It’s true that we had been waiting to see both Sabaton and Eluveitie live on stage, especially after their latest very good works. The date and time had been known for a long time now and the anticipation was replaced with excitement...
A little delay before setting off, some inevitable traffic - Saturday nights in Athens are a nightmare at times - nonexistent street names on building walls and a poor street layout in general (one wrong turn and you end up exactly where you don’t want to go) and to my regret… I missed Wisdom.
Upon entering Fuzz, Eluveitie were on stage giving one hell of a performance. Brutal vocals, fast drumming, speedy guitar and bass accompanied with vigorous fiddling, sweet flute and the mellow sounds of bagpipes and mandolin; pure Celtic folk metal. Alternating musical instruments isn’t what one would typically see in a live show and I was astonished when they demonstrated such ability. They gave a passionate performance and I could sense they relished every moment. Eluveitie eagerly tried to prompt the audience and by all means they succeeded. Greeks are generally a hard audience to please… and if they are not fully aware of the band, then it gets even harder. Their positive response was what Eluveitie deserved as they are really spectacular in concert. I had not been a great admirer but after their stage performance I totally reconsidered.
Mini breaks are not for the roadies only; loads of people stormed out of the main hall either for a T-shirt or a CD (far too expensive if you ask me - 20€ and 15€ respectively, there is recession in Greece if you haven’t noticed) or a drink replenishment. Still, as soon as the music equipment was in place every single one of them was back in the concert area for Sabaton. Words can’t really describe their vivid spirit and liveliness on the show. Joakim was constantly moving from one side to the other, invigorated by the audience exclaiming ‘Sabaton’ more often than not. Almost everyone was singing along with raised hands making it impossible to see at times, but that’s unavoidable, right? What didn’t please me at all was one song choice by the fans… “A Lifetime of War” is a sing-along, catchy tune and it was not supposed to have been sung in Swedish… definitely not the band’s fault - they asked first - but it just stuck in my craw. Yet, after listening to “Coat of Arms” I felt high-spirited again.
To cut a long story short, the event was very enjoyable even though the overall sound wasn’t the appropriate one for a headliner in contrast to Eluveitie who had a way better sound in general. The sound engineer messed things up a little bit. Nonetheless, through their endless energy & exquisite show Sabaton proved they are among the top European Epic Metal bands of our time that you don’t want to miss in concert.
Upon entering Fuzz, Eluveitie were on stage giving one hell of a performance. Brutal vocals, fast drumming, speedy guitar and bass accompanied with vigorous fiddling, sweet flute and the mellow sounds of bagpipes and mandolin; pure Celtic folk metal. Alternating musical instruments isn’t what one would typically see in a live show and I was astonished when they demonstrated such ability. They gave a passionate performance and I could sense they relished every moment. Eluveitie eagerly tried to prompt the audience and by all means they succeeded. Greeks are generally a hard audience to please… and if they are not fully aware of the band, then it gets even harder. Their positive response was what Eluveitie deserved as they are really spectacular in concert. I had not been a great admirer but after their stage performance I totally reconsidered.
Mini breaks are not for the roadies only; loads of people stormed out of the main hall either for a T-shirt or a CD (far too expensive if you ask me - 20€ and 15€ respectively, there is recession in Greece if you haven’t noticed) or a drink replenishment. Still, as soon as the music equipment was in place every single one of them was back in the concert area for Sabaton. Words can’t really describe their vivid spirit and liveliness on the show. Joakim was constantly moving from one side to the other, invigorated by the audience exclaiming ‘Sabaton’ more often than not. Almost everyone was singing along with raised hands making it impossible to see at times, but that’s unavoidable, right? What didn’t please me at all was one song choice by the fans… “A Lifetime of War” is a sing-along, catchy tune and it was not supposed to have been sung in Swedish… definitely not the band’s fault - they asked first - but it just stuck in my craw. Yet, after listening to “Coat of Arms” I felt high-spirited again.
To cut a long story short, the event was very enjoyable even though the overall sound wasn’t the appropriate one for a headliner in contrast to Eluveitie who had a way better sound in general. The sound engineer messed things up a little bit. Nonetheless, through their endless energy & exquisite show Sabaton proved they are among the top European Epic Metal bands of our time that you don’t want to miss in concert.
