King Diamond (photo: Susan Moss)
By Kieron Yates
I’m always weary about seeing aging musicians whom haven’t been very active in a long amount of time. Often it feels like a cash grab; like a last-ditch effort to rake in a pile of cash before disappearing for good. Unless you’re Motley Crüe, in which case its just another final farewell world tour cash grab before the next final farewell tour. Not the case with King Diamond.
Upon arriving at L’Olympia I quickly noted how grey the crowd were. Receding hairlines and moth-eaten ‘80s metal t-shirts were in abundance, and in that moment, it hit me that I hadn’t seen King Diamond in over 15 years.
When the theatre curtains slid open, they revealed a two-tiered stage behind a wrought-iron gate: Diamond is always master of theatrics. Staircases erected on either side of the drum riser connected to a platform with large inverted crucifixes and a pentagram above it that literally set the stage as the band appeared to the raucous cheers of the capacity crowd. The show began with a rendition of “The Candle” and any doubt about Diamond still being able to sing his falsetto style were quickly laid to rest, as he belted out his vocal duties flawlessly and with conviction.
After “Sleepless Nights” came “Welcome Home” and Grandma was wheeled out in her chair as Diamond asked, “Montreal, did you miss Grandma?” Through the numerous times I have seen either Diamond or Mercyful Fate, his flare for onstage drama has never dissipated, nor has it grown stale. Then came “Never Ending Hill” and, at its conclusion, those wrought iron gates slid open. A women in a corset appeared atop of the staircase on stage left, which was queue for some more theatrics, as Diamond produced a set of marionette strings, prompting the scantly clad woman to dance about the stage as if her strings were being pulled by a puppeteer while the band played “The Puppet Master.”
King Diamond (photo: Susan Moss)
A few songs later, Diamond and company played not one but two Mercyful Fate tracks. First was “Evil” and the latter was the classic “Come to the Sabbath,” which featured a witch performing a rite in front of the drum set.
Then the PA system gave out for the second time of the night. It just couldn’t handle the King’s power. Like a true professional, Diamond and the lads kept on plugging through the song, and I could still hear him from the middle of the crowd. There was a brief delay after the song as roadies and techs went to work on the situation, giving the audience the opportunity to chant “Diamond” in unison. With everything reset and ready to roll, Diamond announced, “The old bitch is back and she doesn’t hear too well, so if you were to say burn her…” to which chants of “burn her” erupted and a mobile crematorium was wheeled out, which Diamond promptly stuffed Grandma into. The band went in to “Cremation” and the crematorium was opened to revel a mass of smouldering skeletal remains. Curtains for Grandma once again.
The set finished off with “The Family Ghost” and “Black Horseman,” leaving those in attendance dazed but wanting more. As the guitar picks and drum sticks were fed to the masses, it was obvious that we had had our choice cuts for the evening. Hopefully, King Diamond will be back again in the near future, perhaps with Mercyful Fate in tow.
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