Sabaton performed at Lochotin Amphitheater in Plzen on the 3rd of June, on the stage that welcomed Metalfest Open Air. They literally lit up the fire in the company of very special guests Floor Jansen, Majestica and Scardust and also a small choir composed of six singers.
Scardust - A progressive experience
The day started with Scardust, an Israeli progressive metal band whose singer, Noa Gruman , was already with Sabaton for their legendary tour with the legendary orchestra that stopped by Ostrava in November last year. Their show was very short - thirty minutes - but helped the crowd to get progressively in the mood. Their energy was contagious and they delivered a good show with songs such as” My Haven” or “Sands of Time”, as well as a surprising cover "Symphony" by Clean Bandit & Zara Larsson.
Majestica - The Train full of power!
After Scardust , we had the pleasure of seeing the Swedish power metal band Majestica, the band of the former guitarist of Sabaton Tommy Johansson. Their 45 minute show went by as fast as a bullet train, starting with the first song of their last album, “Power Train”. Despite the short time they had, their setlist was a good blend of their discography, including singles such as “A New Beginning” and “Above the Sky” from their album with the same title, the first one released under the name Majestica. The crowd enjoyed the show as much as the band enjoyed performing.
Floor Jansen - The Versatile Queen showed her range
Right before Sabaton, Floor Jansen, known as the singer of Nightwish and former singer of ReVamp and After Forever, successfully used her short time to summarize her career. She sang of course Nightwish songs (“Noise”, “Amaranth” and “Nemo”) but also “Wolf and Dog” of ReVamp or “Face your Demons” of After Forever. Floor Jansen also offered the exclusivity of two new songs from her upcoming solo album, “Reversed Polarity” and “Run”, and one from her first album: “Fire”. Comfortable in every genre and style, the dutch singer showed her power and versatility with this setlist, making happy fans from every era and assuring that everyone would be ready for Sabaton .
Sabaton - No need for an orchestra to be legendary!
It is always special to see the Swedes from Sabaton in the Czech Republic, especially as the singer Joakim Brodén spent part of his childhood in this country with his Czech mother. The atmosphere in Lochotin Amphitheater was for sure warm, and not only because of the fire effects. Sabaton was welcomed with screams and singing, and they thanked us with tanks and surprises!
The first surprise was the announcement by the bassist and founding member Pär Sundström, that the band will come back to Prague on May 2, 2027. Then, he presented the six members of the choir that suddenly appeared at the top of the two small tanks, next to the big one on the top of which was the drummer, Hannes Van Dahl. Jeff Kanji, Kim Verest, David Åkesson, Roos van Der Plas, Linde Suylen and Adrien Djouadou Hatcherian were accompanying Sabaton for the rest of the night and definitely gave another dimension and power to their songs.
During “Christmas Truce”, the whole Amphitheater lit up with flashlights. “And today we’re all brothers, tonight we’re all friends” was a good summary of this show. Joakim Brodén drank several beers, pushed by the crowd singing “ještě jedno pivo” (one more beer) and if his voice was a bit impacted by the alcohol, it didn’t truly affect the show.
One last friend joined the band during “Swedish Pagans”, their former guitarist and member of Majestica, Tommy Johansson. The show couldn’t end in the Czech Republic without the song “Far From the Fame” to honour Karel Janoušek , and without one of their most famous songs: “To Hell and Back”.
Sabaton performed for two hours and won the heart of the crowd without difficulties. The Czech Republic is waiting for their next battle in O2 Arena in 2027, this time with the legendary orchestra again, but Sabaton showed they didn’t need it to create unforgettable memories.
Report a fotografie s logem Sound-Scribe: Céline Fetel
Fotografie s logem Toby Photo: Vladimír Toby Tobyška