» Concert Report: Within Temptation @ The Regency Ballroom

On Thursday, September 25th, we find ourselves at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. The headliner tonight is Within Temptation, a symphonic metal band hailing from the Netherlands and making their grand return to San Francisco. This sextet is fronted by the lovely Sharon den Adel who alongside founding members Robert Westerholt (who is married to den Adel and no longer tours with the band) and bassist Jeroen van Veen have stayed together for the entirety of the band’s history. They are joined by rhythm guitarists Ruud Jolie and Stefan Helleblad, keyboardist Martijn Spierenburg, and drummer Mike Coolen.

I find myself in the strange situation of having listened to their music for a good seven years and never having seen them once. In fact, seven years ago was the only time they had ever been to the west coast and I found them a few months after they had already come and gone. Tonight we change that. A coworker asked me, “What if you were asked to stay late?” My answer: “There’s no question. I’m gone. Within Temptation is tonight.” If the world was ending, well, it’d better damn wait til this concert is over.

This tour, dubbed the North American Hydra tour, is in support of the album of the same name. With its release in January of this year fans have had many months with which to absorb it and prepare for this tour. The North American leg of the tour was announced in late March and I was happy to hear that the west coast was included. While Within Temptation has played shows in the US during the last few of years they have never made their way over here much to my chagrin. San Francisco has been chosen as the opening show for North America and I am honored to be here.

Dedicated fans began to file into the Regency Ballroom starting at 7PM when doors opened. I do not know just how long the line was at its largest was but I imagine it was immense. I first noticed the line while walking from my car; it went completely down the nearby substreet and onto one of the main arteries of the area. At first I thought there was a club nearby but realized just what it was a few moments later. Most shows do not have anywhere near this length of line, and especially a half hour after doors opening.

Taking a look at the map it wrapped all the way from the entrance on Van Ness down Fern street and spilled onto Polk. Yes, a whole city block.

Word is the show sold out and I can believe that; the main hall was packed wall to wall with people and even the upper deck which usually isn’t open was filled. With almost twenty years of existence Within Temptation has quite the age range; fans range from those barely able to drive to those who have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in these crowds for decades.

An autographed poster was available free to fans who purchased their tickets before May. There were posters available for $10 but I don’t know if they were also autographed; if so, that’s a great bargain. Autographs from all six of the touring members for a price that low is almost unheard of. I had purchased my ticket way back in April and had it ready. I decided to grab it before Within Temptation hit the stage (sorry, Amaranthe!) so I would not miss a second of their set and would not be stuck in the middle of the crowd after the show. This did mean I was holding a poster in one hand, camera in the other, and hoping I didn’t somehow smash it for the next two hours.

The first thing you notice as you enter the hall is the heat; the air is thick with smoke and is oppresingly hot as if you had just entered the lair of a dragon. The mythical hydra was a many-headed serpent who was known to be almost invincible; for every head that was cut off two would grow. In a way we are that hydra tonight: hundreds of heads all moving somewhat differently yet still unified under the heartbeat of Within Temptation. Unlike mythology Heracles would not be needed. We give ourselves willingly and are glad to be part of the swarm. Why else would we be here?

Now, there’s one problem you have when your library is six albums deep and filled with killer songs: what do you put on the setlist? What do you open with?

The answer to that last question is “Paradise,” a duo song with Tarja Turunen, formerly of Nightwish. This was the first song to be revealed from Hydra full year ago and the album’s first single. It’s a hell of a song that quickly builds from a string intro into Tarja’s trademark operatic vocals and Sharon pairs well with it. Unfortunately for us Tarja is not here but is represented on the LED screens near the back of the stage. These screens would be well used throughout the show and lent a bit of flash to the show. Along with the primary stage lights the screens would be used to affect the mood of the show and displayed lyrics, snippets from music videos, and acted as avatars for the many featured artists on Hydra.

The bulk of the setlist is composed of Hydra with previous albums The Unforgiving, Heart of Everything, and Silent Force represented. The band’s first hit album, Mother Earth, was also present with a couple of the band’s trademark songs.

One song that I’ve always held dear is Silent Force’s “Stand My Ground.” It’s a song that any American should be able to take heart in. The chorus says, “Stand my ground, I won’t give in, I won’t give up” … “If I don’t make it, someone else will stand my ground.” Many brave men have fought to make this country what it is today and will fight to keep it. “Our Solemn Hour,” which opens with a few lines from Winston Churchill’s “Be Ye Men of Valour,” is another one that must not be forgotten and is in the same vein as “Stand Your Ground.”

I’m glad they played all the songs from Hydra featuring guests artists. “Paradise” with Tarja, “And We Run” with Xzibit, and “Dangerous” with Howard Jones. That last one, “Dangerous,” is a great song which plays to the rush that comes only when we get out of our comfort zones. It’s a reminder that we need to get out there and go for broke.

Of course no Within Temptation show would be complete without “Ice Queen.” First released as part of the band’s second album it quickly became one of their most popular and most loved songs. The house lights were turned on in sync with the song’s beats and the crowd jumped alongside Sharon. This is they end almost all of their shows. It’s kind of like an ouroboros; this is their beginning, but it’s also the end. Repeating forever and ever.

If you’re in any of the upcoming stops I highly recommend you go. Even if you don’t yet like the band, give them a shot. I promise you will. If you turn up liking them later it might be a very, very long time til you get this chance again (hopefully we won’t end up waiting another seven years to see them again). Their twentieth anniversary is coming up in 2016 and while they are working a fairly reliable three year rotation on albums there’s always place for a few more concerts.

Did I mention I got indirectly retweeted by the band?