It wasn’t the first time GUN played in Portugal, but for one reason or another, I’ve always missed them. Not this time! And damn, how much I enjoyed it! Made me feel even worse for not having seen them before, where they probably performed for longer than 45 minutes (and in smaller places, with fewer people, where I could get closer to the stage and get better shots ). Ah well.

I confess I’ve lost track of GUN a loooong time ago, and it was a big and good surprise when Marés Vivas TMN first confirmed them for this year’s edition. Bigger shock was to realize that Mark Rankin was no longer the lead singer, but I was soon convinced by Dante Gizzi‘s voice and attitude – despite his white jeans and dark polo shirt were anything but rock, eh eh. Which only proves that image is overrated

“Don’t Say It’s Over” is my all-time favourite, so when they played it I couldn’t stop dancing and singing along at the top of my lungs  Right after it came “Better Days”, the first GUN song I’ve ever listened to. I was delighted!

I think the only song I really missed was “Oh Crazy You” – I also love “The Only One”, but a ballad isn’t exactly the best option for a rock band in a Summer festival, “Something Worthwhile” would’ve been nice to, but not as personally-mandatory as “Oh Crazy You”. But they have a new album out, “Break The Silence”, so it was only fair they would take the chance to show us some of those new songs. Like I said, I didn’t even know they were still around, but funny enough, I recognized the title-track! Have no idea where I first heard it, though.

“Word Up” was epic, although I’m pretty sure many kids only knew it as KORN‘s  Well breaking news, boys and girls: the original “Word Up” was recorded by a funk/R&B band called CAMEO, in 1986, and GUN covered it in 1994, when I’m sure many of you weren’t even born yet. KORN would do it 10 years after GUN.

“Shame On You” finished the gig and that leg of the tour. Dante said it couldn’t have ended in a better way than with 20,000 screaming Portuguese. He even took us a picture that was shared on the band’s Facebook page the following day

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