Kamelot! Kamelot! Kamelot! – Can you tell it was a great show already? August 16th, Quantic Open Air, Kamelot brought their latest album, The Shadow Theory, to Romania. Photo Gallery here
The day started with Crossing Eternity with a short set, but that definitely got them many new fans. The singer said “Bună seara” and I was so impressed by his Romanian only to have him speaking Romanian afterwards because … he is Romanian. A Romanian – Swedish- German band, they worked amazing together. They only have one album out, but it’s worth checking out. Good energy on stage, worked the crowd, got them to cheer. They didn’t have an easy task, but they delivered. Hopefully we’ll get to see them many more times in Romania.
Before Kamelot we were kind of worried because there weren’t that many people and the Golden Circle space was a bit too large, and by that I mean it was 70% empty. Luckily, by the time Kamelot came on stage, more people had joined and people got up from the tables so it didn’t look suspiciously empty.
I was happy to see just how many people came with Kamelot T-shirts. Glad to see so many fans. Kamelot are a band with such a long and complex history, it’s hard to define them exactly. I have friends who are huge fans of Kamelot because it was what they were listening to in high school. I have friends who have only come aboard the Kam train after the last album(s). That is, though, what makes the band so special. They know who their fans are and they do an amazing job of mixing the old with the new. After all, they have gone forward and forward for years (since 1991), put out 12 albums, and yet they are fresher and more exciting than ever.
The show started with a single from the new album, Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire). They gave us more new songs (Ravenlight, Amnesiac) and some throwbacks that just cannot be left out of their setlist (Rule The World, The Great Pandemonium, When The Lights are Down, Karma). I personally think they have even better songs on The Shadow Theory that they are not playing, but this is just me being picky and wanting to hear them live.
For this show, Kamelot were joined by Lauren Hart of Once Human, who came in and out to feature on different songs. She has such an incredible and versatile voice, going from clean vocals to growl. When she gets the chance to shine, she fills the stage.
Song after song, the crowd was going wild. A very special moment was during Here’s To The Fall, a very emotional ballad Tommy dedicated to his late grandfather. The song is so beautiful and showcases more of what he can do vocally, and the crowd had a part in it raising up their lights.
Towards the end, we got to hear Forever, one of my favourites. It is always a great moment in the setlist because the band stops the song for the crowd to chant different versions of oooOOOOoooO with them. Tommy Karevik on stage is electric and has a magnetism few people can ever dream to achieve. He can command a crowd with just a look. He told us what to do and we did it. Definitely not as well as he did it, but we cannot all be world-class singers.
The band had such a great energy. When talking to other fans, Thomas was referred to as “the one making atmosphere on stage” and everyone loved seeing Sean and his signature braids being extra energetic. Both Thomas and Tommy were constantly coming off stage to be closer to the fans, raising thunderous roars from the crow. Oliver was, as always, the master of the keyboards (because he’s worth it). Any band that has a keyboard solo wins my heart forever. Last but not least, a very special shout-out to Alex Landenburg, who stepped behind the drums while Johan is recovering and is doing an amazing job.
All in all, a great show! I did lose my voice at the end of it, so you know I screamed. It wasn’t just me! The crowd, though not huge, was very loud and very supportive. We all cannot wait to do this all again!