Accept at Irving Plaza

Left to right: Peter Baltes, Mark Tornillo, Wolf Hoffmann

Band X formed in 1968 in Solingen, Germany, changing its name to Accept early on. Largely due to many personnel changes Accept did not become a professional band until 1976. By the 1980s, the band was gaining worldwide traction, striking gold in the United States with 1983's Balls to the Wall. Accept went into hiatus in 1989, reassembled in 1992, took a break again in 1997, regrouped briefly in 2005 and then reformed again in 2010. The band presently consists of guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and bassist Peter Baltes, both of whom date back to 1976, along with for T.T. Quick vocalist Mark Tornillo, guitarist Uwe Lulis and drummer Christopher Williams. Accept's 15th and most recent album, The Rise of Chaos, was released on August 4, 2017.

At Irving Plaza tonight, Accept proved that it was progressing rather than resting on its classic hard rock and heavy metal  laurels. For two hours, the quintet balanced its catalogue from the 1980s evenly with songs recorded in this decade. Granted, the audience anticipated "Balls to the Wall," an iconic rocker about slaves revolting against oppressing masters, but the wait was made pleasant because the 20 songs preceding it were filled solidly with soaring vocals and head-spinning guitar solos. Hoffman also performed a three-minute solo on stage by himself, blending snippets of classical compositions with metal feedback and distortion, until the band rejoined him for the bluesy "Neon Nights." In the end, Accept accomplished a daunting goal; by playing classic metal and modernizing it with a very sharp edge, the band performed a powerful set that elevated the band to new heights and rivaled its glory days.

Visit Accept at www.acceptworldwide.com.

Setlist:

1. Die by the Sword
2. Stalingrad
3. Restless and Wild
4. London Leatherboys
5. Living for Tonite
6. The Rise of Chaos
7. Koolaid
8. No Regrets
9. Analog Man
10. Final Journey
11. Shadow Soldiers
12. (Wolf Hoffman's guitar solo)
13. Neon Nights
14. Princess of the Dawn
15. Midnight Mover
16. Up to the Limit
17. Objection Overruled
18. Pandemic
19. Fast as a Shark

Encore:

1. Metal Heart
2. Teutonic Terror
3. Balls to the Wall