Every once in a while something comes along - a concert, a movie, an art exhibition - that as soon as it's over, I NEED to see it again. The March 19th show at the Handlebar was definitely one of those! My husband and I got tickets back in November and strong-armed a bunch of friends into going with us. Before the show, I really was only familiar with some of Apocalyptica's earlier work and only had 'End of Me' and 'Seemann' (the collective coolness of Apocalyptica with Nina Hagen is almost too much...) on my iPod, so I didn't know the newest album too well and wasn't sure what to expect from a live show. Needless to say, I was blown away! 'On the Rooftop with Quasimodo' was the perfect show opener and really drove the energy in the room up. I was closest to Paavo's side of the stage, and he seemed to have a LOT of fun playing to the crowd. Perttu's off-color introductions of the band were hilarious, and it was nice to see Mikko swapping his drums for a cello for the accoustic 'Beautiful'. Touring vocalist Tipe was a nice addition, too - he definitely held his own on stage. Overall, I was most impressed with the sheer technical ability (Eicca's spot-on harmonics in 'Sacra'...), musicality, and energy of the whole band. It seemed like a long concert, but I could have kept listening for hours - this rescheduled show was so worth the wait!!!

Apocalyptica has so much energy during their concerts!! that is why I would drive 5+ hours just to see them live, even several times in one year. Thanks for a wonderful show and your kindness with the fans, your music is truly awesome and inspiring!!
Some minor comments/suggestions:
It seems the M&G was oversold to this SC concert compared to other shows I had been to.
The lights were good for effect, but very strong to the eyes and bad for picture taking; maybe if they get directed mostly above, instead towards the audience, it would be better (?). Or, I can bring my sunglasses next time
Regarding sound, the drums seem to be too loud and they tend to wash out the music played by the cellos...

I absolutely LOVED this show and it was well worth the trip from Atlanta, GA, USA. The energy level was high, the band interacted with the crowd, and the songs were performed wonderfully. It's obvious that Eicca, Perttu, Paavo, and Mikko love what they do because I couldn't understand how they could keep going at the pace they did (although I thought at one point Perttu was going to pass out...this was before the encore they gave). After the show, my friend and I were trying to figure out a way to get to Knoxville to see that show, but unfortunately, we were unable to make the trip. The only thing that would've made my night perfect was if I had known about the tickets on here for the meet and greet.

Would I see them again? Absolutely. Every time a U.S. tour pops up, I'm looking to see if I can make it to that city, all the while hoping they'll stop closer to my town. Thanks guys for such an awesome show and your music! I hope to one day tell you this face to face!

This is the second time I have seen you guys live and I found myself falling heels over head in love with you all over again! Your stage presence is so intoxicating that it felt like the only people in the room were me and you. Eicca's harmonics in Sacra were perfect! I've never tried harmonics on cello but harmonics on a violin are hard! Eicca I admire you so much. Perttu talked a lot more this time, which made me so happy!! You're so funny, and I got some pretty dang awesome pictures of you because I was lucky enough to be right up front! I love how Paavo made eye contact with me a lot, it made me feel special Although I think he was laughing at me for making hearts at Eicca with my hands haha And I'm not going to lie, it was hilarious when Perttu put the underwear on your head when you were playing your amazing intro to Hall of the Mountain King! Mikko is the most passionate drummer I have ever seen! And he showed us his cello playing skills too, which was pretty awesome! I am a drummer as well and my wrists were hurting after watching Mikko's solo in Somewhere Around Nothing (one of my FAVORITE songs by the way)...he rarely plays any typical rhythms, and it's always exciting! Tipe sounded great, just like he did in the acoustic videos that are on the deluxe version of 7th Symphony. Amazing! I am coming to see you again in May and I can't wait! Every chance I can see you live, I will. It's a different experience every time, but it is always incredible!