We bought our tickets for this show the day it went on sale in August of 2010 back when it was being held at the Shepherds Bush Empire. That show sold out so quickly they switched the venue to the Brixton Academy and then the band's guitarist Robert Westerholt managed to get singer Sharon Den Adel pregnant again and the gig was put back until 11.11.11: a good while after the new album The Unforgiving came out.
Still no matter either way we were looking forward to the show even after finding out that the guitarist was staying at home to look after both of the babies Sharon has had since WITHIN TEMPTATION last played in London 4 years ago and has temporarily been replaced with Stefan Helleblad, the bands Swedish producer.
We got into the packed-to-the-rafters, sold-out-over-a-year-in-advance Academy just as the support act finished. Once the full stage set was revealed, I couldn't wait to see what Within Temptation were going to come up with this time and I wasn't dissappointed as this show had the highest production values and best staging of any show I have seen this year.
The event opened with the huge cinema screen at the back of the stage showing the band's own short film 'Mother Maiden' that was also on the two smaller screens on the stage to give it a 3-D depth and a great effect as it set the stage for the band's arrival. They opened with Shot In the Dark with the light show kicking in and the graphics on the screen working with the song beautifully as they would throughout this set. Sharon still looks amazing for a woman whose had two kids in the last four years.
The band sound a little less goth-y than before but they are always incredibly tight and focussed on making sure that everything works together perfectly. In The Middle Of the Night was nicely spooky and as ever Sharon was in fine voice and demonstrating how to work a crowd. Faster was indeed faster than the earlier songs and new boy Stefan had a good guitar work out against the keyboards building the song from Martin Speirenburg whose Keyboards (along with Mike Coolens drums) were high above the stage at either end of the runway that Sharon has a couple of sets of stairs to climb up to. They could look down on the guitars and bass below them... well unless the guitarists joined them on the runway that is.
There were plenty of flames on the screens as well as snowy wastes on Fire and Ice and during Ice Queen Sharon disappeared only to rise up behind the runway on a throne: a very striking image and a great song to boot. The Howling incorporated scenes of death and destruction from war which being Armistice Day was very fitting as was much of the content of the show. They have a good balance of songs about the death and destruction we are capable of and the life wrenching love and lust songs.
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Our Solemn Hour kept up the deathly war theme, while Stand My Ground was every bit as angry as it is anthemic and received the first big sing along of the night. At the end of the song, most of the band disappeared and the movie intro film to Sinead sets up the story behind the song and then slowly the band bring the story to life as Sharon sings it a great effect.
That was followed by the huge hit What Have You Done: about as great a break up song as any I can think of. Angels had many angels on screen and flying about with the effects almost flying out of the screens at us. The way Sharon thanked us all during the show was as heartfelt as ever and the gratitude at being allowed to put on shows like this for us is humbling and nice to hear. Such a contrast to the Duff McKagan approach I'd just suffered at the Relentless Garage.
They finished the main set with Where Is The Edge and it's no surprise that they were quickly back for an encore of See Who I Am and the big hit Mother Earth which was a perfect closer. They are effortlessly thankful and grateful and the pleasure is returned with enough force for them to come back to end the night for good courtesy of Stairway To the Skies and some pictures of the band with the audience to go on their highly interactive facebook and website. I'm there somewhere in the back of the picture at the end of this great total value for money show!
Yes we got all this staging and production for only £1 more than the Duff McKagan fiasco! Within Temptation are on the road till the end of April 2012 if you can find tickets for any of the shows near you go and see this great show!
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