Artist: Kamelot

Venue:  Rios, Leeds

Date: 28 March 2009  

One of the best live bands I’ve seen over recent years is the excellent Kamelot, a band that should be playing larger venues than tonight’s, but if a band can fill a smaller venue and sell copious amounts of merchandise then smaller venues it is.

I’ve seen this band now live on three occasions and tonight was definitely one of their best.  The crowd amassed and filled the venue, so even before the band hit the stage the atmosphere was just bubbling nicely despite the fact that the support band for the tour Serenity had pulled out due to illness and returned home to Austria.  The replacement local band wasn’t really the right band to fill the slot and the crowd were somewhat brutally honest in their stoney silent reaction to call for 'Yorkshire' from the band's front man. 

As the lights went down for Kamelot the whole venue (which was now at capacity) just erupted as Khan and the boys walked on stage and opened up in emphatic style with ‘Rule The World’.  Instantly the crowd knew they were about to witness one the best live shows of their lives as Khan stood aloft and acted as puppet master over the crowd who where at his every mercy.

With the likes of Youngblood and Tibbets on stunning form joined by the keyboards wizardry of Oliver Palotal and the tub thumping splendour of Casey Grillo, the band have all the right ingredients for one hell of a band and live they are just that.

The set continued it’s glorious path with the superb ‘When The Lights Go Down’, again sending rapturous around the venue with all eyes front no one was going to miss a single second of the band.

It was straight into ‘Soul Society’ with Youngblood just spewing out the riffs like there was no tomorrow and with Grillo and Tibbets in thunderous form as Khan again stood aloft and worked the crowd like no other.

To say that this was the best sound that Rio’s PA had ever produced was an understatement as the echoes of ‘Centre Of The Universe’ and The Pendulum Fall’ simply sounded superb, and with the band at full speed the night was just getting better and better.

The next one Khan dedicated to his first child, the massive and I mean massive ‘Anthem’.  Not as full on as the previous songs but just as great, then it was time for one of my all time favourites from the band the grandiose raptures of ‘Moonlight’ filled the air.

Now it was time for the band to take centre stage as each one gave us a taste of what these superb musicians are capable of, with a instrumental opened up by Tibbets then Youngblood did his bit and Palotal excelled on the keyboard before things were rounded off by some fabulous drumming from Grillo.

Next it was back to the vocals for ‘Human Stain’ probably the darkest sound the band produce, then the extraordinary ‘The Haunting’, which the crowd just sang along with from beginning to end, as Khan was joined on stage by the backing singer who took the role of Marguerite for this truly magnificent track.

'Edenecho' was next and again the band were just stunning before Palotal got centre stage for his lengthier solo, then as the rest of the band re-joined him on stage for the outstanding ‘Forever’, after which the band left the stage completely.

We didn’t have to wait long for their return and they continued as if they hadn’t been away with ‘Ghost Opera’, which was quickly followed by another of my favourites ‘Love You To Death’, after which the band left the stage again.  

As chant of "KAMELOT! KAMELOT!" reigned around the venue, Khan shouted out from the wings ... ‘LEEDS ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE!" ... which ignited the crowd once more inot a frenzy of cheering as the band returned for what else but ‘Karma’, before rounding the night off with ‘March Of Mephisto’.

Again a simply stunning performance by one of the best live bands around and one that if you get a chance to see on a larger arena sized stage as the play in Europe, then beg steal or borrow the money to see them.  Khan promised the crowd here tonight he'd see them again next year so here's hoping he remains true to his word because at this rate they will need to play the bigger Academy venue next time they return to Leeds.

Setlist: Rule The World, When The Lights Are Down, Soul Society, Centre Of The Universe, The Pendulum Fall, Anthem, Moonlight, Instrumental, The Human Stain, The Haunting, Edenecho, Keyboard solo, Forever, Ghost Opera, Love You To Death, Karma, March Of Mephisto. 

 

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