The most beautiful concert from THE TOUR TO END ALL TOURS!
Swedish SABATON have earned a reputation as one of the most hard-working bands after releasing ten highly-rated studio albums (two of which went platinum), winning numerous awards and nominations. All of that was achieved in more than two decades since their formation during which they gained millions of loyal fans around the world.
From year to year, their popularity grew rapidly, which is not unusual. Combining powerful riffs with singer Joakim Brodén’s distinctive voice, Sabaton tackles the compelling themes of real-life wars and the people who fought in them – grueling battles and great acts of bravery, glorious victories and poignant personal struggles – true stories more fantastic than any fiction, and they raised their music to a higher level by creating documentaries about the themes of the songs, which ranks them among the most interesting bands today.
All that being said- we can be sure that Chris Röland, Hannes Van Dahl, Joakim Brodén, Pär Sundström and Tommy Johansson will go down in history as THE band that got many kids and adults into history and critical thinking more than many schools have accomplished before them.
Sabaton is perhaps best known for its live concerts, which are a real musical and stage spectacle. The band has performed all over the world, regularly filling arenas and gathering huge crowds at festivals across Europe.
An exclusive concert in Croatia was performed in the beautiful setting of the Opatija Summer Stage, as part of their big European tour “THE TOUR TO END ALL TOURS“. Last night’s concert in Opatija was sold out, as well as the very next one: the following concert in Budapest! The tour is organized in order to promote their new album, but also remind the audience of the biggest hits so far, which was a killer combination as the band created one of the most beautiful evenings to remember!
Specifics of the Summer Stage in Opatija is that it offers beautiful and unique surroundings and a more intimate atmosphere than any other bigger venue can offer. The stage would not be perfect for just any band, but Sabaton was well worthy to fill up the venue and have a privilege to perform in such beautiful surroundings. The quality of the band, content and the main messages from the songs- lifts them up into unique elite of very few bands that can function on a stage that offers a touch of exclusivity. We have gotten used to seeing many large and small scale productions like concerts, opera performances, ballet and drama theater shows and movie screenings during various cultural and entertainment events. So, seeing Sabaton was a bit of a surprise for the exclusive surroundings of a Summer Stage which is located next to some of the most beautiful beaches in Croatia.
SABATON decided to perform without an opening act and the decision was well in place, as many fans travelled from many surrounding countries just to see Sabaton. The atmosphere in the audience was successfully fired up by songs played through the speakers and it was well enough to ignite the atmosphere for the great concert ahead of us!
Any bigger band in the world could decide to put the stage on fire and create a fiery experience with the most modern pyrotechnic effects, but only SABATON does it with style, meaning and credibility that instantly takes us into their magical world and presents glimpses of horror that is inflicted by war. It was a beautiful sight: seeing the stage all set up with recognizable barb-wire fences, sand filled bags for the trenches and of course: the tank!
The set list was absolutely great! Of course, many have their favorite songs and it’s absolutely impossible to satisfy every person that attended the concert, as there are so many very special songs fans relate to. The concert was opened with marvelous “Ghost Division” and needless to say: SABATON HAS SET OPATIJA ON FIRE!
Its closely to impossible to pick out the highlights from the concerts as many have their set of best and most impressive songs, but for us some of the biggest highlights were the performances of: “Great War”, “The Last Stand”, “The Attack of the Dead Men”, “Soldier of Heaven” and other. Maybe the absolute peek of excitement from the audience was reached during the magnificent: “Primo Victoria”! The last one was played during the encore, together with the last two songs for the night: “Swedish Pagans” and the closing one: “To Hell and Back”.
The concert was spiced up with Joakims performance of the first part of the “Master Of Puppets” by Metallica before “Resist and Bite”, which was introduced as a refreshment to cheer up the atmosphere, as during earlier concerts first beats of Iron maiden songs were played. Likewise, before the performance of the last song “To Hell and Back” the whole band played a snippet of “Highway To Hell” by AC/DC.
All in all, it was an extremely successful night and all our expectations from the announced biggest Heavy Metal spectacle of the year in Croatia were fulfilled!
Gallery:
SETLIST (source: www.setlist.fm)
- songs played from tape: Sarajevo / Dreadnought / Christmas Truce / Soldier of Heaven
Ghost Division
Stormtroopers
Great War
The Red Baron
Bismarck
The Attack of the Dead Men
Soldier of Heaven
Steel Commanders
Carolus Rex
Night Witches
Resist and Bite
Dreadnought
The Last Stand
Christmas Truce
ENCORE:
Primo Victoria
Swedish Pagans
To Hell and Back
- songs played from tape: Dead Soldier’s Waltz; Masters of the World
