Avantasia
Monday, 8 June 2026
Arena Alpe Adria, Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy
“OMG, they killed Kenny!”
Not quite. This time Kenny was doing the killing — on stage. Kenny Leckremo, vocalist of the Swedish post Pop-Glam band H.E.A.T, stole the show entirely for himself, and with an almost unbearable lightness of being, one might say.
But let’s take it from the top. This time our slightly revamped crew from Maribor headed to nearby Lignano — all golden sand and the promise of an old-school power operetta under the baton of Tobias Sammet, by now the grand old man of European Power Metal and its more pop-leaning variants. He’s been dragging his travelling opera, called Avantasia, across Europe on a shorter tour, ahead of what is reportedly a longer break from live shows.
Tobi has clearly wrapped things up with his home band Edguy and keeps himself busy with Avantasia in every way imaginable. Line-ups and guest vocalists come and go; the boss and his trademark compositional stamp do not. In the early days of this project’s live activity, the biggest names in melodic metal ruled the stage — the likes of Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen (Helloween), Andre Matos (Angra), Jorn Lande (everything and then some), Roy Khan (Kamelot, Conception), and so on… These days their spots are filled by newer challengers, all of whom come armed with fantastic vocal chops and command stages around the world with total confidence.
First things first — something Tobi proudly announced from the stage several times: the entire performance was 100% live. No playback, no added choir patches. A lineup of two guitarists, a bassist, a keyboardist, a drummer, two backing vocalists, and an impressive roster of lead singers made that a breeze. What a refreshing change!
I visited the Arena Alpe Adria for the first time, and probably not the last. A lovely amphitheatre-style venue with a capacity of 3,000, it was sparsely filled this time — around 700–800 souls. Not exactly a packed house.
Tobi kicked things off in the role of lead vocalist with the so-called “hit single” Creepshow from the latest album Here Be Dragons (Rockline review), and the positive vibes from the stage were instant — great sound and the infectious energy of an enthusiastic crowd. Interestingly, it was the only track from that album, even though the tour is supposedly dedicated to promoting it. The swift kick up the backside came immediately after, courtesy of the breezy Reach Out For the Light from the debut album, where the demanding task of filling Kiske‘s vocal shoes was confidently taken on by the already-mentioned Kenny Leckremo, who literally blew the audience away with a supersonic performance and set the tone for a high-energy night ahead.
I’m personally a fan of the early Avantasia, particularly both metal operas, and the setlist — which you can check out here — delivered the goods. Kenny blazed through the bouncy No Return from the second part of the opera, then teamed up with the indestructible Ronny Atkins (Pretty Maids) for Promised Land from the middle Avantasia period. Practically a local, Chiara Tricarico drew more than a few tears with an emotional rendition of the ballad Farewell. The Scarecrow, the title track of the album that launched the project’s so-called second era, and The Wicked Symphony, which defined the third, nicely rounded off the main set before the encore.
I have to give a shout-out to Herbie Langhans, vocalist of countless bands and proud owner of an impressive “skullet,” who constantly bounced between backing and lead vocal duties and, together with Kenny (ahhh, Kenny), kept the energy on stage sky-high. The one who somehow got a bit lost was Tommy Karevik, who just can’t seem to shake Roy Khan‘s shadow — the man he so successfully replaced in Kamelot. He completely absorbed Roy‘s vocal interpretation there, and hasn’t let go of it here either. A shame, because he has his own original vocal identity — one he no longer seems to use.
I absolutely cannot leave rock elder statesman Bob Catley (Magnum) out of this report — his velvety-rough delivery elevated the more hard rock sections of the concert beautifully. An honorable mention also goes to Felix Bohnke, drummer from Tobi‘s home band Edguy, who more than once during the show more than justified his nickname “Bum Bum” and stirred up plenty of nostalgia for one of the best power metal bands of the late ’90s.
It’s slightly annoying that five tracks were missing compared to the solo show in Germany a few days earlier — the absence of the dramatic Toy Master (originally Alice Cooper in a duet with Tobi) and the very Meat Loaf-esque Mystery of a Blood Red Rose hurt the most. Somehow the curse of the shortened setlist keeps following me around lately…
As Tobi pointed out more than once, the audience acted like there were at least ten times as many of us — and the heavy metal running through the veins of both the performers and the crowd did its job. What a punchy, loose, hot, and lively night it was!
I also have to mention how the crowd absolutely lost it during Lost in Space, the one genuine little Avantasia crowd-pleaser — a proper melodic sugarbomb. And one more time for good measure: Kenny f***ing Leckremo!!! An explosive combination of stellar vocals, metal attitude, and total dedication to the craft. Insane!
What a beautiful metal summer evening — here’s hoping for many more like it!
By: Igorac
Photos: Silvija
