Magnum, Gypsy Rose – Gagarin 205, Athens, Greece – 30/11/2018

On my way to Gagarin 205, I was wondering how many people would attend this Magnum show. On the one hand, it was Magnum’s first visit to Greece, but on the other hand, firstly, I don’t think that there are so many pomp/melodic hard rock fans in Greece and secondly, Magnum is an underrated band. It was a big surprise for me to see that many rock/metal fans had come to enjoy the live set of this historic band. We took our seat in the venue and waited eagerly for the British melodic rockers. The band which would open for the headliners was Gypsy Rose. The Canadians, who started their career back in the late ‘80s, were the perfect appetizer and managed to warm up the audience, with their melodic hard rock songs. The band showed us that they are still in good shape and that they can rock. I didn’t know Gypsy Rose before this live show and I can surely say that they gained a lot of new fans in Athens that night! But the time for Magnum had come. And they didn’t leave us waiting for long. Indeed the band entered the stage and the audience went crazy, as the band was playing its first music notes. Yes, Bob Catley and Tony Clarkin stood there for us, singing and playing the guitar respectively, and that was enough: we don’t have every day the chance to enjoy such musical personalities! Magnum played with passion, delivering some of their best songs, with emotion and technique. The setlist consisted of older and more recent tracks, but the most sensational moments of the show – for both the fans and the audience – were “How Far Jerusalem”, “Vigilante” and “The Spirit”. It was a magical live show, a confession of the musicians’ heart and mind, a dream comes true for every Greek Magnum fan. Catley’s voice condition wasn’t excellent but the distinguished singer’s performance was beautiful, passionate and theatrical. In general, Magnum gave all their potential to please us and that was understood by the fans, who left Gagarin 205 satisfied and excited!