Review: Within Temptation’s Irresistable Concert at Playstation Theater
Within Temptation returned to New York City for the first time in nearly five years! The powerful Symphonic Metal group came to PlayStation Theater, this time in support of their newest album, “Resist”. Swedish Metal Masters, In Flames & Rock band Smash Into Pieces are jumping along for the ride for this excellent tour. If you’re looking to catch a very epic live show so early in the year, Within Temptation delivers a concert impactful and empowering!
Within Temptation’s set was a long one, clocking in at around 17 songs. They wanted to give all of their long time North American fans a true set to remember and they truly achieved that goal. New hits like “Raise Your Banner” & “Supernova” are destined to be live staples for a long time. Plus, older hits like “Motherearth”, “What Have You Done” and “The Cross” are all incredibly entertaining songs that really added up to an extremely diverse set tonight. The ethereal vocals from frontwoman Sharon den Adel is a mesmerizing sight to behold. She sings from the absolute heart and continues to enthrall audiences with her angelic-like cleans, while guitarist Stefan Westerholt unleashes a beefy and insanely addicting rhythm section on the audience. He also adds some extremely heavy screams that everyone felt throughout the venue. Within Temptation’s sound is super unique throughout the Symphonic Metal world and it’s one you can’t miss at all. The beautiful backdrops within the lights also add up to a very colorful light show, so you know the band did not want to slump at all when it comes to production values. A band that truly wants to give all of their fans 110% when it comes to a live show.
In Flames has made their first New York City appearance again in three years. Despite numerous lineup changes and many fans crying foul that In Flames have abandoned their Melodic Death Metal sound for a more mainstream sound. I believe In Flames is now stronger than ever and reaching a greater potential. With their newest album “I, The Mask”, the band has returned to an extremely strong touring cycle as they just finished up a touring run with All That Remains. So it’s always fun to see that the band is always ready to get back onto to the road very quickly, no matter what. In Flames’ set reached around 12 songs. A great amount of content for people who are huge fans of the band as well. Plus, former Megadeth and current guitarist for Act of Defiance guitarist Chris Broderick filled in for Niclas Engelin who has taken ill. We wish him the best and a full recovery soon. Vocalist Anders Fridén unleashes scoured screams and fantastic cleans to the audience in a multitude of ways. His vocal range is absolutely stunning in a live setting and incredibly enjoyable to hear. Lead guitarist Björn Gelotte unleashes some insane riffs over the crowd, definitely one of Sweden’s most underrated guitarists. In Flames also played a set that spanned an entire career of favorites. Mega hits like “Cloud Connected”, “Pinball Map”, “All For Me” and “Where Dead Ships Dwell” were all part of a fantastic setlist. The newer songs like “Voices” and “I Am Above” are all remarkable additions. Truly some of the most energetic songs the band has written in their career so far. This is a band that can truly diversify their sound in a breathtaking way and I hope In Flames continues to push even further to evolve their sound.
Smash Into Pieces seems like a weird fit to open up for a band like Within Temptation, however, they make it work to entertain all of the newcomers to their set. A rock band that has plenty of elements that will allow them to hopefully make it big in time. With major rock elements taken from bands like Coldplay or Nothing More, Smash Into Pieces brings diversity to their audience by playing on a tour like this and I give them a lot of credit for that. Their light show totally stood out for me, as their lighting brought an EDM setting, which fits well for Within Temptation’s new album performance, extremely colorful and flashy. Their drummer also wore a mask which illuminated across the venue. Each of their songs transitioned to different colors in lighting to kick off a memorable and high energy concert. With a mini screen behind them playing clips of different animations with one of them being a Family Guy sample, you can tell this band is really doing its best to captivate and get the audience interested and involved. Smash Into Pieces vocalist descended into the crowd just to sing to the fans up close and personal. Quite a unique way to attract new fans. Overall, I believe Smash Into Pieces was a truly nice fit for this tour. You can see this band touring with bigger bands as long as they stick to their hard work and dedication to their performance energy.
Within Temptation’s tour features incredibly different bands that will please plenty of fans. If you get a chance, be sure to check out the rest of this tour! The band does not tour the United States very often, so be sure to take the opportunity to check this tour package out!
Tour Dates Are Posted Here!
02/28 Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live
03/01 Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
03/02 New York, NY – PlayStation Theater
03/03 Boston, MA – House of Blues
03/05 Montreal, QC – Olympia
03/06 Toronto, ON – Rebel
03/08 Chicago, IL – House of Blues
03/09 Minneapolis, MN – Skyway Theater
03/11 Denver, CO – The Summit
03/12 Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
03/14 Portland, OR – Roseland Ballroom
03/15 Vancouver, BC – The Vogue Theater
03/16 Seattle, WA – Showbox SODO
03/18 San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
03/19 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern Theater
