‘The God Machine Tour’ also includes Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina
By Luiz Athayde
Less than a month after performing in Brazil, Blind Guardian have announced 6 shows in the country this November. The iconic German power metal outfit will be making a South American tour, which also includes Ecuador (12), Chile (14) and Argentina (16).
On these parts, vocalist Hansi Kürsch (vocals), André Olbrich (guitar), Marcus Siepen (guitar) and Frederik Ehmke (drums) – supported by the musicians Michael Schüren (keyboard) and Johan van Stratum (bass) – start the tour in Rio de Janeiro, playing at Circo Voador (18). Following that, they go to Belo Horizonte (at Autêntica, 19th), Curitiba (Ópera de Arame, 21st), Porto Alegre (Bar Opinião, 23rd), and finish with two dates in São Paulo: 25th and 26th November, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The band promotes its acclaimed twelfth studio album, The God Machine, released in September 2022 by Nuclear Blast.
The Germans headlined the Saturday night, April 29th, at the Summer Breeze Brasil festival, where they celebrated 30 years of the classic album Somewhere Far Beyond. It was also where vocalist Hansi Kürsch promised the audience, saying they would be back “every year from now on.”
On the other hand, on social networks, guitarist Marcus Siepen made a video on reels, explaining why they haven’t played anywhere else in the country, as well as in Latin America: “As you may know, we played Summer Breeze Brazil, like, a week or ten days ago, and as always we had a great time, it’s a great festival,” he comments.
“I got a lot of messages, actually an unusual amount of messages from people complaining! Not about the show, but because we only played in São Paulo. They were asking: ‘Why didn’t you play anywhere else in Brazil?’ Or especially: ‘Why didn’t you play any other shows in South America?’ And when I saw the first of those comments, I thought: ‘Well, the answer should be obvious.”
He continues: “But when I got some more comments, I thought the answer might not be so obvious. So, I want to give this answer and… well, Summer Breeze Brasil is a festival, and that’s exactly what we did: we flew to São Paulo, where the event was going to take place, did the show and came home. That’s what we do during the summer; we don’t tour, well, yes, but obviously festivals.”
In concluding, Siepen asks fans for patience: “Summer Breeze Brasil was exactly that: 1 festival. It was not a South American leg of our God Machine Tour, because the tour hasn’t even started yet, it will only start in September. That’s why we did 1 show in São Paulo, and it was a festival. The next shows will be held at festivals. So please be patient. Until new dates are confirmed, be patient.
But the wait was worth it: tickets are already available on the website of the production company CK Concerts, with several modalities including the “Solidary” (along with 1Kg of non-perishable food). Access: https://www.ckconcerts.com/es/tours-y-shows/proximos-shows/blind-guardian-2023