Opeth

Progressive black metal, anyone? Opeth are probably your safest bet, with almost twenty-five years in the business; they blend a traditional black metal sound, if there’s such a thing, with genuine experimentation; elements of jazz, folk and classical have all been discernible over the course of ten studio records to date, and anybody doubting their propensity for the latter should probably know that their most noteworthy UK show to date came when they sold out the Royal Albert Hall - a gig that was filmed and released on DVD.
A neat feature of that show was that the band played their then-latest record, Blackwater Park, as the set’s first act, before returning to the stage to please the purists by performing - in chronological order - one song from every Opeth record to date. That’s the kind of career-spanning fare you should expect at one of their gigs, alongside furiously complex musicianship and sprawling sets that tend to clock in at around two hours. With their next record, Pale Communion, out in August, the Swedes have lined up a slew of UK dates for October; as one of the most technically gifted metal bands on the circuit, they remain one of their genre’s most intriguing propositions.

It was another excellent performance by Opeth. It was my 3rd time seeing them and I got to see them in the same place that they recorded a live DVD a few years back. Someone would say they would feel comfortable and "like home" but they started rather cold. After a few songs though they showed their musicianship in every possible level. They covered songs nearly throughout their whole discography (not an easy task to do) with nearly 2 hours of performance. The sound wasn't exquisite but then again Opeth is not an "easy" band to make 'em sound good. Everyone seemed happy and the energy was most of the time at a high level. Michael is a talented and natural performer and with a great sense of humour even between the songs he would do his usual jokes or say the usual bitter things about other bands or random people. An Opeth gig is always a great way to come closer to the band as a whole and to Michael himself and this way you understand better why they are who they are and how they've managed to be there, so high in the "food chain". Money well spent I say!

A dream of a night and show. All the guys were a class act and gracious with their time.

Had time to chat with each band member for a bit before the show. Talked to Mikael about their latest album being recorded at the same studio where Rush recorded A Farewell to Kings and Hemispheres. Surreal.

Another high energy show - the Dallas crowd sang out the lyrics and melodies loud enough to be heard over the band who were at full ear melt. Great set list, a few tunes from Sorceress which is a great album, but they dipped back into the catalog with tunes from Still Life, Blackwater Park, My Arms - Your Hearse, etc..

Set List

Sorceress
Ghost of Perdition
Demon of the Fall
The Wilde Flowers
Face of Melinda
In My Time of Need
Will O' the Wisp
Cusp of Eternity
The Drapery Falls
The Devil's Orchard
Hex Omega (preceded by snippets of 5 or 6 audience requests)
Deliverance

Typically excellent concert by these Swedish legends who have evolved from death metal to what I'd guess you'd call prog metal over the past 25 years. Last night's show, featuring Ghost Reveries in its entirety along with a set of old and newer songs, proved that even though Mikael may have taken the band in a new direction, they can still bring it all, including the growling death metal vocals. Mikael was in great form and the band was in tip-top shape, especially Axe on drums - just phenomenal to watch him go from pounding the drums like a machine to showing a light nuanced touch - usually several times in the span of one song!

I will see Opeth every time they come to town.

Opeth is always amazing live. I was a little hesitant for this tour as their latest album "Sorceress" was not my favorite, and this was the "Sorceress" tour. But Mikael Åkerfeldt assured us that "just because this is the Sorceress tour doesn't mean we'll play songs only from that album". And he wasn't kidding. They played songs across their whole discography. The whole band sounded amazing. The encore included some requests from the crowd that was very enjoyable to watch which concluded with Deliverance.

All in all a fantastic show led by some top tier musicians doing what they do best. I highly recommend seeing Opeth live if you have the chance.

First of all, thanks to Opeth I discovered Alcest, a rare combination of deep sound and sexy look. Opeth went on stage actually a bit earlier than scheduled. Mike presented themselves as Swedish people from Sweden, mentioned how nervous he was. I appreciate the picks. Opeth led the show to the high but not excessive level of energy and this is probably why the gig has fell a bit short of expectations. Nobody was thrown on stage, nobody was jammed under the barrier, no one was crying out in ecstasy. And special thanks to the venue - the entry procedure was incredibly fast, the crowd management behind the barrier was suspiciously nice and efficient.

There is only one band in the world that sounds even better live than on cd. And this band is the mighty Opeth. Every time I see them live I cannot believe my eyes how they manage to nail each and every note of the concert so perfectly. You know what you will get and they deliver. Michael's conversations with the audience are just priceless, only problem when you see them in Scandinavia: he will talk in Swedish. Do not go see Opeth life, unless you can live with the fact that every other concert you go see will not be half as good as the one you saw from Opeth.

I'm not a huge fan of Opeth, but I know some albums and already knew about their competence and music quality on stage. But the concert was so much better than I was expecting. Great set list, great music quality and great humor along the gig as well. It was a surprise to laugh so much during the concert because of the excellent interaction between band and audience. An unforgettable concert. I wish I could go to another one while I'm in the UK. Totally recommended.

Saw the at the Midland Theatre in Kansas City, 3/1/2020. Beautiful venue, pretty well attended this night. Graveyard opened and put on a terrific show. Opeth also played a great set. Not sure if it's just his humor, or if he was actually contemptful toward the crowd that came to see him, but I was put off by his words between songs. Stayed for the whole thing and enjoyed the music, nonetheless.

Opeth at the state theatre! Wow, what a venue, it was pretty amazing seeing a crowd of metal heads in such a venue.

Opeth are tight and the show is pretty slick. Lots of banter between Mikael and the crowd, some of it quite funny. That said, I didn't think the sound was particularly great, which was a bit disappointing. Bit of a mix of old and new content, and some messing around.