The Regent Theater felt an explosion of amazing female voices on Memorial Day this year, as the theater was graced with the presence of symphonic metal act Xandria and metal act Kobra and the Lotus. as Xandria’s first headlining tour in North America, the crowd was absolutely enthused. Unfortunately Once Human fell ill and was unable to perform, however, both bands showed their utmost love for that act. Both Xandria and Kobra and the Lotus excited and enticed the crowd, making for a very memorable night.
XANDRIA
With the release of Theater of Dimensions in January of this year, Xandria has embarked on a magnificent headline tour through North America. Aiming to bring the album to life, the show featured beautiful attire and awe-inspiring musicianship. With incredible crowd engagement, it is very clear that the band absolutely adores their fans, and want the fans to know it! With each member consistently engaging the audience, and showing their tremendous appreciation for all of the support, the fans felt a warmth from the band. Vocalist Dianne van Giersbergen let her personality shine on stage as she performed with an incredible grace! Her singing ability is unmatched, and will certainly send shivers down your spine. Drummer Gerit Lamm kept the rhythm with skilled precision, and certainly enjoyed posing for my camera! Original bassist Steven Wussow was unfortunately absent, but the bass role was fortunately filled by Kobra and the Lotus’s talented player Brad Kennedy. It is clear to see that Brad absolutely adores performing, and he did an absolutely excellent job filling in! The band members included him perfectly in every song. Guitarists Marco Heubaum and Philip Restemeier wooed the crowd with their talent, often coming up close enough for the audience to touch. The set list ran through Xandria classics and songs off of the newest release.
KOBRA AND THE LOTUS
Canadian act Kobra and the Lotus was celebrating the release of Prevail I, one of two Prevail albums, hitting the market in May. Having toured with a tremendous amount of extraordinary acts, Kobra and the Lotus are seasoned performers on stage, and the audience certainly knew it! Singing with a fervor, power, emotion, and skill, frontwoman Kobra excited the fans and got them pumping! Not a single person in the room was bored, every fan adored the performance. Each band member showed off their talent and skill as musicians, and got the crowd riled up (with most pits opening up left and right!). Jasio Kulakowski on guitar electrified the stage, often partnering up instruments with his fellow bandmate Brad Kennedy. Brad let his personality show through, an awesome guy with an incredible skill! Drummer Marcus Lee loved showcasing his drumming ability, performing standing up through part of the songs.
