Special report and photos by Mark Gromen

OK, bassist Peter Baltes has lived about an hour away, on the outskirts of Philly for almost twenty years, but ACCEPT's headlining show at the Starland Ballroom, in Sayreville, NJ is a virtual stone's throw away from the clubs (now mostly defunct) on which Mark Tornillo and TT QUICK cut their teeth, back in the '80s. Needless to say, there were a lot of (old) familiar faces in the crowd. In fact, just about anyone who was under 21 was drug there by their parents, who were the real fans! With a repertoire of slower, plodding grunge-era approved songs, openers KING'S X only served to make the band seem all the more frenetic. Instead of the usual shot from a cannon frenzy, by contrast it felt like rapid fire, at hyperspeed.

Strangely barren stage, no monitors and only one cabinet and head for each guitar/bass. All the more room to work the crowd, masterfully. This was my third show with the reunited/rejuvenated Germans (plus Tornillo) and they once again have altered the setlist. It now includes no less than four tracks for their Blood Of The Nations album, but it was an old school trio to kick off the show: 'Starlight', 'Living For Tonite' and 'Breaker'. While some in the audience were unfamiliar with those, they were happy to see the band onstage again. Peter Baltes (bass) tried to push Tornillo more to the front, still unsure of his place alongside the old guard of Baltes and guitar tandem Wolf Hoffman and Hermann Frank. Following 'Breaker' the new guy joked, "It's nice to be home." He was a little more animated than the other shows I've witnessed on this tour, perhaps a few hometown friend and family were more motivating. 'Teutonic Terror' and 'Bucket Full Of Hate' were paired back-to-back, leaving other newbies 'No Shelter' and the encore beginning 'Pandemic' to fly solo, which they do, without any problems.

The syncopated stage moves of 'Restless & Wild' (played before 'Metal Heart', in the US, no less!) saw Frank and Baltes having fun, purposefully trying to feign a move to throw the other one off. When he wasn't doing that, Baltes played air drums instead of pulling bass strings. Alone on a purple lit stage, Hoffman had a short solo that lead into 'Neon Nights'. When rejoined by the entire band, the stage switched to a deep red. The sparsely worded tune is really a showcase for the guitarist. 'Bulletproof' features Peter and Wolf's take on the 'Devil Went Down To Georgia' style instrumental duel. In the guitar jam on 'No Shelter', Tornillo removed his leather vest, returning topless. 'Flash Rocking Man' sees three middle aged guys at the front of the stage, synchronized headbanging. They know how to balance the right amount of goofball antics (mugging, poses) and seriousness. 'Up To The Limit' and 'Monsterman' follow. The stage goes completely black as a Tyrolean record (complete with scratching) introduces the proper set ending 'Fast As A Shark'.

The curtain call (minus any curtain) is comprised of the aforementioned 'Pandemic', the similarly mid-tempo 'Princess Of The Dawn' and the ubiquitous 'Balls To The Wall'. If all reunions were this successful, there'd never be a need for new acts. Show your support: check 'em out live and

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