Seven Kingdoms & Amaranthe (with Stratovarius)
Ludwigsburg, Germany – April 11th, 2013  

After being introduced to Seven Kingdom's music through my friends at Eve's Apple at last year's Metal Female Voices Fest, I was pretty psyched to hear they were going to tour Europe with Amaranthe and Stratovarius. I definitely didn't want to miss out on the chance of seeing them live, and the prospect of seeing Amaranthe too – another first for me – was the cherry on top. Due to bad train connections I knew I wouldn't be able to catch Stratovarius, which left a bit of a bitter aftertaste.

The Columbia Theatre, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
April 12, 2013

Adam Todd is annoyed. As he lets me into New Westminster’s historic and refurbished Columbia Theatre last Friday night, he bristles with frustration. “The house sound guy was two hours late,” he explains. I murmur something sympathetic and follow him into the main part of the theatre to observe the load-in and pre-show sound checks. The seating is not typically theatre-style, I notice, but rather set up like a cabaret show. I’m grateful for a table to set myself up at, notebook open and pen poised, camera at the ready.