Metalheads slowly filled Park West in Chicago as they prepared themselves for the phenomenal experience progressive metal show that awaited them. Symphony X, Haken, and Trope would go on to play at Park West in Chicago which is said to be Ringo Starr's second favorite venue in the world after The Royal Albert Hall.

Labeled as an alt-rock band with progressive elements, Trope played first with only two of their four members on stage. Guitarist and Producer Moonhead and vocalist Diana Studenberg shared the stage and played for roughly 35 minutes while the remainder of the instruments were pre-recorded and played off of a laptop. Unfortunately, this didn't make for the most entertaining performance or the best sound quality. The majority of Trope's songs were from their 2021 album Eleutheromania. Their sound was reminiscent of Tool and Evanescense and hyped up the crowd for the progressive legends Haken and Symphony X.

With no backing track and 6 musicians on stage, Haken's performance was easily the best of 2022. You can tell a band is serious about their music when their guitarists are sporting a 6-string Dingwall bass and an 8-string Strandberg guitar. These top-tier instruments were then played by the insanely talented musicians of progressive rock band Haken. Their use of odd time signatures and symphonic melodies was truly an experience worth seeing and paying for. Similar to Dream Theater and TesseracT, Haken used odd time signatures and long instrumentals to create complex music that makes you want to bang your head and become a drummer. After a long instrumental section, lead singer Ross Jennings came back out wearing glowing red and green sunglasses which added a unique moment for the show. The band broke out into a short jazz section and later paid tribute to the 1980s with their song "1985" which perfectly sums up the music of that era. Seeing Haken perform live was a phenomenal experience where time seemed to slow down and the present was the only thing that mattered.

Celebrating their 25 years of being a band, Symphony X is still a powerhouse in the world of progressive metal. Despite not releasing an album since 2015 and not having toured since 2019, Symphony X brought a good-sized crowd to Park West. Michael Romeo flew across the guitar neck while sounding just like he does on their records. While the crowd was engaged and excited the entire show they didn't show it in the same way as other metal shows. There were no mosh pits, crowd surfers, or walls of death like a Slipknot or A Day To Remember concert. Instead, devil horns and enthralled guitarists stared at Michael Romeo's fingers for the majority of the set. Vocalist Russell Allen encouraged the crowd throughout the set and told fans to "cherish the moment" now that live music has finally returned after COVID-19.

That concert was wonderfully memorable from beginning to end. The music wasn't too loud and the venue was filled with passionate fans. While that was my first time seeing all of the bands, I can honestly say I would see them all again in a heartbeat.

TROPE

HAKEN

SYMPHONY X