The War of Kings tour landed in Fort Lauderdale on February 2nd with Gabbie Rae opening up and Europe headlining. Gabbie Rae is a seventeen year old rising star and vocal powerhouse in the music world. The chemistry between Gabbie Rae and her band is infectious, the type of chemistry that translates into the crowd and has everyone jamming along together. With a mix of covers, including Motorhead's Ace of Spades and AC/DC's Highway to Hell, and original songs, Gabbie Rae proved she can nail both singing and the screaming. There is no doubt she is a force to be reckoned with, and will continue to stun us with her vocal abilities.
The fans had packed into a sea of people waiting for Europe to take the stage. Joey Tempest and the lineup of musicians that brought you “ The Final Countdown ” proved that Europe is still as good today as they were in the 80's. Having the in famous crew back together is definitely something to behold, there is no shortage of cohesiveness between the members. Unlike a good portion of 80's bands that still t our, Europe is constantly putting out new songs and new albums, having their fifth studio album since reforming in 2003 released early last year. And Europe is not afraid to play those new songs, while they did hit the big hits like "Carrie" "Superstitious" and of course the "The Final Countdown," they opened with the title track off the newest album "War of Kings" and I can tell you the crowd knew those words just as well as the older songs. One of the greatest moments of the night, however, would have to be the cove r of "Desperado" they played in honor of the recently lost Eagle, Glenn Frey. Europe proved to a packed crowd that they have no intention of putting out the fire anytime soon.