I have to start this review with a confession. Until last Saturday I had not seen any live streams since the pandemic started (or even before that). I just don't feel they have the same intensity as being at an actual concert, with a bloke way taller than you standing right in front of you, the smell of sweat wafting around while hair whips your face as the fans next to you headbang furiously. However, Epica is a band I have followed for many, many years, and seen live numerous times (in fact, with this livestream included, it’s the band I have seen the most times ever), so even as I resisted buying my ticket, I guess deep down inside I knew it was bound to happen. It did, and boy, was it awesome!! (Psst, you can still catch up with it until 11:59pm ET today, 15 June, at https://epicastream.com/)
The concert opened with “Abyss of Time – Countdown to Singularity.” To give an idea how big this production is, there are pyrotechnics and dancers as early as the very first song, whereas they’re usually reserved for later on in the show, from what I can remember.
“The Skeleton Key” has got yet another trick up its sleeve. On a podium at the back of the stage appears the children’s choir which gave the album a lot of its flavour. As the band goes through a varied repertoire of old and new songs, including an acapella version of “Rivers” and an explosive rendition of “Freedom - The Wolves Within,” there are fire- and aerial dancers, burning stage, plague doctors, rain, and craftsmanship so intense it set the piano on fire during “Kingdom of Heaven Part 3.”
Joke aside, everyone is putting all of their heart into it, and you can feel their joy to be able to stand on stage together again. During the iconic “Cry for the Moon” guitarist Isaac and keyboardist Coen share a little comedy moment where Coen plays Isaac’s guitar, and shortly after Simone thanks the fans: “Looking back on this fantastic journey, we realise it’s all because of you, you are the reason, all of you here. We love you guys, forever and ever!”
The show pulls out all the stops for the closing “Omega - Sovereign of the Sun Spheres” with fire dancers, aerials, pyrotechnics and the return of the children’s choir. It definitely is their most spectacular performance to date, and fully conveys the raw energy of the song.
All in all, it’s a fantastic show and I don’t regret one bit my decision to watch it. I have seen comments from fans unhappy that it wasn’t a proper live live, but with the amazing special effects I can see the need to pre-record it to ensure everything went smoothly and no one accidentally set themselves on fire on camera. I enjoyed every single second of it, and just hope that when they can return to the stage in front of a live audience they can replicate at least a few of the special effects used in this show.
Setlist (from www.setlist.fm)
Alpha – Anteludium
Abyss of Time – Countdown to Singularity (Live debut)
The Skeleton Key (Live debut)
Unchain Utopia
The Obsessive Devotion
In All Conscience
Victims of Contingency
Kingdom of Heaven
Kingdom of Heaven ~ Part III - The Antediluvian Universe (Live debut)
Rivers (Live debut; A Capella)
Once Upon a Nightmare
Freedom – The Wolves Within (Live debut)
Cry for the Moon
Beyond the Matrix
Omega – Sovereign of the Sun Spheres (Live debut)
https://www.epica.nl
