Live report AVANTASIA, Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, Hamburg – March 14th, 2025

Tobias Sammet and Avantasia have released a new longplayer called “Here be Dragons” and to promote the album, Avantasia embark on a European tour. The tour kicks off tonight in Hamburg and we can expect 100% Avantasia.

The doors open at 18:30 and the queue is already quite long. Everyone wants to be on time because there will be no opener. The entire evening will be the full Avantasia experience. Once inside the building the fans check out the merchandise first and with 35 EUR for a shirt we are on a regular price level.

At 19:30 the curtain falls and the fans get their first look at the stage. A huge digital backdrop allows a variety of visual projections, which are mainly adaptations of the album artwork of the songs played tonight. We also see a kind of metal fence with pillars and a huge gate in the middle. All in all the right visual elements for an exciting Avantasia show.

Tobias Sammet and his bandmates start the evening with “Creepshow”, taken from the new album, which reached pole position in the German album charts. The vibrant song is a great opener that immediately creates a fantastic atmosphere. Many fans already know the lyrics and especially the chorus invites to sing along. It is the beginning of a three hour show that leaves nothing more to wish for.

The only downer is that Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids) and Bob Catley (Magnum) are not part of this first show of the tour. The two legendary singers will join later, which is great, but they are missed tonight. “Phantasmagoria” from the new album is the first song that would normally include Ronnie Atkins and tonight it is Tobias Sammet himself who has to give the song the right energy. The fans are still happy about what they get to hear and there are enough guests and singers on stage tonight.

After having introduced the new album with “Creepshow” we go back to “The Metal Opera” times. “Reach Out for the Light” is a loop back in time and it is Adrienne Cowan who adds a fabulous female vocal part. A constant guest when it comes to Avantasia is Eric Martin. The iconic singer, who is part of bands like Mr. Big, regularly contributes to Avantasia songs and is part of the tour line-up too. Martin has several appearances this evening, with “What’s Left of Me” being the first one.

Of course the new album plays an important role but how Sammet says: “We are going to play some new stuff, some old stuff and some middle stuff”. Avantasia offers a musical journey through all eras of the band, with “The Scarecrow” getting a lot of attention. As the latest release, “The Scarecrow” also provides six songs for tonight’s show, and there are highlights like “Twisted Mind” and the iconic title track, which are warmly welcomed by the 4,000 fans tonight.

Also “Avalon” is performed this evening and the song with the Celtic influences gets everyone in motion. Another guest in the line-up is Kenny Leckremo. The H.E.A.T. frontman looks like Bruce Dickinson’s little brother and the fact that he has a great voice isn’t something new for everyone present at Sporthalle. Especially the duet with Tommy Karevik (Kamelot) in “The Wicked Symphony” is a highlight of the show.

What Sammet also addresses is the usually imperfect sound of the Sporthalle. He is more than just a singer. He is an entertainer who also likes to talk a bit too. During festivals he was told not to talk too much because of the limited time and so he saved all the stories for the headliner shows. One of them is the mentioned sound issue at Sporthalle that, according to him and said with a twinkle in the eye, keeps many bands away from the Sporthalle. But Avantasia take the challenge, because they have Achim a great expert at the helm. And I have to say that the sound isn’t bad tonight.

With “Lucifer” we start the encore. Sammet kicks off the song and plays the piano before the band joins in. After the last note of the song has faded away, the bandleader mentions that the piano was supposed to burn during the song. But there were no flames. This is the spell of a premiere show, and even though there were no flames, Sammet takes the opportunity to thank the crew for a great job, which is emphasized by strong applause from the crowd.

“Lost in Space”, the band’s only Top 10 single, and “Sign of the Cross /Seven Angels” are the last two songs on this evening, the latter with the whole ensemble on stage.

Avantasia deliver a great first show of their tour. The start is made and after a three-hour show everyone at Sporthalle, Hamburg is heading home with a smile on their face. Avantasia showed in an impressive way why they belong to the Champions League of melodic rock and metal.