Concert: Sabaton w/ Epica - Paramount Theatre - Seattle 9.15.22
Photos on KISW: www.audacy.com/kisw/latest-from-kisw/gallery/swedens-sabaton-and-the-netherlands-epica-concert-photos
Sabaton's "The Tour to End All Tours" arrived to America this past Thursday 9.15.22 starting right here in Seattle at the Paramount Theatre. A good move for the fans here that were so close to seeing the band open for Judas Priest back on 10.21.21, but days before the show scheduled in Everett, WA, Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner had a massive heart attack onstage and all shows were obviously cancelled. So back to Sweden the band went deflated with a remaining 3/4th of that huge tour cancelled.
So less than a year later Sabaton are back in America with their own headline tour and WOW what a way it started with a sold out Paramount Theatre show. The fans were rabid for the band. Singing along with each song, jumping up and down, fist pumping to the anthems. It was like I was at a European soccer stadium game ha! That kinda dedication and energy! This is what going to a concert is all about!
So if you're unfamiliar to Sabaton, they've been around since the 2000's and have been singing about historical battles and wars from all over the world on their albums. Power war metal I guess I'd call them. The show has come along way since I first saw them in America and their first time in Seattle at El Corazon 4.26.11 opening for Accept. Check out my 3D video from that show here. Stage show is rad with the war bunker look and yes, drums on top of a tank. Not the first band to do that as the late great Eric Carr of Kiss did that in the early 80s on the "Creatures of the Night" tour. Even though the stage and show was cool, its NOTHING compared to their shows (especially on the big festival circuit) in Europe with all the bombs, fire etc. that give off like you're really in war. U.S. concert theatres usually stay away from those theatrics for bands.
The band was really surprised by the Seattle response and mentioned it a few times during the show. After a few years of the pandemic these Seattle Sabaton fanatics gave it their all to the band! Great setlist on this night included: Ghost Division / Stormtroopers / The Red Baron / Bismarck / The Attack of the Dead Men / Soldier of Heaven / Steel Commanders / Carolus Rex / Gott mit uns (Sung in Swedish) / Night Witches / Dreadnought / Shiroyama / The Last Stand / Christmas Truce / Encore: Primo Victoria / Swedish Pagans / Highway to Hell (AC/DC cover) / To Hell and Back
This band always loves to have some fun during the show too. Singer Joakim Broden had a moment with a fan who had a the Swedish-founded IKEA bucket hat on that ended up on stage and on his head. Entertainment is what Sabaton give as well as a historical learning lesson on war history pounding your ears. See another hilarious moment I caught on video in 2014 at El Corazon with my "40-1" video.
I've been to a million shows since the 80s at the Paramount and I've never seen so much merchandise being bought and resupplied on the spot than Sabaton's merch booth. The lines were crazy all night long and I couldn't even buy the "The War to End All Wars Beanie" I wanted before, during and after the show that's how insane it was! Check their massive store out: store.sabaton.net
Catch Sabaton on one of their remaining USA dates:
September 2022
17 – Roseland Ballroom, Portland, OR
19 – Revolution, Boise, ID
21 – Fox Theatre, Oakland, CA
23 – Palladium, Los Angeles, CA
24 – Arizona Federal Theatre, Phoenix, AZ
25 – Brooklyn Bowl, Las Vegas, NV
27 – The Complex, Salt Lake City, UT
28 – The Fillmore, Denver, CO
30 – Southside Ballroom, Dallas, TX
OCTOBER 2022
1 – Bayou Music Center, Houston, TX
3 – Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
4 – Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
6 – The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD
8 – ICON, Cincinnati, OH
10 – The Fillmore, Detroit, MI
11 – 20 Monroe, Grand Rapids, MI
13 – The Fillmore, Minneapolis, MN
15 – Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL
17 – Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA
18 – The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA
21 – MGM Music Hall, Boston, MA
22 – Place Bell Arena, Montreal, QC
23 – Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY
Opening the show and tour was the Dutch symphonic metal band Epica. Headed by the front operatic-like vocals of Simone Simons, this metal band blend all kinds of metal styles from black to power metal in that European metal influenced style. Founded by guitarist and vocalist Mark Jansen, he gives the growling vocals to mix in and out of Simone's unique melodic angelic style. Supporting their latest album "Omega" this band live are very active onstage especially with keyboardist Coen Janssen cool antics and curved keyboard where he can run around the stage.
Overall they put on a great set and won some new fans over for sure with their set: Abyss of Time – Countdown to Singularity / The Essence of Silence / Victims of Contingency / Unchain Utopia / Cry for the Moon / Code of Life / Beyond the Matrix / Consign to Oblivion
Check out the bands new video released yesterday called "The Final Lullaby (ft. Shining) on YouTube. What a killer song from Epics's forthcoming collaborative album 'The Alchemy Project,' out November 11. Pre-order now at: epicamerch.com
Stay up-to-date with Sabaton at: www.sabaton.net and Epica at: www.epica.nl