By Steven Neff, Rock At Night Melbourne/Orlando Correspondent
Venue: The State Theatre, St. Petersburg, Florida
I detest Mondays. Who in the hell created this day anyway? It is the quintessential virus of the work week; and like a virus, its best put out of its proverbial misery in hopes of moving to Tuesday as quickly as possible.
Metal fans however had an advantage over the rest of us this past Monday night as symphonic metal great Epica descended upon Saint Petersburg, Florida at the State Theater on Central Avenue with an impressive setlist before a capacity crowd and successfully making everyone forget what day it was.
The Dutch power band has been on their North American tour in support of their seventh studio album entitled The Holographic Principle, which was released back in September. The album itself contains twelve strong tracks that this writer recommends, not only for the Epica listening experience, but also for the listener to immerse themselves into the lyrical meaning behind the selections themselves. This is a special band that writes with more of an organic uniformity than a commercially based metal track.
Prior to Epica taking the stage, the crowd was put into a metal frenzy with solid support from Fleshgod Apocalypse, Arkona, and The Agonist. Each of these bands had an obvious fan base present throughout the night and performed well.
When Epica did take the stage, there was little room to move around. Simone’s vocals were just stunningly beautiful as always, but this band is such a cohesive group of talent that makes for one epic concert experience. The audience was captivated with some of Epica’s best track selections that spanned across its incredible thirteen year career.
Epica Setlist
Eidola (from the album The Holographic Principle)
Edge of the Blade (from the album The Holographic Principle)
A Phantasmic Parade (from the album The Holographic Principle)
Sensorium (from the album The Phantom Agony)
Universal Death Squad (from the album The Holographic Principle)
Divide and Conquer (from the album The Holographic Principle)
Storm the Sorrow (from the album Requiem for the Indifferent)
The Essence of Silence (from the album The Quantum Enigma)
The Obsessive Devotion (from the album The Divine Conspiracy)
Ascension (from the album The Holographic Principle)
Dancing In a Hurricane (from the album The Holographic Principle)
Unchain Utopia (from the album The Quantum Enigma)
Once Upon a Nightmare (from the album The Holographic Principle)
Photo Gallery
Video
Special thanks goes to Kristin Torres of Nuclear Blast Records for allowing us here at Rock At Night to cover this incredible band. As always Kristin, we appreciate everything you do for us.
To Aaron Patrick, Epica tour manager, who could easily be mistaken for a rock star himself; thank you for being there when we needed help with our Epica coverage. We are grateful.
Lastly, to the staff at the State Theater in St. Pete, Florida; you guys and girls helped to make this coverage a reality with your kindness and professionalism. We extend our gratitude for your efforts .
The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without written permission to Rock At Night and the photographer. Use of any image is a violation of the United States and international Copyright laws.
Steve is a Brevard County, Florida based concert photographer who loves the experience of live shows and tries to bring that experience back to fans through the great medium known as Rock At Night.
Whether it’s a one concert event or extended on the road tour coverage with music’s best bands, Steve covers the exciting experience of “the moment” and paints it across a blank canvas that he hopes music connoisseurs will enjoy.
A graduate of the prestigious New York Institute of Photography, Steve’s music of taste ranges from the symphonic awesomeness of bands like Within Temptation and Nightwish to the rock heavyweights of the 80’s and back to the beat of Armin van Buuren, with a little jazz and blues mixed in for some variety.
One of his favorite mottos: “Life is too short to drink grocery store coffee.”
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