As a metalhead, I may be committing blasphemy by saying this, but I’ve never been a huge fan of Metallica. However, when it’s played on cello — yes, please. After releasing the highly-anticipated Plays Metallica, Vol. 2 album last year, the follow-up to their debut album that carved their niche in the metal scene, Apocalyptica brought their re-imagined take on popular classics to North America, playing Metallica hits on cello from both their original Plays Metallica by Four Cellos album and their recently released volume two.
Fans of all ages gathered early at McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Ore., on Thursday, Feb. 26, in anticipation. Guitarist Nita Strauss opened the evening with her heavy riffs, wowing the audience with impressive head-banging and hair flips as she ran across the stage, engaging and making eye contact with fans at the front. Several fans at the barricade donned Nita Strauss shirts, showing their support and enthusiasm for the opening act. After opening with some instrumental songs, Kasey Karlsen, vocalist from metalcore band Deadlands, joined Strauss onstage with vocals and energy that perfectly matched Nita’s. The two female powerhouses hyped the crowd up for Apocalyptica and earned themselves new fans.
As I was waiting for Apocalyptica to go on after Nita Strauss’ set, a young girl, who looked to be around 10 years old, approached me to say that she just found her “new favorite metal band.” The enthusiasm and excitement on her face reminded me of when I was around her age and first discovered Apocalyptica—one of the bands I credit with getting me into metal. As her mother guided her back to the merch booth to get her a shirt, it warmed my heart knowing a metal show could be a family affair, with new generations of metalheads forming in the audience at an Apocalyptica show.
As the house lights dimmed, the crowd raised their horns and cheered as Apocalyptica entered the stage, opening with the suspenseful, rhythmic “Ride The Lightning.” “Enter Sandman” followed, with the crowd singing along in an impressive harmony that only a dedicated fanbase could maintain, without the guidance of a lead singer to follow. Apocalyptica’s lead cellist Eicca Toppinen, rhythm cellist Perttu Kivilaakso and bass cellist Paavo Lötjönen exchanged places on the stage regularly, ensuring fans on both sides of the venue the chance to interact with each of them.
The energy between the members was palpable, with frequent glances towards bandmates, exchanging smiles and knowing eye contact with one another. Toppinen and Kivilaakso timed their hair flips in synchronicity as the stage lights shifted from deep reds to golden yellows and bright greens, perfectly matching the music. The band maintained this energy through the end, when the crowd once again joined in and harmonized on “Nothing Else Matters” and “Seek & Destroy,” the two bonus tracks from their first Plays Metallica album. Sandwiched between the heavier, fast-paced songs was “The Call of Ktulu,” the instrumental closer to Metallica’s Ride The Lightning album, which Toppinen fittingly dedicated the remaster to Cliff Burton, the deceased bassist from Metallica, in an emotional and heartfelt dedication.
The evening finished out with their encore “One,” an atmospheric finale that captivated the audience to the end. As the crowd filtered out of the venue, people chatted about how good the show was. I put my headphones back in and put Plays Metallica, Vol. 2 on, listening on repeat from the ride home until I fell asleep that night.
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