10.05.2011 Kamelot

Live Music Hall, Cologne (Germany)

Aroung 22:15 it was finally the time: Kamelot entered the stage and with them the anxious question waving through the halfway filled venue: how would the band get along with the loss of their charismatic singer Roy Khan. Not that small footsteps which Rhapsody Of Fire singer Fabio Lione tried to fill by replacing the left front men on the current tour.
Of course there was much of the latest album "Poetry For The Poisoned" but overall a really nice compilation out of old and new songs. That Fabio did not have to bear the burdon alone he was supported by others (really: there was no lack of singers on that evening). On the one hand there was the Seventh Wonder front men Tommy Karevik and Amaranthe front woman Elize Ryd who were again and again as background singer with them on stage on two high pillars next to the drum set. However as already seen on former Kamelot concerts you could also leave the background singer away as they are not of that huge importance.
Tommy Karevic could prove during "Center Of The Universe" that he is also able to replace a Roy Khan and I have to admit that he did this very well. The atmosphere and the temperature rose (as could obviously also be seen on bassist Glenn Barry) and so also Elize was put into the spot again when singing the duet "A Sailorman's Hymn" together with Fabio. A little bit extravagant was finally the appearance of Epica front woman Simone Simons who only for the song "The Haunting (Somewhere In Time) came onto the stage.
What remains after this concert: The atmosphere was good, the show on stage great although the posing could have been somehow less. Each musician got the possibility to show with a solo his skills. I did'n like it that much but anyhow, if the guys like that, why not?. The light show was simply too large for such a small stage! That could have been less in my opinion especially as you got blinded by the lights quite often. Finally you could see the disappointment in many faces afterwards. It simply was not Roy Khan on stage. He has left a huge gap behind which could also not be filled by Fabio lione no matter how hard he tried to. Tommy Karevik was in my opinion way better for this but also he is simply not a Khan. You have to wait how the band plans to fill that gap as the search for a replacement is just begun. So there is somehow a negative connotation after all and the memories of a from sound point of view completely foozled gig as support act of Iron Maiden as well as the great show last year at Wacken.