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familiar faces in the crowd”. This crowd have been with Europe for the long haul, and they have been rewarded with a rich vein of form over the last decade or so. Way much more than just a “nostalgia” act, Europe have recently been churning out top quality studio albums one after another. The title track from last year’s ‘Walk The Earth’ kicks off a fine evening that manages to balance both old and new easily. Early doors it’s easy to see that not only does Joey Tempest still have a powerful voice, but the other guys in the band have also lost none of their edge. Many bands of a certain vintage will look like they are struggling on stage, but Europe have not slowed down a bit. It’s also easy to see how crucial Mic Michaeli on the keys is to Europe. His heavy keyboard sound adds an atmospheric layer to the evening, and it’s great to hear him high up in the mix, especially on the likes of ‘Turn To Dust’. The other guys are no slouches either, and put in a stellar performance. You know that you are going to hear the classics at a Europe gig, and they have them by the bucketload. While ‘Rock The Night’ puts in an early appearance, ‘Carrie’, ‘Superstitious’, ‘Scream Of Anger’ and ‘Cherokee’ all feature in a pulsating last thirty minutes or so. Mixed in with the classics are some choice cuts from the last few albums, with ‘Last Look At Eden’, ‘Demon Head’ and ‘War Of Kings’ being only a few that prove that Europe can rock out with the best. Part of that reason is the incredible drumming from Ian Haugland… he even manages to make a drum solo enjoyable! Channeling his inner Cozy Powell, as he batters the living hell out of his kit in time with Rossini’s ‘William Tell Overture’. A showman in every sense of the word. Of course, you know that everything is simply just building up to that song. Europe without ‘The Final Countdown’ is like Alice Cooper without ‘Schools Out’ or Aerosmith without ‘Walk This Way’ – inconceivable. Therefore, when the unmistakable intro comes blaring out of the PA, the beer goes flying. The legendary tennis-ball-sprung floor of the Barrowland ballroom gets a workout as the crowd go wild. Our photographer Callum best sums it up when he says, “You would have to have a cold, dead heart not to enjoy that”. There really is nothing more that can be added to that, except to say that Europe close out their UK tour in Brighton on 24th September. A top night of quality hard rock awaits you. Be prepared to bounce. Review: Dave Images: Callum Scott [gallery type='flickr' user_id='132278830@N06' view='photosets' photoset_id='72157698229118772' media='photos' columns='3' tag_mode='any' sort='date-posted-desc' per_page='75' layout='square' caption='title' thumb_size='s' main_size='z' ]]]>
