The first time I saw Epica was in 2009, upstairs at the Palladium in Worcester. The band was touring to promote their most recent release, ‘Design Your Universe,’ an album that, to this day, remains among my favorites of all time. 10 years later and several albums later, the Dutch symphonic powerhouse returned to celebrate a decade of the album that changed so many lives.
There were only a handful of North American dates, making this tour a very special occasion that could not be missed. The tour concluded at New York’s Webster Hall, and the band brought everything they had to wrap things up in incredible style.
From the moment the lights went down and the first notes of ‘Samahdi - Prelude’ kicked in, the energy of the crowd and the volume of the cheers could be felt from blocks away. The band enters the stage with a flourish and for the rest of the night, New York belonged to Epica.
The band played the majority of ‘Design Your Universe,’ with highlights including the massive ‘Kingdom of Heaven,’ headbangers such as ‘Burn to a Cinder,’ and an incredibly passionate performance of ‘Tides of Time,’ where the lights of the crowd’s phones and lighters illuminated the hall.
Throughout this performance, one thing was abundantly clear: This band absolutely loves what they do. There was not a single moment during the show where these musicians didn’t have a big smile on their face, as they interacted with the crowd and goofed around with one another onstage. The fans show so much love and appreciation for their music, and that love and respect is shown right back. This is what makes these kinds of shows so much fun in the end.
Support for Epica came from Chicago’s Starkill, who got the crowd pumped up with their ferocious brand of melodic death metal. The set was incredibly atmospheric, with a bombardment of lights meshing with the silhouettes of the musicians as they thrashed and shredded their way through. It was an excellent way to start the night, getting the audience hyped up right off the bat.
It was a very special night for the band and the fans alike. On a personal note, Epica is a band that has long been my favorite since I started listening to them in 2005, and to have the opportunity to capture such a performance was nothing short of incredible. Here’s to 10 years of ‘Design Your Universe,’ and many more years of Epica.
EPICA
STARKILL
