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Ms. Pesch posed that inquiry to the crowd inside the long-running South Street bar. The sentiment is noteworthy, especially on a night where the band and crew were showing signs of road-weary. Over three decades, Doro has always given so much of herself to fans, onstage and off. Three nights before, in NYC, a proposed post-gig VIP meet & greet at an Avenue B drinking establishment was nixed, when she just continued to hang with the assemblage inside the Gramercy Theater. In Philly, a late afternoon post on the Dobbs' Facebook page said that evening's paid hang would take place several hours after the 5:45 start, because, "Doro has requested that she meet with you all a bit later, as she's pretty fatigued from the tour and wants to be sure she can really give you her best." Now I've seen her play many clubs and massive outdoor stages alike, but never had any inkling of a similar situation. During a couple of quick chats with band and crew, all complained of tiredness. Luckily, there was just one more date (following an off day) after Philadelphia.

Johnny Dee (drums) and 24-year bass veteran Nick Douglas are both "locals" (Conshohocken, PA and South Jersey, respectively), so a Philly gig, to re-connect with family & friends, is a must, each Doro tour. Tonight, everyone was crammed into the legendary (and notoriously small) Dobbs. Doubtful anyone there had ever seen Doro in a more intimate venue, in fact probably not since the early days of Warlock had she been on such a tiny stage. Hard to believe this was the same band running around  onstage in NY, as here, four people (two guitars, bass and the diminutive singer) struggled to stand abreast. No matter, they did their best not to injure one another, especially Douglas and guitarist Bas Maas, towering bookends surrounding Doro. Helps that he plays a left-handed four-string! No matter the crowd, Ms, Pesch can be found headbanging, throwing horns and force-feeding the mic to those down front. Here, without a security/photography barricade, the audience was literally within arms reach.

Prior to the tour, fans voted online as to what songs needed to be in the set. Not sure the same will hold true, when they return to North America next March. However, although there's the semblance of a pre-planned set, the blonde Deutsche-woman frequently ad-libs on the fly, taking fan input or calling out something not printed on the paper taped stage front. "I Rule The Ruins" kicked things off, as was the case throughout the tour. Unable to venture anywhere but a few steps forward or back, "Earthshaker Rock" sees heads/hair flailing onstage. Before introducing "Burning The Witches" Doro gets nostalgic, remembering her first trip to Philly, in the 80s, playing the now defunct Empire. "Fight For Rock" ends a glorious run of four old-school classics, with lots of crowd help on the choruses. Nick and Bas jump-kick, in unison, to punctuate the final note.

From here, Doro veered off course, with respect to what had come before, throughout the tour. As mentioned in my review of the Big Apple hosted 30th Anniversary gala (review here), even the printed setlist offers choices, at specific junctures. Precisely what criteria is used to decide between Option A or Option B remains a mystery. The slower, clap-along "Without You" offers a bit of a respite, ultimately bringing the two guitarists together, center stage. "Raise Your Fist In The Air" quickly gave way to "Metal Tango", Maas squeezing the strings for the titular chorus melodies.

A Dee drum solo, complete with fist smashing cymbals and audio headset to chide his "neighbors" into singing "Yeah, yeah" to Kiss' "I Love It Loud" backbeat, followed. Upon returning to the stage, Doro introduced each band member individually, then onto the Wacken festival hymn, "We Are The Metalheads". The final third of the evening was nicely disguised as fan input, although several favorites: "East Meets West", "Hellbound" and the like, were still to be aired anyhow. On "All We Are" Doro was aided by Madison, a smiling pre-teen girl she befriended several years ago, who accompanied by her Dad, wore blue protective headphones, over her ears. As much as her music, sights like this demonstrate Dor Pesch's love of humanity. At concert's end, much like that youngster, the (well) over-21 set exited into the chilly Fall air, grinning and announcing their intentions to reconvene, come the March tour.

The Queen and her court, redux.