end of the set. The band was in really great spirits throughout, both on the Savatage standards and their own material, and they soon passed that good energy on to the crowd, who rewarded them with fitting applause. We were especially thrilled by their take on the vocally very demanding Savatage evergreen »Chance«, where all three of Zak’s bandmates shone with backing harmonies and managed to recreate the original mood of that unforgettable masterpiece. One of the most convincing moments, as expected, was the gorgeous power ballad »Alone You »Breathe«, dedicated to the memory of the tragically departed Savatage founding guitarist Criss Oliva.
The closing song of the night was a pretty predictable pick, but we were all glad Zak chose to end the Circle II Circle acoustic show with »Edge of Thorns«, probably the most beloved Savatage song with his vocals, which electrified the space around the stage with its potent energy and mighty central arrangement. After the very successful and interesting set, the band members took time to hang out with fans, among whom you could spot very few Savatage or Circle II Circle shirts, since more people had dressed up for Halloween as various creatures, though to show off their comic monstrosity they wouldn’t have needed masks or special cloaks at all.
Setlist
1. Handful of Rain
2. Stare Into the Sun
3. Chance
4. Castles Burning
5. Watching You Fall
6. Nothing’s Going On
7. Alone You Breathe
8. All That Remains
9. Soul Breaker
10. Heal You
11. End of Emotion
12. Watching in Silence
—encore—
13. Edge of Thorns
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