E-Werk, Saarbrücken, Germany
18th August 2012
Within Temptation
No matter to which style you assign this band to - be it Gothic Metal, Female Fronted Metal, Symphonic Metal - you will not get around it when thinking about the top-acts of the genre.
The band from the Netherlands around the charming siren Sharon den Adel, which has to share its throne only with - if at all - bands like EVANESCENCE or NIGHTWISH, began its absolute and more than ten-year-lasting victory procession with the release of their single 'Ice Queen' from the album 'Mother Earth'. It was this song which called the attention of the masses (although the band never betrayed their roots and style and became pop) and finally brought WITHIN TEMPTATION into the MTViva charts - and Viva even used the song 'Mother Earth' as intro for the anime series "X". From this point on, the gods meant it good with the band - each CD and almost each single an entry in the Top 10, awards from 3FM over MTV Music to the World Music Awards, a dedicated fan base... which had way to seldom the chance to see the Dutch on stage (several years of waiting *are* too seldom). www.within-temptation.com
Their last tour, for example, was in 2010, and the following tour which was planned for 2011 had to be postponed - until now. Because in 2012, WITHIN TEMPTATION finally visit some chosen large festivals like Graspop or Highfield. And - the E-Werk in Saarbrücken, Germany. And if the chance to see one of the largest names of metal’s female voice is not a must-see, then what else? And so, a mixed up flock of visitors (well, "flock" might be a little minimalistic for the about 600 metres long line of people waiting in front of the location) gathered in front of the E-Werk on the hot day of 18th August. Mixed, because the people were surprisingly varied - from metal heads in band shirts to "normally-clad" people of an more advanced age. After finally having arrived in the hall on 18:45, surprise was big because the audience was told that there would be no opener for WITHIN TEMPTATION, what created the question when the gig was about to begin - a question which nobody could answer definitely... and so the people had lots and lots of time to first marvel upon the large stage with an elevated platform, pedestals for keyboard and drums, and a large video wall, everything more and more enshrouded in fog - and second, to acclimatise. If the temperature outside was hot, it reached standards somewhere between tropical and infernal inside of the crowded hall... a foretaste for a hot and sudorific show, indeed.
A show which then was finally about to begin at about 21:00, and the moment everybody was waiting for so ardently had come: The music from tape stopped, the lights went off and a very atmospheric video in style of "Sin City" - 'Mother Maiden' - started as intro for the gig, and then the band entered the stage to the first accords of 'Shot in the Dark'. The happily smiling Sharon, as always, drew the attention of everybody to her when she marched to the mike in her white dress and white boots, and began to rock. After this great opener, she paused to greet the fans - and to remind the people to have an eye on the persons beside them, because the heat had reached a degree where someone might easily faint in the heat of the battle. And then the only thing left to say was "Let’s make a party!" An quite unnecessary invitation, as everybody in the hall was more than eager to party with the band, what the fans proved with the next song 'Middle of the Night' - a faster song, in whose course the band could surely see a literal sea of goat horns, and brutal heat or not, the fans went more and more euphoric.
At the end of the song, the light was dimmed... the music faded away... the crowd got silent, awaiting the next song... and this one was 'Faster'! Another more mid-tempo song, but with a great refrain which Sharon used to prove that she is righteously called one of female metal’s greatest voices, while the stage lights and video wall created an outstanding background. Next on setlist was 'Fire and Ice' - the slowest song so far - and an opportunity to catch breath. What was a good idea, for the next song was 'Ice Queen', one of those songs the band made itself immortal with, and this one was supported by especially impressive lights and video - the band, performing in dense fog, pierced by glary spears of light, while having a video of snow and mountains in the background was truly worth seeing. It also marked the point where the audience lost each and every last bit of remaining aloofness, and almost nobody in the hall could be seen not clapping hands, singing, head banging or dancing. 
After then having Sharon leaving the stage and re-entering it to the video and song 'Our Solemn Hour', one might have wondered if the band could top the last songs or if it had shot all bolts already... a worry which was soon allayed by the following song. Time for 'Stand My Ground', once again whipping up the crowd to new heights of cheerfulness (which seems like a small wonder - remembering the temperature...). An effort which Sharon then honoured with a bow, before once again leaving the stage and re-entering it for 'Sinead', one of the most carrying along songs of the new CD 'The Unforgiving', followed by 'What Have You Done', with the support of the voices of the audience’s majority - everything under the eyes of Keith Caputo (OK, only from the video screen, but let’s not get picky here). Then, 'Iron' was played, another song with a powerful refrain, with a video of man obviously taking revenge for a beloved person in the background. After such an arduous show, now another somewhat slower song had to follow, and so WITHIN TEMPTATION invited the crowd to dream and sing with them with 'Angels'. 
The once again very devoted dedication of the fans while 'Murder' - also complete with the fitting video - was rewarded with a hand-kiss by Sharon. And the next song might also have counted as reward: 'See Who I Am', once again a really catchy and famous song (ever realized that the Dutch have enough such songs to fill an entire set? Mother of lord...). Soon, after 'Where Is The Edge' and 'Jillian' then the band bid their fans goodbye - but the cheerful audience did not waste even one thought about letting the band end the performance and demanded an encore - which was granted in form of the acoustic song 'Neverending Story'. But... didn’t we forget one special song? Wasn’t there this one famous... oh hell yes! The second encore is 'Mother Earth', a song without which a WITHIN TEMPTATION concert can not be complete, and Sharon’s yell "Be our choir!" does not stay unanswered, as hundreds of throats, at the brink of being sung sore, chant this one together with her, and also the lightshow and the video are one last time fired up to an impressive performance. Sadly, this song also marked the end of the almost magical concert, and the band bid an exhausted, sweated and tired, but happy audience farewell.
Setlist
01. Mother Maiden (Short Movie)
02. Shot in the Dark
03. In the Middle of the Night
04. Faster
05. Fire and Ice
06. Ice Queen
07. Our Solemn Hour
08. Stand My Ground
09. Sinéad (Short Movie)
10. Sinéad
11. What Have You Done
12. Iron
13. Angels
14. Murder
15. See Who I Am
16. Where Is the Edge
17. Jillian (I'd Give My Heart)
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18. Never-Ending Story
19. Mother Earth
Rating
Music: 9
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Light: 9
Total: 8.5/10
Full Gallery
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All pictures by Kai Bimber
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