HAIL! In Lebanon: First Concert Footage Posted Online

November 21, 2009

The all-star band HAIL! — comprised of bassist David Ellefson (MEGADETH, F5),guitarist Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA),Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ICED EARTH) and newly announced sticksman Paul Bostaph (TESTAMENT, SLAYER, EXODUS) — claims to have been "the first metal band" to ever have played live in Lebanon (although such acts as APOCALYPTICA, LAKE OF TEARS and THEATRE OF TRAGEDY have all reportedly held shows in the country before). On November 20, HAIL! performed at Hektic Hall in the capital city of Beirut.

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be viewed below.

Commented Ellefson: "This truly is a monumental occasion — to do something for the first time ever is a rare and special opportunity. I can't believe that it was 25 years ago, but remember how astounding it was when IRON MAIDEN went behind the Iron Curtain and played in the Eastern Bloc? I relate it to that and I am thrilled to be a part of something that has this kind of historic significance."

Ellefson continued: "We're just a fun-loving metal band; we have no agenda. We all come from very different backgrounds and no matter where we are playing, everybody in the building shares the same music. Music is the message. We all love the same music and that's the beauty of unity…that's the beauty of HAIL!"

Asked how Bostaph came to play with HAIL!, Ellefson replied, "After Jimmy DeGrasso became unavailable due to his touring commitments with ALICE COOPER, Roy Mayorga came aboard and just slammed for us. His playing throughout the Scandinavian dates was unbelievable, but now he's heading back into the studio with STONE SOUR, so he's unavailable for the next round of shows. We immediately thought of Paul. With Alex Skolnick out playing with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA a small window opened in the TESTAMENT schedule where Paul became available and we jumped at the opportunity."

Kisser chimed in, "Come on, he's Paul Bostaph! Think about it, he's played with three of the greatest thrash bands of all-time, SLAYER, TESTAMENT and EXODUS. What symbolizes more of the spirit of HAIL! than that?! It's an honor to play with him."

For up-to-the-minute news on HAIL!, visit the band's new web site at www.myspace.com/hailofficial.

Find more on

Prev More News Next

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).