Much has changed in the 18 months since I had last been to the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois (conveniently documented here). For one, there was that whole pandemic thing which shut the Arcada’s doors for over a year. During that time, mastermind Ron Onesti and the venue’s new owners teamed up to do some much needed renovation, the fruit of which I experienced for the first time this past Friday when German metal legends Accept came through town.
Despite long being a shining jewel of its early 20th century heyday, the Arcada had an infamous reputation for its mile long bathroom lines (especially for the men’s room) and outdated ventilation system, which provided heat in the summer and air in the winter. Let me be the first to tell you that these are now merely distant memories. The new and improved Arcada boasts multiple bathrooms and a top of the line HVAC system, not to mention new seats, a new stage, an old school bar, luxury suites, and two restaurants coming soon.
All in all, these amenities made for an enjoyable experience when going to see Accept. Hot off the heels of their latest release, Too Mean to Die, Accept have made the Arcada their Chicagoland home, having played there on practically every US tour since the release of Blood of the Nations. You could tell the band was more than just acquaintances with the stage from the moment they kicked into the raging opener, “Zombie Apocalypse”. It was the first of a handful of new songs played, many of which I feel resonate stronger live than on the record.
The evening’s setlist was a mixed bag, consisting of half 80s classics, half 2010s future classics. Having released five albums with Mark Tornillo on vocals, Accept could easily do a setlist consisting exclusively of his songs. However, there’s no way they could make it out of a venue alive without playing “Restless and Wild”, “Fast as a Shark”, and “Balls to the Wall”, during which the crowd of a few hundred 50 something year old metalheads lit up like they were in high school again. Heads were banged, fists were raised, and air guitars were played en masse.
For 90 minutes, founding guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and company reminded us what old school metal shows are all about: the intensity, the sweat, the deafening volume, the screaming along until your voice gives out. It had been so long since I and the others in attendance had been part of such an event. You’d forgive us if we had forgotten. We hadn’t. Those who have? “God bless ya.”
Setlist
- “Zombie Apocalypse”
- “Too Mean to Die”
- “Restless and Wild”
- “London Leatherboys”
- “Overnight Sensation”
- “No Regrets”
- “The Undertaker”
- “Final Journey”
- “Shadow Soldiers”
- “Princess of the Dawn”
- “Midnight Mover”
- “Pandemic”
- “Fast as a Shark”
Encore
- “Metal Heart”
- “Teutonic Terror”
- “Balls to the Wall”
