Doro Belladonna, Chris Caffery & Division
June 10, 2007
Jaxx Nightclub
Springfield, VA

by Sherry Thomas
Staff Writer

Comments: The summer concert season started a little early this year with the arrival of Doro to Jaxx in Springfield, Va. on June 10. Belladonna and Chris Caffery joined in to make it an exciting night.

Die-hard fans waited hours to see the Queen Of Metal, who is on tour to support the release of 20 Years A Warrior Soul, a two-disc DVD which chronicles her successful career. There was a line of people waiting outside the club hours before doors opened.

After eating a nice dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant next to the venue, my friends and I decided to go in a little early to check out the action. Many of the people in the club were sporting Doro, Warlock, Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Anthrax and Belladonna t-shirts. The crowd was hungry for this lineup and the opening bands satisfied their craving.

Division, a Virginia based band with a sound similar to old-school Metallica and Savatage, was wrapping up their set when we arrived and were impressive and more notably, a tight kick-ass band. Division is comprised of Nick Kelly (v), Mike Blevins (g), Dave Evans (g). Ron Kralik (b) and James Goetz (d). They are worth checking out! For more information, visit their Web site: http://www.division-usa.com.

Chris Caffery hit the stage next with what has to be the shortest set known to mankind. No disrespect to club owners, but Caffery (v,g) and his band members Joey Bones (b), Paul LaPlaca (g) and John Macaluso (d) were often given the shaft on the U.S. tour due to over-booking and it’s a shame. Caffery and Co. began with “Edge Of Darkness/Edge Of Thorns” which pleased many Savatage fans in the audience. Next up was a Michael Schenker cover and the title track from his newest release “Pins And Needles”. Then, the big disappointment of the night … an extremely edited version of “Pisses Me Off,” which was basically the line “Starbucks pisses me off.” They ended with personal favorite “Abandoned.”

Up next was Belladonna with Rob Lotta (g), RC Ciejek (b), Paul Marciano (d) and, of course the man himself Joey Belladonna. The crowd went crazy as soon as the band launched into the first song. There was a mosh pit in front of the stage with rabid Joey Belladonna fans who were treated to songs from his solo career, such as “Live Up To You”and “Injun” along with Anthrax classics “Madhouse,” “Medusa” and “Antisocial.” The quartet was tight and didn’t miss a beat. Kudos go to Joey Belladonna and the band for great crowd interaction both onstage and off-stage. When, they weren’t performing they were at the merchandise booth or mingling with audience members.

Then what everyone was waiting for … Doro! She captivated the audience from the get-go beginning her energetic performance with the Warlock tune “Earthshaker Rock.” Everyone followed her lead by shouting “Hey, hey, hey” and pumping their fists in the air for “Metal Racer.” Doro is what every performer should be and it is a pleasure to watch her on stage and see everyone mesmerized and loving every second of it.

Doro, along with longtime band mates Nick Douglas (b) and Johnny Dee (d) brought Chris Caffery (g) and Luca Princiotta (g) with them for the U.S. tour and they all performed at their best.

Next up was a love song to her fans called “You Are My Family.” Doro has said many times that her loyal followers are an integral part of her life and this track makes it clearly evident. Following that, Doro cranked it up a few notches with “Burning The Witches” and kept it going strong with “Above The Ashes,” “I Rule The Ruins,” “Fur Immer” and “Burn It Up.”

She surprised the crowd with a cover of Judas Priest classic skull-crusher “Breaking The Law” and then jumped right into fan favorite “All We Are” which really got the adrenaline in the audience going.

The band exited the stage and the crowd wanted more from Doro and crew. They performed “East Meets West” and the hauntingly beautiful “Love Me In Black” for the encore and it was the perfect ending to a night of metal by performers who do it the right way.

Photos of Doro provided by Ellie Timms.
Photos of Belladonna and Chris Caffery provided by Michael A. DeLia.