Last Thursday, The Tour to End All Tours featuring EPICA and Sabaton reached Silver Spring, Maryland. The sold-out show was definitely one for the books and one that wasn’t rescheduled by the pandemic. I hadn’t seen Sabaton in seven long years and I was overdue for a night with them and my camera. I wasn’t going to let a pinched nerve in my whiplashed neck stop me from the show. Now, let’s dive into the review, shall we?
The Fillmore has been my go-to venue this past year, not that I’m complaining. It holds over 2,000 attendees and was almost filled to the brim by the time EPICA started their set. I’ve only heard of the band by name but never had the pleasure of seeing them live. I honestly had no clue what to expect and what I saw astounded me that I’m having trouble writing this mini-paragraphed review on them. There are no words other than go see them now. You don’t want to miss them.
As for Sabaton, the last I saw them in 2015, they were opening for Nightwish. They had a minimal set up at the Palladium in Worcester, MA so when I saw how they stepped it up this tour, my jaw almost dropped. They had barbed wire wrapped around the front of the stage; a TANK on the stage that acted as a platform for the drum set; and they had a digital screen in the background that played a series of montages that highlighted historical events and correlated well with their song’s subject matters. Even their mic-stands had helmets on them!
To say I was incredibly impressed is an understatement. Their set was perfectly crafted with all of their hits from the years, including new ones from their latest album The War to End All Wars. What stuck with me the most during their set was front man Joakim Brodén showing up in a long trench coat and a gas mask with a machine that expelled smoke during “The Attack of the Dead Men.” I was especially happy to hear the song that turned me into their fan, “Carolus Rex.” Just the set as a whole was perfection and I can’t stop replaying the night in my head.
The Tour to End All Tours has a handful of stops left on this run before they go international in December. Run, don’t walk, to their website and find the show nearest you and buy a ticket. This is a tour you will not want to miss.
Press and photo pass courtesy of HERFitz PR and Cosa Nostra PR