When my approval to cover the Cell-0 tour featuring Apocalyptica and Lacuna Coil rolled in, I could barely contain my excitement. I had been wanting to see these 2 bands for so long and now my chance had arrived. It was as if the stars had aligned. Not only was I going to see them performing together, but it was also being hosted by my favorite venue, The Plaza Live. The fact that this was a sold out show just added to my anticipation.
Arriving more than an hour early meant that I had plenty of time to grab my passes and hit up the merch tables. I don’t always buy a shirt but tonight there was no way I was leaving without one. Which one did I buy? I’ll just keep that a secret. The crowd was filling in quickly and there was no shortage of black gothic attire. Lacuna Coil is from Milan Italy and I’ve seen them described as alt-metal, progressive metal, and goth metal. One thing for sure, regardless of descriptions Lacuna Coil makes it work. The band has been pleasing audiences since 1994 and was first known as Sleep Of Right and then Ethereal before finally resting with Lacuna Coil.
8:00pm meant it was the witching hour and the crowd erupted when the lights went out. Silhouetted in blue, drummer Richard Meiz stood upon his drum riser beckoning the crowd to get loud. Meiz’s ominous face paint and cryptic enthusiasm was an omen of things to come. Guitarist Diego Cavalotti and Bassist Marco Zelati, both sporting gothic war paint, joined Meiz onstage and the excitement throughout the crowd grew exponentially. The cloaked vocalists, Andrea Ferro, and Cristina Scabbia, emerged from the darkness as the band ignited their set with “Blood, Tears, Dust” from their 2016 album Delerium. Scabbia and Ferro complement each other and together they conjure up a perfect, yet frenetic, vocal attack. Songs like “Reckless” and “Heaven’s a Lie” elicited a raucous response from the fans, who were getting all that they asked for. Scabbia took a second to say how great it was to be back on stage after 26 months. It was obvious that this sentiment was shared by her bandmates who all looked ecstatic to be here tonight.
The band totally crushed their performance of “Our Truth” which is one of my favorite tracks. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, the 10-song set was coming to a close. The final song, “Nothing Stands In Our Way” was the perfect closer. Chants of “We Fear Nothing” echoed throughout the auditorium as the fans showed their appreciation. A Lacuna Coil show is more like an experience than a concert. They definitely made me feel good about my t-shirt expenditure. Make sure to catch them before this tour ends and follow them on social media.
Lacuna Coil:
Andrea Ferro: Vocals
Cristina Scabbia: Vocals
Marco Coti Zelati: Bass, Keyboards
Diego “Didi” Cavalotti: Guitar
Richard Meiz: Drums
Setlist:
1.Blood,Tears,Dust
2.Trip The Darkness
3.Reckless
4.Apocalypse
5.Layers Of Time
6.Heaven’s Lie
7.Save Me
8.Veneficium
9.Our Truth
10.Nothing Stands In Our Way
The Plaza Live is a firm believer in punctuality, a quality near and dear to my heart. At exactly 9:15 the lights went down, and it was time for Apocalyptica. The Finnish symphonic metal band has been around since 1993. Its components are classical cellists Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lotjonen, Perttu Kivilaakso and jazz drummer Mikko Siren. Their 1st album, Plays Metallica By Four Cellos, was released in 1996. The band’s most recent album, Cell-0, was released in 2020 and according to Toppinen represents “the core of everything.” Apocalyptica has collaborated with a slew of different artists including Black Sabbath‘s Geezer Butler and Lizzy Hale from Halestorm. It goes without saying that in addition to a certain allure that surrounds them, their reputation is rock-solid and respected throughout the music industry.
The sound of singing birds was quickly replaced by bellowing thunder. Strobes lit up drummer Mikko Siren as he pounded out a proper entrance for the band. Toppinen, Lotjonen and Kivilaakso came out with cellos in tow and the show was on. 2020’s “Ashes Of The Modern World” kicked things off and from early on it was evident that Apocalyptica is a well-oiled machine. Singer Franky Perez joined the band onstage and delivered powerful, yet melodious, vocals to hits like “I‘m Not Jesus“, “Not Strong Enough” and the stirring ballad “I Don’t Care.”
Apocalyptica is a band that thrives on their live performances. Hair is constantly flying about, and the guys run around with their cellos as if they were guitars. The crowd ate up this performance and the interaction the band had with them was outstanding. Although classically trained, Apocalyptica knows how to rock. Covers of Metallica‘s “Nothing Else Matters” and “Seek And Destroy” were awe-inspiring. The robust 17-song set concluded with “Hall Of The Mountain King” from famed Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. Orlando was only the 2nd stop on this tour so there are many more opportunities to see them live. This power-packed dual ticket is a must-see show so don’t pass on it. The results could be apocalyptic.
Apocalyptica:
Eicca Toppinen: Band Leader, Rhythm Cello
Paavo Lotjonen: Rhythm/Bass Cello
Perttu Kivilaakso: Lead Cello
Mikko Siren: Drums
Franky Perez: Vocals (Touring)
Setlist:
1.Ashes Of The Modern World
2.Path
3.Grace
4.I’m Not Jesus
5.Not Strong Enough
6.Rise
7.Scream For The Silent
8.En Route To Mayhem
9.I’ll Get Through It
10.Shadowmaker
11. Life Burns
12.I Don’t Care
13.Nothing Else Matters (Metallica Cover)
14.Inquisition Symphony (Sepultura Cover)
15.Seek And Destroy (Metallica Cover)
16.Farewell
17. Hall Of The Mountain King (Edvard Grieg Cover)
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I’ve had a love for photography since I was young. Whether it was a Polaroid or a Kodak 110, I was always the kid with the camera. My love of music goes back even further. Nothing beats being at a show when those lights go down and the crowd goes nuts.
