Kamelot: The Awakening Tour graced Las Vegas’ presence at House of Blues!

May 12, 2024–

Ad Infinitum

Typically, I am always stoked to see Kamelot but I was super stoked to see the Swiss/German metal opener, Ad Infinitum. I’ve been WAITING for Ad Infinitum to show up in Vegas for a couple years now. I discovered them late but better late than never. They were nothing less than spectacular and underrated in my humble opinion. They opened their set with one of my favorite singles off their Chapter II album, “Unstoppable”. It was the first song I have ever heard by them and I was hooked.
I originally discovered them due to my love of Amaranthe. Amaranthe’s drummer Morten Lowe, is married to lead vocalist, Melissa Bonny. I believe he or Amaranthe shared the video for “Unstoppable” when it was first released. Other songs included their newest single “Outer Space” followed by “Animals”, “Upsidedown”, “Eternal Rains”, “See you in Hell”, and “Into the Night”. I hope they come back in the future and hopefully as headliners. Their electrifying energy captivated the audience from throughout their set.

Band Members:
⦁ Melissa Bonny
⦁ Adrian Theßenvitz
⦁ Niklas Müller
⦁ Korbinian Benedict

Setlist:

1. Unstoppable
2. Eternal Rains
3. Outer Space
4. See you in Hell
5. Upsidedown
6. Animals
7. Into the Night

Hammerfall

Are you ready to get hammered!? Swedish power metal band, Hammerfall took the stage with figuratively speaking “lightening”. Guitarist, Oscar Dronjak, formed Hammerfall in 1993. These guys are confident but calm, cool, and collected….while still getting the crowd going. That’s a lot of skill to have and master. There were a ton of Hammerfall fans in the audience so crowd participation was wild.
Unfortunately, I do not remember if this was my first time seeing them or not. I honestly haven’t listened to them since the late 2000s/early 2010s. They opened their set with “Brotherhood”. The vocals and music maintained a consistently high standard throughout their set. Three songs in, they gave us a throwback with “Heeding the Call”. Vocalist Joacim Cans seems to have a side act of comedian. He has the crowd cracking up in between songs.

Band Members:
⦁ Oscar Dronjak
⦁ Joacim Cans
⦁ Pontus Norgren
⦁ Fredrik Larsson
⦁ David Wallin

Setlist:

1. Brotherhood
2. Any Means Necessary
3. Heeding the Call
4. Hammer of Dawn
5. Renegade
6. Hammer High
7. Last Man Standing
8. Let the Hammer Fall
9. Hail to the King
10. (We Make) Sweden Rock
11. Hearts on Fire

Kamelot

As I eagerly awaited Kamelot’s performance, I couldn’t help but be struck by the captivating and haunting ambiance of their stage setup. They began the show with “Veil of Esylum”, accompanied by Melissa Bonny as their chosen female vocalist this time around. For those unfamiliar with Kamelot, it’s traditional for them to tour with a female singer to complement their songs. Bonny’s exceptional vocal range, from soaring melodies to powerful growls, made her an ideal choice. I experienced a surge of joy when “When the Lights Go Down” and “Sacrimony” were included in the lineup, as they remain among my top favorite songs to experience live and in studio.

Band members:
⦁ Thomas Youngblood
⦁ Oliver Paloti
⦁ Sean Tibbetts
⦁ Tommy Karevik
⦁ Alex Landenburg

Setlist:

1. Veil of Elysium (with Melissa Bonny)
2. Rule the World
3. Opus of the Night (Ghost Requiem) (with Melissa Bonny)
4. Insomnia
5. When the Lights Are Down
6. Vespertine (My Crimson Bride)
7. New Babylon (with Melissa Bonny)
8. Karma
9. Sacrimony (Angel of Afterlife) (with Melissa Bonny)
10. Willow
11. NightSky
12. Drum Solo
13. March of Mephisto
14. Forever

Encore

19. One More Flag in the Ground
20. Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy) (with Melissa Bonny)

If the opportunity arises to witness any of these bands perform in a city nearby, I wholeheartedly recommend going. Their performances are nothing short of incredible and consistently delivering an unforgettable experience. Rest assured, attending will not leave you disappointed; these musicians consistently deliver a remarkable show, every time. Symphonic metal lives on! \m/

Live photos by Courtney Ware for ZrockR Magazine 2024 – All Rights Reserved.