Powerglove is one of the first nostalgia-meets power metal bands I loved from 2010. I always enjoy seeing them live. With a bill featuring Arc, and Immortal Guardian, I manifested the Friday night off of work to attend my first open-air event of 2022 at the Sovereign in Brooklyn.
This gig was an easy decision. Powerglove has always been a favorite of mine. Immortal Guardian has such a unique way of performing. Arc is also very cool. The day came, and after crossing off some personal things, I headed out to Morgan Ave.
I was excited to try Sovereign’s BBQ Brisket Sandwich, and upon taking that first bite, it set the mood for a great, metal-filled night. The fries were also savory, and the meal was worth the $16.
The event began for me with Arc’s set. With Arc being the hired third billed entertainment for Brooklyn (Powerglove has different local bands opening venue to venue). After noticing how many props got loaded on, the outdoor stage was packed. The band was all decked out in their cyberspace gear. I knew I was in for a fantastic time. Arc gave their all and made the most of their theatre-level progressive metal stylings. Arc turned in a great set and won over some new fans.
Up next was the mighty Immortal Guardian, this was my first time seeing them, and the band was tight that night. Although their set may have been short because it was also getting pretty late in the evening, that didn’t matter. The energy combined with a superb presentation from Immortal Guardian got Brooklyn ready to relive their childhoods.
The iconic video games I grew up playing were Pokémon Gold Version, Super Mario Bros, and the revered Sonic the Hedgehog trilogy. Looking back, we nineties kids experienced great animation. We loved X-Men. After hearing Powerglove for the first time, I was hooked.
I was glad to see Powerglove again, even as a three-piece band. They mostly played songs from their latest full-length while throwing in some greats such as Tetris, X-Men, Red Wings Over Baren, So Sexy Robotnik, and Ghostbusters. I enjoyed So Sexy Robotnik with Bassil Silver on guitar and Justin Piedimonte from Immortal Guardian on drums after a humorous on-stage skit with Gabriel Guardian ‘leaving the band’. Brooklyn loved every minute of Powerglove’s set. Another highlight was Carlos Zema (Immortal Guardian’s vocalist) joining them for Power Rangers.
After Powerglove finished, I left the venue and headed home to power through a busy weekend working in Williamsburg.
