So far, the “Hellish Rock tour” has already passed through Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and Greece. All performances have been a success in terms of audience and performance. For a little over 3 hours of the purest and most authentic Heavy Metal, the bands Shadowside, Helloween, and Gamma Ray have provided fans with a true celebration with the tour that currently stands out the most in Europe.
The final impressions from the shows in Athens and Thessaloniki were extremely impressive. Both cities delivered a spectacular performance and left the Shadowside musicians even more eager for their next commitment: Istanbul, Turkey.
The show in the Turkish capital was one of the most anticipated of this new tour through the Old Continent for Dani Nolden (vocals), Raphael Mattos (guitar), Fabio Carito (bass) and Fabio Buitvidas (drums), as most bands that play in this city describe the audience as one of the most insane in the world.
However, it was on the road from Thessaloniki to Turkey that we received a call from Helloween's booker informing us that the show in Istanbul had been cancelled because Andi Deris was not in full condition for the next stop.
We stopped for lunch in the quiet town of Iasmos (Greece) precisely to decide our future. Since Istanbul was definitely a day off, we brought the trip forward and hit the road wanting to visit the famous Constantinople.
Shadowside took advantage of this break to recharge their batteries. For two days, the musicians strolled through the beautiful and charming historic streets, visited the main tourist attractions such as the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the beachfront where it is possible to admire the silhouette of the Sultanahmet Mosque, the Obelisk of Theodosius, the famous Grand Bazaar, and enjoyed the delicious cuisine of this European and Asian metropolis.
The monumental, cultural, and scenic richness, the extensive history, the unique blend of East and West, people of diverse nationalities and religions interacting peacefully, with passages from the Quran always echoing through the air, make Istanbul a surreal city. Parts of the European zone were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985, and the bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games is evident everywhere.
Istanbul will be missed, but now it's time for Sofia, Bulgaria!
Check out the complete Shadowside travelogue in Europe here!