Lucifer’s return to Greece as part of their tour for the excellent “Lucifer V” was not to be missed and combined with the presence of the most promising name in the Greek scene, Saturday Night Satan, made the whole package even more enticing. In other words, all roads led to the Temple venue on Saturday in a night full of occultism and vintage 70s rock!
“I can’t wait to play again for the Greek fans”, Johanna tells us a few hours before the show in an interview that will be published soon on Rockpages and from what it seemed later, the Greek fans were also looking forward to see Lucifer again on stage. After making a necessary stop at the merch stand, we took our seats to see Saturday Night Satan. Really, I couldn’t think of a more fitting band to open a Lucifer concert. With their debut album “All Things Black” in their luggage, Saturday Night Satan were excellent and definitely less jarring than their recent show with Green Lung. With the ally of great sound and crowd support, the guys’ performance was flawless and it was very encouraging to see kids singing the lyrics to songs like “Witches’ Dance” and “Devil in Disguise” which were the absolute highlights of the band’s performance. Congratulations!
The preparations for setting up Lucifer’s equipment start immediately and our eye falls first on the appearance of a… coffin in front of the stage! The setting of a mystical and macabre atmosphere is enhanced by the presence of candles and vintage equipment (from the microphones to the amplifier cabins) and as you can understand the anticipation is running high! Shortly after 10:30 Lucifer make their appearance and the Temple is set on fire at the sound of “Fallen Angel” which should already be considered a super classic and a candidate for a permanent opening song at the band’s concerts. Johanna is cool and imposing with her coffin permanently in front of her while the rest of the Lucifer members had a very authentic 70s look giving you the impression that they are on a stage somewhere in 1971/72. We surely missed Nicke Anderson –who had other professional commitments with The Hellacopters- but trust me when I am saying the members of Lucifer were absolutely flawless and on top form!
As expected, the lion’s share of the set list was taken by the latest studio album and so needless to say that there was absolutely mayhem below the stage from the fans during the performance of “At The Mortuary”, “Slow Dance In A Crypt”, “A Coffin Has No Silver Lining”, “The Dead Don’t Speak” and of course “Maculate Heart”! Of course we were treated with older favourites like “Bring Me His Head” (which closed the regular set) and “Leather Demon” just to name a few.
After about 80 minutes Lucifer bid us farewell, promising us that they will be back very soon. It was an absolutely enjoyable performance where it was shown in the most obvious way that Lucifer have risen both in the appreciation of the crowd and in quality level. Long Live Lucifer!
Sakis Nikas
Photos: Maria Melliou
