CONCERT REVIEW: Apocalyptica – Lacuna Coil Live at The Majestic Theatre


Detroit’s Midtown is buzzing with culture and is home to some of the best music venues in the city. At the heart of this exciting district rests the prestigious Majestic Theatre. The building is over one hundred years old and carries a lot of music history in its walls. Last Thursday the venue’s marquee lit up with the name Apocalyptica. The Finnish act brought their Cell-0 Tour to Motor City, and they picked the perfect place to promote their latest record. Along with Italy’s Lacuna Coil, the night was set up for an enchanting experience filled with glamor, energy, and theatrics. The brisk April night started off with a queue of symphonic metal enthusiasts lining up around the building. Soon the large and ornate theatre room was filled with eager devotees ready for the music to begin.

After a quick mic check, fog began to flow and it created a mystic mist that enveloped the whole theatre. The restless crowd shifted from foot to foot waiting for the lights to dim. They didn’t have to wait long; the lights went out and Lacuna Coil came in. The legendary Alternative Hard Rock act charged into their piece ‘Blood, Tears, Dust’ and the audience exploded with delight. Each member of the band appareled themselves in gothic aesthetics that created a dramatic and intense tone. Cristina Scabbia immediately shined by searing the senses with her varied vocals. She sang with an intuitiveness that captured profound and powerful emotions. The way she carried herself with such ease and swagger was a prime example of a legitimate rock star. The group reached back into their discography and pulled out numbers like ‘Heaven’s a Lie’ and their popular number ‘Our Truth’. The vocal dance between Scabbia and growler Andrea Ferro was seamless and engaging. These two leaders of the band seemed to relish in performing each song as both bellowed with care and pleasure. Every player was engaged and present as they banged out some of their hits. The newer numbers like ‘Reckless’ and ‘Veneficium’ off their latest record, Black Anima (Century Media) had everyone singing along. They shared ten songs and the time flew by. As their set came to a close, Scabbia thanked the crowd for their energy and agreed to come back soon. After many bows and kisses blown, the opening act left the stage leaving a smile on everyone’s face.

After the applause fizzled out, the room started to bubble with a buzz of excitement for the headliners. When the lights went dim again, the one-of-kind quartet that is Apocalyptica broke into the opening track, ‘Ashes of the Modern World’ from their most recent record, Cell-O (Silver Music Lining). The handsome hall ruptured as the band’s devotees in the crowd turned hysteric. A light show of white and blue swirled about the room like a snowstorm that is mighty and beautiful, much like this band’s music. The exuberant vibrancy on their older numbers like ‘Path’ and newer material like ‘Scream for the Silent’ propelled the crowd into a colorful experience. Each member seemed eager and pleased to be on stage which created a positivity that seeped, spilled, and spread throughout the theatre. They had the gifted Franky Perez with them to sing several of their hit songs including ‘Shadowmaker’ and ‘I Don’t Care’. The founding members, Eicca Toppinen and Paavo Lötjönen carry an exquisite ability to perform with heartfelt enthusiasm and charm. Along with Perttu Kivilaakso, each member is a classically trained musician who plays with precision, proficiency, and a dynamic deliberateness. They are also just a bunch of goofs who love to entertain. They had moments when their brows were furrowed in concentration and then at other times when they were literally on the floor thrumming strings with their tongues.

The crowd was very vocal and often proclaimed positive profanities and exclamations of adoration. The band’s extraordinary ability to be delicate while dense, to hit the whimsical with weight, and to be heartfelt and heavy all at the same time awed everyone present. Fitting in a couple of their acclaimed Metallica covers, ‘Seek and Destroy’ was a crowd favorite. Everyone gazed on with pure amazement at the band’s next level skills and were overjoyed to observe the fun interactions and sincere comradery between each member. The physicality, momentum, emotion, and lightheartedness of Apocalyptica was highlighted throughout the set. The night wrapped up all too soon with the epic number, ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’. The fire and fervor expressed while playing the cello was truly unique and a spectacle worth watching. The band gave their bows, their honest thanks, and Toppinen disclosed that they would be back very soon. In fact, it has already been announced they will be doing a second leg of this tour in the Fall. Judging by the length and volume of applause from the crowd, everyone is already counting down the days.

 

WORDS AND PHOTOS BY RAGIN ROSIE

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