Before the Helloween show in Starland Ballroom, NJ, I was able to catch the bassist, Markus Grosskopf, and ask him a few questions.
How is the tour so far?
The tour is going fine. This is our first show on the second leg of the American tour. Everything is good. We did well the last time here too.
What is the main difference between playing in Europe and US?
There are more people at the shows in Europe, I guess... there is not much difference.
Who did you enjoy touring with the most?
We did some gigs with Rage, and they were amazing. Victor Smolski is a great musician, they’re all really cool to play with.
What kind of stuff are you listening to, when you’re touring, if anything at all?
The classics. We all like Thin Lizzy, so we have it on the bus. We also have UFO, Michael Schenker, that sort of stuff.
How happy are you with the latest record?
Very happy. We did exactly what we wanted to do.
What are your thoughts on The Dark Ride? The rumor is that you weren’t very happy with it.
It was a good album, but, you know, not a Helloween album. This was more of Roy’s vision on everything. It was coming out really hard, it felt forced. With Rabbit, it was more free-flowing, easy, you know?
Are you going to play any songs off of The Dark Ride?
Yeah, one. “If I Could Fly.”
Off the new one, I really enjoy “Open Your Life.”
We’re gonna play it. This is entirely a Sascha’s song. He wrote all of it, but it felt very natural to all of us. It’s a good song.
How well did the new people fit?
Oh, very well. Sascha is a cool guy, and Stephen... he just has a tremendous experience, you know… Accept, X-Wild, and on…
I couldn’t help but notice the drumming on Rabbit... Mikkey did an amazing job, didn’t he?
Yes, he did. But Stephen is very good with that too.
How long did you practice the tunes for the Avantasia projects?
We practiced for a couple of days... maybe, five? They were not very hard.
Tell me, how does Tobias succeed at getting all these European metal stars to sing and play for him on his projects? Is he that popular in the metal community?
I think he gets them just because he asks.
On the Avantasia project you played with Kai Hansen. How are the relationships between Helloween and Gamma Ray? Have you guys buried the hatchet?
Pretty much, you can say that. A while ago we played at an anniversary Helloween show, he was there and we played together. It was good.
Thank you, and have a great tour!
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