Sabaton storms Trocadero in Philly
By Alex Lloyd Gross
Sabaton, are a relatively new hard rock band. They are making a name for themselves without major radio airplay and are now on tour of the United States. That tour, opened in Philly April 20, 2017. The band is bringing two treats with them this time around, Leaves Eyes and Battle Beast. These two opening bands are something that should be explored. More on them later.
Clearly, the headliner was Sabaton, who just a few years ago opened for Accept in the very building they just headlined. Their stage was set as an Army base, with ammo casings and the mic stands had machine guns and helmets attached to them. They appeared on stage wearing military fatigues and lead singer Joakim Broden had on stage clothes that resemble a bullet proof vest. When you project this kind of heavy rock image to your fans, you better be prepared to deliver the goods. They did.
Sabaton was on stage for 90 minutes. It was non stop. They brought some humor into the show when Broden put on a guitar and told the crowd the remainder of the set would be Michael Jackson songs. He then started to play one, to a roar of approval. They did not do any songs from Jackson, or anyone else. Instead, they stayed true to their roots and played songs like “Night Wishes”and “Swedish Pagans”. When they played that, a fan tossed a Swedish Flag onto the stage. Some how, a bra got tossed onto the stage as well.
Some shows are run like a Chinese fire drill, band are late to take the stage, or some acts go over their set limit and technical problems make the headliner go on late. Not here. The entire show was run with military precision. Hardly 15 minutes in between bands. The first act, Leaves Eyes hit the stage at 7:30 PM. Not since Sabaton opened for Accept in 2010 has an opening band made more of an impression than this band. With gritty vocals in conjunction with the angelic vocals of Elina Sirala, Look for this band to go far.
Battle Beast were second up and direct support to Sabaton.This is the first time this band was ever been in America and their first ever show in the United States was at the Troc. By the time this band was done, most of the crowd was in the building and ready to rock. If you intend to see this tour, go early to catch the openers and if you want merch, it’s a good idea to knock that out as soon as you arrive, unless you like standing in long lines.
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