Avatar Concert Review Van Buren Theater Phoenix Arizona 10-05-21

AVATAR CONCERT REVIEW VAN BUREN THEATER PHOENIX AZ 10-5-21

Johannes Eckerström-Avatar

Avatar, descended on the Van Buren Theater in Phoenix, AZ; in support of their Going Hunting Tour, to a near capacity audience with their most elaborate stage show to date. Avatar recently commented in Loudwire Magazine; “We have announced many tours over the years, and every time we say that we couldn’t be more excited. Well, this is the tour that was supposed to be announced a year-and-a-half ago. A year and a half which has felt more like a lifetime.

Avatar unleased a set of eighteen songs from six of their eight LPs with six songs in the set from their latest 2020 release Hunter Gathering. The band entered the stage, with every member front and center, facing the audience, they stood in a line and were completely bathed in light. All five members stood at the front of the stage staring out into the audience until drummer John Alfredsson who was standing behind a smaller drum kit commenced to thrash out the beginning to Colossus from their Hunter Gathering LP in his fashioned robotic style.

The band played a number of fan favorites including; Bloody Angel, Paint Me Red, Pigfucker, The King Welcomes You To Avatar Country, Smells Like A Freakshow and Hail The Apocalypse. Bloody Angel was the first of the fan favorites to have a collective audience participation with the band coming to a complete stop at the first chorus to have the audience sing on their own and completely acapella; it was magical and brilliant! The band is well known for their use of an impressive mass of strobe lights and dramatic lighting throughout their show and with the song The Eagle Has Landed, they added smoke to augment their show with yet another theatrical dynamic. Make no mistake, Avatar are touring with more theatrics than any of their previous tours and this tour brings their most grandiose production to date!

At one point in the show, the band presented the intimate side of Avatar with singer Johannes Eckerström as a single figure on stage seated behind a keyboard to deliver the song Gun from their 2020 Hunter Gathering LP. This tour marks the first outing for Avatar to present a ballad such as Gun, which was first debuted live on January 9, 2021 in their hometown of Gothenburg Sweden as part of their live stream concert events. During the song, the audience showered Eckerström with an array of lit cell phones that swayed back and forth as one unified body of people in a show of appreciation and love for Avatar, a truly beautiful site indeed.

A seemingly new piece of theatrical equipment (how ever small) was the use of what looked like a gasoline container with it’s long spout that singer Eckerström’s used as his “water” bottle from which he periodically drank. And so with a quick swig from his gasoline “water” bottle Eckerström delivered a monologue to thank everyone for coming to the show, watching the live stream events and to talk about playing some really proper old shit as he put it. To introduce the old shit he asked the audience if they were ready for a fast, brutal and insane song. He then went on to say that this song was inspired by the endless source of inspiration; relationships, and then stated; you can figure it out, it’s all in the title; Ladies and Gentleman, this is called “Pigfucker”!!! The song commenced with a brutal sonic force in a massive blast of strobe lights that flashed and blasted the stage from one end of the stage to the other.

Johannes Eckerström- of Avatar thanks the audience during his Monologue and intro to Pig-F..er at the Van Buren in Phoenix.

The band finished their regular set with A Statue of the King and The King Welcomes You to Avatar Country.

The three song encore was, Wormhole, Smells Like A Freakshow with Hail The Apocalypse as their last song; a brilliant end to a brilliant show. Avatar are a one of a kind metal act ,that really must be seen and heard live to fully appreciate; so get out there and get some Avatar NOW!!!

Check out the Avatar Van Buren Photo Gallery here!

Check out the Avatar-Van Buren Photo Gallery Here!

Check out the workld of Avatar here!

The Set List was:

Colossus

Let It Burn

Silence in the Age of Apes

Bloody Angel

Child

The Eagle Has Landed

Paint Me Red

A secret Door

For the Swarm

Torn Apart

Gun

Going Hinting

Pigfucker

A Statue of the King

The King Welcomes You to Avatar Country

Encore:

Wormhole

Smells Like a Freakshow

Hail the Apocalypse