Hibernation ends
It is finally time to come out of hibernation. There is a good reason for this and it is neither the rising temperatures, nor more sunshine or Easter knocking at the door. The reason is Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia making station at the Jahrhunderthalle Höchst on 5th April during the European leg of the Here be Dragons tour. So I make my way to the sold out venue near Frankfurt, which is easy to reach by car or by train with a short walk. As expected, the queue is some 100 metres long, the doors have just opened… Once inside, the waiting begins.
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Familiar faces in first row
It is nice to see how colourful and diverse the audience is. There were metalheads in battle vests next to young families with their kids, next to older people, next to people who looked like they had just come from the office. Metal unites, this is very clear tonight. This is a concert for all generations. I even spot some familiar faces in the first row, nice to be greeted by them on the way to the pit.
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And the action begins
The show itself starts with a slight 15 minutes delay. Well, even in times of punctuality this can happen, the times when you had to wait two hours for the headliners for no reason are long gone. A pros pos headliner, there is no support band and Avantasia start their brilliant show with “Creepshow”.
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True Perfection
From now on the stage is dominated by perfect live musicianship. As Tobias mentions later in the show, there are no backtracks, no auto tunes, no additional soundtracks or any other fakes, just live music with all the little mistakes of a real live show.
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Adrienne shines out
The second song “Reach out for the Light” belongs to the voice of perhaps the best female metal voice alive, Adrienne Cowan, also known as the singer of Seven Spires from Boston. Her duet with Tobias reminds me a lot of the unforgotten duets of Meat Loaf (R.I.P.), legendary!
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Who’s your favourite?
But she is not the only one who can sing and hit every note, Tobias has once again chosen his co-musicians very well besides the Avantasia backbone band. It is worth to mention them all, so we give you the setlist together with the additional or sometimes solo singer for each song. By the way, although I am clearly “Team Adrienne” since I first heard her voice, who is your favourite singer of the tour?
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There are flames!
Of course, a band and show like Avantasia is not only based on skills, but there are many other things that together make it a great evening. First of all, the unusual stage layout is built like the entrance to a cemetery. Second, the drums are placed on the left side, the platform in the middle is reserved for some special actions and the vocalists. Thirdly, the three backup singers and the keyboards are placed to your right. Apart from that, you want flames? There are flames! You want more flames, fog and columns of smoke? You got it! And finally, tons of confetti!
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New songs and a problem
The theme of the tour is “Here be Dragons”, the title of the new album, released in February 2025. It seems that not everyone is familiar with the new songs, so when Tobias announces the first song, he is surprised about the relatively quiet reaction, makes a joke out of it and explains how it should work with the new songs for the next few hours.
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Solved!
And it works very well from now on, as well as his shout “Frankfurt” and the reaction. It is all a give and take, it is important that the mood on and in front of the stage is vital, alive and infectious. And as you can see, the mood of the audience is very good.
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The Pink Flamingo…
By the way, did you notice the Pink Flamingo in the middle of the crowd? I wonder who the person is who holds it aloft and waves it around throughout the whole show. If you are reading this, my compliments, very well done. I am sure you had very sore muscles the day after.
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Three hours later!
As every show has to come to an end, this show also has its last song, “Sign of the Cross / The Seven Angels”, with all the guest musicians on stage for the final choir, ending the show after almost three hours.
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Pure entertainment
This was indeed the right show to bring you back from hibernation. Avantsia had everything that makes a good show. Excellent musicians, pyro, a good selection of songs, almost three hours of headliner show and no fakes. Even the merch prices were not at the top end of the price scale. Everyone who was there got great value for money.
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The Greatest Showman
Tobias Sammet proved once again that he is a great entertainer and bandleader. He showed the skills of the Greatest Showman. His instinct for brilliant live musicians is simply outstanding. And as a great showman he talked a lot, but not too much. What he said was meaningful and to the point, not filler nonsense. I really feel sorry for the non-German speakers in the audience who didn’t get all his lovely and funny jokes. First of all, he is humble enough to give his musicians the space and presence on stage that they deserve and simply steps back. This is the mark of a true showman and a bandleader with a vision.
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More
The tour will continue to take Avantasia around the world, so keep an eye out and check out the dates on the band’s website for the chance to see them play near you.
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Setlist Avantasia
1. Creepshow
2. Reach Out for the Light (with Adrienne Cowan)
3. The Witch (with Tommy Karevik)
4. Devil in the Belfry (with Herbie Langhans)
5. Phantasmagoria (with Ronnie Atkins)
6. What’s Left of Me (with Eric Martin)
7. Dying for an Angel (with Eric Martin)
8. Against the Wind (with Kenny Leckremo)
9. Here Be Dragons (with Tommy Karevik)
10. Avalon (with Adrienne Cowan)
11. Let the Storm Descend Upon You (With Ronnie Atkins & Herbie Langhans)
12. Promised Land (Ronnie Atkins & Eric Martin)
13. The Toy Master
14. Twisted Mind (Ronnie Atkins & Eric Martin)
15. The Wicked Symphony (Tommy Karevik & Kenny Leckremo)
16. Shelter from the Rain (Herbie Langhans & Kenny Leckremo)
17. Farewell (with Chiara Tricarico)
18. The Scarecrow (with Ronnie Atkins)
19. Death Is Just a Feeling
20. Lucifer
21. Lost in Space
22. Sign of the Cross / The Seven Angels
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Photos taken at Jahrhunderthalle Höchst, 05.04.2025 by Friend.X aka Mr. Deep