Matt & Nicki's Angra Experience
Due to storage issues, many pics of Angra live are archived off line. They are available upon request.
Songs Performed by Angra:
Nova Era
Acid Rain
Angels Cry
Heroes of Sand
Millennium Sun
Unholy Wars
Rebirth
Brazilian Rhythm
Hunters And Prey
Nothing to Say
Carry On (Matt got to sing a few lines)
Crazy Train (Ozzy)
Getting There:
We live over 400 miles from where the concert took place in Atlantic Beach, NC. So Nicki & I
took off work for Wednesday and Thursday and drove for what should have been an 8 hour trip
(but only took 6 getting there due to my fast driving.) I was going to go alone before Nicki
took off work, but having her to talk to made the trip go very fast.
We get to the town which is a beach town in the winter so it�s a pretty dead place.
I wonder how many people are going to show up...
Pre-Show:
We get to the bar around 7pm. I go inside and the band�s stuff is on stage and a couple of
guys are setting it up. The bar owner says they�re backstage right now. So Nicki and I go
get a hotel and change. We�re back in 30 minutes and Angra is out walking around. The only
other people at the bar are the guys in the opening band (Onward) and the bar�s employees.
I go up to the merchandise booth were Rafael and Kiko are talking. I start talking to them and
get my picture with each of them and they sign my tour book they gave me. Kiko goes to the
stage to sound check his guitar, and Rafael talks to me for about 15 minutes. He is a very
friendly guy and down to earth. We have a good talk. He goes to the stage for the full band
to sound check.
When they�re done, I get my picture with Edu and chat with him for 5 minutes or so. He signs
my tourbook. The band goes back to the hotel except Edu who is resting on a couch. I�m standing
across the bar talking to Nicki and Edu says, �Matt!� and slaps the couch next to him for me to
come sit down. So I go over and hang out with Edu for over 2 hours. We talk about all kinds of
stuff. Nicki and I teach him some American slang too. He was also giving me vocal coaching
lessons. We were sitting there singing on the couch. He sounds great even without a microphone
and effects. The thing is, Edu was so friendly and cool, you�d never think of him as a globally
successful musician who is widely popular in Europe, Japan, and South America.
While we�re chatting, Felipe come back and I get my picture with him and get his autograph.
Then Aquiles came back and I get my picture with him and his autograph in my tour book. Now
I have everyone�s pictures with me and signatures. :)
The opening band doesn�t start until around 10:30...
Opening Band:
The opening band is Onward. I�ve never heard them before, but they have 2 CDs out and are about
to release a 3rd. At the time, I thought they were a bar band - but apparently they�re the real
deal. The singer was cracking me up though. He was so stereotypical 80s that I almost couldn�t
contain myself. The leather pants and all black. Doing the posed dancing type stuff by putting
his left hand in the air, then right, then crossing them, then pumping them in and out -
all to the beat.
Anyway, I would have enjoyed these guys much more had I not been so antsy for Angra. Onward was
very talented, but I was ready for them to be done before they even started.
Angra:
Before they started, Rafeal came up to me and said, �Matt, looks like you�re going to get a private
show!� since there were only 12 people there (including me and Nicki). But everyone there was right
up on the stage and head banging and pumping their fist in the air.
It really was like a private show. Since I knew all the words to the song, everyone in the band
would look at me and smile or make intense rock star faces. They�d even pose for me when I took
pictures. It really was like I was a part of the band or a close friend. I was inches from them
while they played (though at this point I�d been hanging out with them so long it was more like I
was watching my friend�s play in a band than some �rock stars�).
Edu is an amazing singer. His voice is very clean and powerful. He sang the whole show near
flawlessly. He has a wide range too. I got to sing 2 or 3 lines in �Carry On�. It was pretty
cool. I hear my voice, then immediately hear Edu�s. Wow. I was just in bliss.
Rafeal and Kiko blew me away with their playing. As a guitar player with multiple years under
my belt, I�ve never seen someone so good so close (I was 3rd row for DT�s last show - the Angra
show put me closer than 1st row would have for DT). They would shred, sweep pick, etc while being
syncopated and harmonized together at amazing precision. And their tone was great. What I really
liked is the fact that they know how to use 2 guitars in a band. Their tones are different enough
that their playing doesn�t clash, and what they played complimented the other very well.
Felipe was an awesome bass player, too. He had a 6 string and played it faster and more precise
than many guitar players I�ve seen. And many times he sang while doing it. He also had a smile on
his face and looked like he was having the time of his life.
Aquiles� drum playing was spectacular. He is as close to a human metronome as you�ll get. Always
on the beat, he drove the songs like a drummer should - with confidence and emotion.
The band as a whole sounded great. They were extremely tight, and more importantly, they were
having fun. With only 12 people in the bar, it would have been easy for them to just blow it off
and give a � ass show. However, they played with their hearts, had fun, and put on a SHOW. Also,
they were all excellent vocalists. Sometimes they had 4-part harmonies going. Other times, Edu
would sing and the rest of the band would provide 3-part harmony responses. I was very impressed.
Post Show:
Rafael came up to me and asked how I like the show. He chatted with me for about 10 minutes. I
got to hang out with Edu more too. We talked on and off for about an hour. We also exchanged email
addresses, and he said to keep in touch. A very cool guy with plenty of talent to match - and the
fact that he was on a first name basis with us was really cool! Aquiles gave me one of his used
and tattered drum sticks. Kiko gave me a guitar pick.
Total Cost:
2 days off work for 2 people
$40 in gas
$50 in food
$30 for a hotel
$5 a piece to get into the show
$85 on merchandise
But all worth it!
Stuff I Bought:
I bought everything they had for sale minus Rebirth (which I already owned)
* Special edition fan VHS with personal footage from Angra�s own cameras
* Kiko Loureiro - Riffs & Solos sheet music and CD
* Hunters and Prey EP
* Tour T-Shirt #1
* Tour T-Shirt #2
* Tour Book (got for free, and got all band member�s autographs)
Also, I bootlegged the show but it didn�t turn out very well. I�d never done it before.
You can hear it okay though - and at least I got me singing part of �Carry On� with Angra!
New Angra Stuff:
I found out from Edu and Rafael that a new double disc live CD and a new live DVD are coming out
soon. The DVD is slated for January, and the live disc may come out then. Rafael said that the
live CD is taking a lot of work to finish up, and they wanted it out by December - though it will
be January realistically.
Conclusion:
Angra contains the coolest guys I�ve ever met in the music world. They are very down to earth
and humble. They are extremely talented and compose some excellent music. Even if I didn�t
care for their music before this experience, I�d love it now due to how nice the band was.