Kiki & Steffi attended a concert of the Danse Macabre Tour of Dutch rockers DELAIN. The special shows feature Marco Hietala (of NIGHTWISH–fame), who has previously collaborated on three albums of the band. In the sold-out Zeche in Bochum, DELAIN is supported by SERENITY and CELLAR DARLING.

Wooow, that was a looong waiting line… I was happy that we had an interview before the show and didn’t have to wait too long in the cold (btw: stay tuned for the interviews with SERENITY and CELLAR DARLING!).

CELLAR DARLING open the night around 7 pm with a show that was definitely too short!!

They are all very good musicians, but sadly their performance is still a bit passive.

Maybe they need to learn how to act self-confident without the opportunity of ‘hiding‘ in a huge band as ELUVEITIE. Probably they know that, but it seems they need some time to develop their own entertainment and live spirit. In the following weeks, CELLAR DARLING embark on another tour in support of LACUNA COIL.

CELLAR DARLING’s set list:

Black Moon
Hullaballoo
The Hermit
Avalanche
Six Days
Starcrusher
Challenge

The seven songs filled 30 minutes (only 🙁 ) and after the changeover, the Austrian metallers of SERENITY entered the venue!

I (Steffi) personally don’t like the latest SERENITY release “Lionheart” that much; it’s typical Power Metal, full of pathos and cliché. Nonetheless,

SERENITY is a fu**** awesome live band!

(somehow the opposite of CELLAR DARLING 😉 ) Georg is a great entertainer, has charisma and interacts with the audience right from the beginning. Fabio, Andreas, and Chris seemed to have fun on stage, too. And: all of them sing! The four voices bring the epic choir feeling that SERENITY has on the albums to the stage. And not only the band has fun, the catchy songs are perfect to sing along. The fans in the front rows sing the refrains of ‘Follow Me’ and ‘Serenade Of Flames’ as emotionally as the guys. And not to forget our secret hero of the show: Tasha, the official live singer of SERENITY! She delivers a  performance and sings as greatly as Georg -they fit perfectly together! She seems to be full of energy and is anything but a non-moving-stage-potato. Straight after the show, she was very enthusiastic at the merch booth to selling stuff, answering fan questions, and signing autographs. Power Girl!

SERENITY’s set list:

Deus Lo Vult
United
Spirit In The Flesh
Iniquity
Rust Of Coming Ages
Legacy Of Tudors
Serenade Of Flames
Lionheart
Follow Me

If you want to see SERENITY live, check out the Symphonic Metal Nights 2018!

Tadaaa, the headliner of the night enters the stage. DELAIN is very well prepared and

the show is not only musically but visually a highlight!

A big screen in the background shows scenes, short films and pictures – which fits perfectly to the songs. Also the microphone stands and even Charlotte‘s outfit are very beautiful and make the show something special.

As the first notes of the instrumental ‘The Monarch’ are played, the whole audience in the sold-out venue is ecstatic and full of anticipation. DELAIN‘s hits ‘Hands Of Gold’ and ‘We Are The Others’ are played right at the beginning and create an awesome start. My personal highlight is the QUEEN-cover ‘Scandal’ which is co-performed with Marco Hietala. He is the special guest and figurehead of the Danse Macabre tour. This guy definitely needs a solo show! With a fine sense of humor and charisma, he’s a born entertainer!

But this is obviously Charlotte‘s show. Her strong presence, always smiling, full of emotion – the spotlight is her own. Merel, Otto, Martijn, Ruben and Timo do a good job and interact like they are a well-rehearsed team.

DELAIN’s set list:

Intro (The Monarch)
Hands Of Gold
We Are The Others
The Glory And The Scum
Get The Devil Out Of Me
Your Body Is A Battleground (ft. Marco)
Scandal (ft. Marco)
Danse Macabre
The Hurricane
Scarlet
Here Come The Vultures
Fire With Fire
Nothing Left (ft. Marco)
Control The Storm (ft. Marco)
Sing To Me (ft. Marco)
Suckerpunch
Not Enough
Encore:
Mother Machine
Don’t Let Go
The Gathering (ft. Marco)

The crowd dances, sings and has lots of fun during the concerts! The “Zeche” is a beautiful location, there are many corners to discover and one has a good view of the stage almost everywhere. With the three bands of the night, which are all entertaining and great in their musical performance, the Danse Macabre tour is an awesome package!

Which of the named bands is your favorite? Tell us in the comments and keep on rocking!

DELAIN-pictures by Anno von Sachsen.

UPDATE Nov. 16th, 2017: Pictures of SERENITY and CELLAR DARLING by PushingPixels.de