“Look how happy everyone is”… yep, that’s what it’s all about. Music is our lifeblood and Epica are a rare blood type, few, if any, do it quote like Epica.
I was at both nights of The Symphonic Synergy and the loud bang in the beginning made me jump both nights. It was very loud. 😂 But these shows were amazing!! Also the orchestra and choir members looked like they were really enjoying themselves the whole show, they looked so happy. Awesome to see!
Oh it was TWO nights. 😮 You experienced something really special there, so happy for you and thank you for sharing it. ☺️ I got the same impression, especially from the conductor, felt like he was really into it. Love to see something like that. 🫶
I was at this show! For context that bang at the very beginning was so loud it sounded like a bomb blew up backstage, scared the hell out of everyone including Simone 😂 This show was very special for them and had people from all over the world in attendance so it definitely isn’t a typical Dutch crowd. I flew all the way from middle of nowhere America just to see this show and it was 100% worth every penny!
The live version also was the moment the Dutch audience realized they where listening to a new version of the Efteling Soundtrack. And there at that time the nostalgic feelings kicked in. For most Dutch people Efteling is a very special place. It's a place where memories with family and friends are made. We grew up with the park and ( and the former Spookslot) I think I can say it's part of Dutch culture. You really should go there to understand that this park is way different than any themepark you ever been to. It's a special place for sure.
Something I didn't even think about until now and such a beautiful thing to point out, thank you. :D So cool they got the audiences reaction on camera for that reason especially. Don't worry, if I ever get the chance to visit, I'll do it... and to be honest, at this point I have to make a vlog or something about it when I do. xD Thank you so much for sharing all that info.
After the song she said she forgot about the explosion at the start of the song and it made her shit her pants. That's such a typical Simone quote. Didn't know the song back than of course,so great to see it now here!
Haha, thank you so much for that fun fact. You can miss stuff like that so easily and it makes everything that much more wholesome. :) I'm also so grateful they did that, it adds so much more to the song seeing this live, especially in Amsterdam. :)
I was there, both nights, traveled from Denmark to see Epica, and then decided I may as well see the city while there. Epica is amazing, I like this song a lot, but I really love their heavier songs. Just a general thing with Epica, if you can find an official live version of a song, that is generally the one to go with. They simply are better live, even when they don't have an orchestra or choir on stage About the Orchestra, the conductor is Dante Díaz a vocalist in a Mexican metal band, and life long metalhead. The orchestra consisted mostly of session musicians, assembled for this show. This information comes from the Epica subreddit, where one of the orchestra members posted an AMA, with picture proof he was on the stage those nights
Oh, that must have been a great vacation. :D Would have been fitting also to visit Efteling. Although I'm not sure how far it is from Amsterdam. I had the same feeling when I listened to 'Arcana' I think there's just, as dumb as it sounds, 'human error' missing, or that they hold back and I think live they do just that. :) Love when musicians with such a professional background have a heart for Metal as well. Super cool that one of the musicians did that.
he music was heard in a 2002 Disney animated film Mickey's House of Villains and the 1999 Mickey Mouse Works episode titled "Hansel and Gretel", starring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse as the titular duo. The piece is played in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Hush" (1999), in which the character Rupert Giles plays the song while describing the episode's villains, the Gentlemen. The piece was played during the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.
I heard they made that song on collaboration with the theme park to promote the new attraction, was the haunted castle an attraction as well, or a real castle? 😅 Sorry if that’s a dumb question. 😂
@kaNjiXIII The haunted castle was build in 1978. Kate bush was asked to promote it. She used wurhering heights as song The haunted castle had a show on the end with th music of Danse Macabre. The attraction was not popular anymore so they decide to replacement it for another attraction
so cool 😁 this is not their first concert with a full orchestra and choir, but this concert was a level higher. They will give two more similar concerts in Mexico in December. It's great that you mentioned the conductor, he is a very charismatic guy and he is Mexican and he is a Metalhead 😅 This was the first metal concert where I saw how the musicians from the orchestra do not just sit with stone faces, but participate in warming up the crowd and generally behaving actively, it is really cool to see.
Yup, the crowd engagement by the orchestra members really was an added bonus. Cool conductor, Dante Diaz (I think.. YT "Dante el Cantante"; lots of nice clips on his IG), cheering on the crowd and so on. Also in between songs. Saw them live and there was one violinist who really stood out in that respect. For us viewers she was in the top left corner, so to speak. She had such a ball! Wouldn't have surprised me if she'd done a stage dive at some point, violin and all 😂 🤘
I heard and really the perfect band to see with an orchestra. :) It makes a lot of sense to me, the conductor, as well as doing concerts like that in Mexico, as far as I know, Mexico and parts of South America are completely crazy about (especially symphonic) Metal. That's exactly how it's supposed to be. :D Everyone playing the music is invested in the music, which is of course difficult, when you have a lot of people in an orchestra.
Really brings you joy to see that. :) Also thank you for mentioning his YT and IG, always credit, were credit is due. Hahaha I would have loved to see that, but playing violin while crowdsurfing is a completely different beast, than doing it with a guitar, or while singing, I would imagine. xD
@@kaNjiXIII Conductor/singer Dante Diaz is well worth checking out. His band, Azteca (reminiscent of Epica's sister band, MayaN) did a fun track "Arrival In Tenochtitlan". Also on his own YT channel: "Epica The Symphonic Synergy - My Experience". Really nice to hear abt his experiences with Joost van den Broek (Epica's producer), the band members and also with Dutch efficiency/planning of such an event. They're gonna do this in Mexico in December, bringing the whole Epica support crew while Dante and friends will be in charge of the orchestral/choir stuff. Everything will be at least twice as big compared to Amsterdam (orchestra/choirs/venue capacity). Which was a fantastic show btw. We were there the 2nd night. Cheers!
Epica did a collab with themepark Efteling in The Netherlands. Efteling is the second most visited themepark in Europe. People from other countries have called it the dark version of Disney because Efteling doesnt sugarcoat fairytales like Disney does. Efteling was built 3 years before the first ever Disney park was created so Efteling is one of the oldest themeparks in the world. Other themeparks that were built later took inspiration from Efteling. Example is the first Madhouse ever it built was in Efteling. Other themeparks copied that idea and created even better Madhouses Efteling has some of the best dark rides in the world, a big fairytale forest with life size depictions of fairytales, it has rollercoasters, dualing rollercoasters, fairies, goblins, the fantasy people of Laaf and of course the new attraction Danse Macabre which is a unique ride with a newly invented motion system. No other themepark in the world has a dark ride like this. It was estimated to cost 25 million euros to built the dark ride Danse Macabre. In the end it cost 35 million euros to built it. Efteling prices of entrance , food and hotel are cheaper than Disney because it is not owned by a big corporation like Disney. Efteling is owned by a foundation. There is also such a thing as Winter Efteling where they theme the Efteling as a winter wonder land. Lot of people want to go there in winter too. For me I would go in spring or summer on a school day so the park is not swamped with kids so you dont have to wait to in line too long. All staff in Efteling speak English.
Yes, I was told that it's for a theme park when I reacted to the music video. :) 'Dark version' of Disney also sounds super intriguing. I really want to see it for myself now. I didn't know it was that old though, thank you, I love that the place has such a rich history.
Well if you like dark fairytales, horror and fantasy then Efteling is the place to go. The predessor of the dark ride Danse Macabre was Spookslot a haunted castle which scared the hell out of us when we were kids. The dark ride Danse Macabre incorporated things from the old haunted castle. Back in the 70's Kate Bush was asked to sing at haunted castle Spookslot. There is a video of this too. Symbolica is a cool dark ride too it is a trackless fantasy ride in Efteling which is a favorite of a lot of people. They have 3 different routes to choose from within Symbolica so you have to do the ride 3 times to see it all. It was once the most expensive attraction in the Benelux costing 35 million euros. Now Danse Macabre matched that also costing 35 million euros to build. They also have a dark ride called Flying Dutchman. It is a dark ride and a water coaster. Efteling has got a couple of rollercoasters these are best to see as bonusses on top of eveything else it got to offer. Efteling is a 2 day park, it is huge. It is twice the size of Disneyland in the US. P.s. If you like fantasy stuff you might also like Castlefest in the Netherlands. This a medieval fest where people dress up as knights, fairies, witches nd other fantasy characters and bands that play medieval music People from all over the world fly in for Castlefest in the town Lisse. It is a 3 day fest. You can camp out in a tent or stay in a hotel. Castlefest is in the town called Lisse in The Netherlands it is held on castlegrounds. It is held next to Keukenhof the biggest flower garden in the world. P.s. There are videos of English and American people om TH-cam vlogging about Efteling which you can watch. Both Efteling and Castlefest in Lisse have official websites you can get information from.
I love this song so much!! It’s so spooky and fun in the perfect way! Seeing the live debut was an amazing experience-and that bang really did scare everyone 😂 Even Simone said she forgot how loud it was! I think this is the first song you’ve heard from Epica, right? At least, I didn’t see any other reactions to them in your channel. It’s definitely a not-so-typical introduction, but it does really showcase how much fun they all have with their music, and how great that you got to see both a music video and live recording of it! Epica’s live versions are unquestionably special. They’re my favorite band to see live-always on point and always having the BEST time! To hear some more typical works of theirs next, here’s a few suggestions: The Essence of Silence (Official Live Video) The Code of Life (Live at AFAS Live) Unchain Utopia (Omega Alive) Also look forward to the first single from their upcoming album-Arcana will premiere on November 13th! They debuted that and another song called Aspiral at the concert as well, and both are amazing!
After finding out, "what it's about" I enjoyed it much more, especially the live version, where you can see how happy the crowd is. That is such a cool fun fact. haha Yes and no, "Ghost in Me" was the first and the live version was the second and quite an unconventional introduction, with all the background of the song. :) Oh, you said that already in the next line, haha nevermind, yes, the live version definitely adds to it. :) Thank you for all the live recommendations, I also heard "Arcana" by now and made a video and really enjoyed it, although I would love to see a live version of that one. More live reactions will come for sure. :D Thank you so much.
Imagine be there in that room at the end of the song. Omg, that soundscape had to be unreal 😄. No surprise i like the live version better, a common thing with Epica.
I know, right? Some people here in the comments were there, I envy them a lot haha. Same with me, Live versions are usually hit or miss, but musicians on this level and todays recording equipment and engineers, almost always add something to the music, instead of taking something away. What a day to be alive.
I don't actually, haha, it's the only song I heard so far, twice, one time with the offical music video and now in live, but I'm looking forward to more Epica a lot, Simone seems to be a wonderful and funny person and an incredible singer. :D
@kaNjiXIII She really is. Could I recommend songs like : "kingdom of heaven part 3", "consign to oblivion live at the Zenith", "The essence of silence", "Design your Universe". But there are so many good ones. Enjoy your discovery.
"Is there a band in the world which can do this better ? EPICA is the top of the world !
One of the best concerts I‘ve ever attended. Ticked every box. Band, performance, atmosphere, sound mix
And in such an amazing country, I still miss the Netherlands 😢
“Look how happy everyone is”… yep, that’s what it’s all about. Music is our lifeblood and Epica are a rare blood type, few, if any, do it quote like Epica.
That song, with this audience, in this place..., that really is something special and unique. Pure joy to watch and hear. :)
I was at both nights of The Symphonic Synergy and the loud bang in the beginning made me jump both nights.
It was very loud. 😂
But these shows were amazing!!
Also the orchestra and choir members looked like they were really enjoying themselves the whole show, they looked so happy. Awesome to see!
Oh it was TWO nights. 😮 You experienced something really special there, so happy for you and thank you for sharing it. ☺️
I got the same impression, especially from the conductor, felt like he was really into it. Love to see something like that. 🫶
Yeah, the bang was quite loud, but my advantage is that I am not so easily frightened. 😁
I was at this show! For context that bang at the very beginning was so loud it sounded like a bomb blew up backstage, scared the hell out of everyone including Simone 😂
This show was very special for them and had people from all over the world in attendance so it definitely isn’t a typical Dutch crowd. I flew all the way from middle of nowhere America just to see this show and it was 100% worth every penny!
The live version also was the moment the Dutch audience realized they where listening to a new version of the Efteling Soundtrack. And there at that time the nostalgic feelings kicked in. For most Dutch people Efteling is a very special place. It's a place where memories with family and friends are made. We grew up with the park and ( and the former Spookslot) I think I can say it's part of Dutch culture. You really should go there to understand that this park is way different than any themepark you ever been to. It's a special place for sure.
you nailed it. i was there and as soon as the first note kicked in i instantly know what it was and goosebumps started coming.. chills, just chills
@@scaleminis3560same, I texted a video of the performance to my family with just the word "kippenvel" (goosebumps)
Something I didn't even think about until now and such a beautiful thing to point out, thank you. :D
So cool they got the audiences reaction on camera for that reason especially.
Don't worry, if I ever get the chance to visit, I'll do it... and to be honest, at this point I have to make a vlog or something about it when I do. xD
Thank you so much for sharing all that info.
Such a nice moment and now memory they created with that.
So cool you shared that with your family, I had no clue such a thing existed and that it's so huge in the Netherlands.
After the song she said she forgot about the explosion at the start of the song and it made her shit her pants. That's such a typical Simone quote. Didn't know the song back than of course,so great to see it now here!
Lol😂.
😂
you really could she her being startled 😅
Haha, thank you so much for that fun fact. You can miss stuff like that so easily and it makes everything that much more wholesome. :)
I'm also so grateful they did that, it adds so much more to the song seeing this live, especially in Amsterdam. :)
I was there, both nights, traveled from Denmark to see Epica, and then decided I may as well see the city while there. Epica is amazing, I like this song a lot, but I really love their heavier songs. Just a general thing with Epica, if you can find an official live version of a song, that is generally the one to go with. They simply are better live, even when they don't have an orchestra or choir on stage
About the Orchestra, the conductor is Dante Díaz a vocalist in a Mexican metal band, and life long metalhead.
The orchestra consisted mostly of session musicians, assembled for this show. This information comes from the Epica subreddit, where one of the orchestra members posted an AMA, with picture proof he was on the stage those nights
Oh, that must have been a great vacation. :D Would have been fitting also to visit Efteling. Although I'm not sure how far it is from Amsterdam. I had the same feeling when I listened to 'Arcana' I think there's just, as dumb as it sounds, 'human error' missing, or that they hold back and I think live they do just that. :)
Love when musicians with such a professional background have a heart for Metal as well. Super cool that one of the musicians did that.
I was there. It was amazing. The entire concert was amazing.
Lucky you 😀. Really happy that do a good recording and let the rest of us have a taste 😁.
That must have been amazing, maybe we are lucky and they will release more of that concert. :)
So lucky and thank god we live in 2024. :D
he music was heard in a 2002 Disney animated film Mickey's House of Villains and the 1999 Mickey Mouse Works episode titled "Hansel and Gretel", starring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse as the titular duo.
The piece is played in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Hush" (1999), in which the character Rupert Giles plays the song while describing the episode's villains, the Gentlemen.
The piece was played during the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.
We knew this song from the attraction Haunted Castle in the Efteling.
Danse Macabre is build at the same spot were before the haunted castle was.
I heard they made that song on collaboration with the theme park to promote the new attraction, was the haunted castle an attraction as well, or a real castle? 😅 Sorry if that’s a dumb question. 😂
@kaNjiXIII The haunted castle was build in 1978.
Kate bush was asked to promote it. She used wurhering heights as song
The haunted castle had a show on the end with th music of Danse Macabre.
The attraction was not popular anymore so they decide to replacement it for another attraction
When the violin starts, the entire public immediately knew: SPOOKSLOT!
so cool 😁 this is not their first concert with a full orchestra and choir, but this concert was a level higher. They will give two more similar concerts in Mexico in December.
It's great that you mentioned the conductor, he is a very charismatic guy and he is Mexican and he is a Metalhead 😅 This was the first metal concert where I saw how the musicians from the orchestra do not just sit with stone faces, but participate in warming up the crowd and generally behaving actively, it is really cool to see.
Yup, the crowd engagement by the orchestra members really was an added bonus. Cool conductor, Dante Diaz (I think.. YT "Dante el Cantante"; lots of nice clips on his IG), cheering on the crowd and so on. Also in between songs. Saw them live and there was one violinist who really stood out in that respect. For us viewers she was in the top left corner, so to speak. She had such a ball! Wouldn't have surprised me if she'd done a stage dive at some point, violin and all 😂 🤘
I heard and really the perfect band to see with an orchestra. :)
It makes a lot of sense to me, the conductor, as well as doing concerts like that in Mexico, as far as I know, Mexico and parts of South America are completely crazy about (especially symphonic) Metal.
That's exactly how it's supposed to be. :D Everyone playing the music is invested in the music, which is of course difficult, when you have a lot of people in an orchestra.
Really brings you joy to see that. :)
Also thank you for mentioning his YT and IG, always credit, were credit is due.
Hahaha I would have loved to see that, but playing violin while crowdsurfing is a completely different beast, than doing it with a guitar, or while singing, I would imagine. xD
@@kaNjiXIII Conductor/singer Dante Diaz is well worth checking out. His band, Azteca (reminiscent of Epica's sister band, MayaN) did a fun track "Arrival In Tenochtitlan". Also on his own YT channel: "Epica The Symphonic Synergy - My Experience". Really nice to hear abt his experiences with Joost van den Broek (Epica's producer), the band members and also with Dutch efficiency/planning of such an event.
They're gonna do this in Mexico in December, bringing the whole Epica support crew while Dante and friends will be in charge of the orchestral/choir stuff. Everything will be at least twice as big compared to Amsterdam (orchestra/choirs/venue capacity). Which was a fantastic show btw. We were there the 2nd night. Cheers!
Epica did a collab with themepark Efteling in The Netherlands. Efteling is the second most visited themepark in Europe. People from other countries have called it the dark version of Disney because Efteling doesnt sugarcoat fairytales like Disney does. Efteling was built 3 years before the first ever Disney park was created so Efteling is one of the oldest themeparks in the world. Other themeparks that were built later took inspiration from Efteling.
Example is the first Madhouse ever it built was in Efteling. Other themeparks copied that idea and created even better Madhouses Efteling has some of the best dark rides in the world, a big fairytale forest with life size depictions of fairytales, it has rollercoasters, dualing rollercoasters, fairies, goblins, the fantasy people of Laaf and of course the new attraction Danse Macabre which is a unique ride with a newly invented motion system. No other themepark in the world has a dark ride like this. It was estimated to cost 25 million euros to built the dark ride Danse Macabre. In the end it cost 35 million euros to built it. Efteling prices of entrance , food and hotel are cheaper than Disney because it is not owned by a big corporation like Disney. Efteling is owned by a foundation. There is also such a thing as Winter Efteling where they theme the Efteling as a winter wonder land. Lot of people want to go there in winter too. For me I would go in spring or summer on a school day so the park is not swamped with kids so you dont have to wait to in line too long. All staff in Efteling speak English.
Yes, I was told that it's for a theme park when I reacted to the music video. :)
'Dark version' of Disney also sounds super intriguing. I really want to see it for myself now. I didn't know it was that old though, thank you, I love that the place has such a rich history.
Well if you like dark fairytales, horror and fantasy then Efteling is the place to go. The predessor of the dark ride Danse Macabre was Spookslot a haunted castle which scared the hell out of us when we were kids. The dark ride Danse Macabre incorporated things from the old haunted castle. Back in the 70's Kate Bush was asked to sing at haunted castle Spookslot. There is a video of this too. Symbolica is a cool dark ride too it is a trackless fantasy ride in Efteling which is a favorite of a lot of people. They have 3 different routes to choose from within Symbolica so you have to do the ride 3 times to see it all. It was once the most expensive attraction in the Benelux costing 35 million euros. Now Danse Macabre matched that also costing 35 million euros to build. They also have a dark ride called Flying Dutchman. It is a dark ride and a water coaster. Efteling has got a couple of rollercoasters these are best to see as bonusses on top of eveything else it got to offer. Efteling is a 2 day park, it is huge. It is twice the size of Disneyland in the US. P.s. If you like fantasy stuff you might also like Castlefest in the Netherlands. This a medieval fest where people dress up as knights, fairies, witches nd other fantasy characters and bands that play medieval music People from all over the world fly in for Castlefest in the town Lisse. It is a 3 day fest. You can camp out in a tent or stay in a hotel. Castlefest is in the town called Lisse in The Netherlands it is held on castlegrounds. It is held next to Keukenhof the biggest flower garden in the world. P.s. There are videos of English and American people om TH-cam vlogging about Efteling which you can watch. Both Efteling and Castlefest in Lisse have official websites you can get information from.
Epica has the best live concerts in the world
Simone's voice has become perfect
Got to say, the live choir and orchestra is hard to top. :D
Looking forward to more (live) Epica.
@kaNjiXIII checked the Omega Live yet? Something out of this world
I love this song so much!! It’s so spooky and fun in the perfect way! Seeing the live debut was an amazing experience-and that bang really did scare everyone 😂 Even Simone said she forgot how loud it was!
I think this is the first song you’ve heard from Epica, right? At least, I didn’t see any other reactions to them in your channel. It’s definitely a not-so-typical introduction, but it does really showcase how much fun they all have with their music, and how great that you got to see both a music video and live recording of it! Epica’s live versions are unquestionably special. They’re my favorite band to see live-always on point and always having the BEST time!
To hear some more typical works of theirs next, here’s a few suggestions:
The Essence of Silence (Official Live Video)
The Code of Life (Live at AFAS Live)
Unchain Utopia (Omega Alive)
Also look forward to the first single from their upcoming album-Arcana will premiere on November 13th! They debuted that and another song called Aspiral at the concert as well, and both are amazing!
After finding out, "what it's about" I enjoyed it much more, especially the live version, where you can see how happy the crowd is. That is such a cool fun fact. haha
Yes and no, "Ghost in Me" was the first and the live version was the second and quite an unconventional introduction, with all the background of the song. :)
Oh, you said that already in the next line, haha nevermind, yes, the live version definitely adds to it. :)
Thank you for all the live recommendations, I also heard "Arcana" by now and made a video and really enjoyed it, although I would love to see a live version of that one.
More live reactions will come for sure. :D Thank you so much.
Imagine be there in that room at the end of the song. Omg, that soundscape had to be unreal 😄. No surprise i like the live version better, a common thing with Epica.
I know, right? Some people here in the comments were there, I envy them a lot haha. Same with me, Live versions are usually hit or miss, but musicians on this level and todays recording equipment and engineers, almost always add something to the music, instead of taking something away. What a day to be alive.
I was here and at Retrospect in EIndhoven back in 2013. Two magical nights I will never forget. Epica are phenomenal live!
Welcome to Epica .. I wonder if you have any idea how hard they can go :)
I don't actually, haha, it's the only song I heard so far, twice, one time with the offical music video and now in live, but I'm looking forward to more Epica a lot, Simone seems to be a wonderful and funny person and an incredible singer. :D
@kaNjiXIII She really is. Could I recommend songs like : "kingdom of heaven part 3", "consign to oblivion live at the Zenith", "The essence of silence", "Design your Universe".
But there are so many good ones. Enjoy your discovery.
10/10 performance
Just incredible!
sabaton epica and nightwish are my top 3 bands
bene there done that, goosebumps during the performance
You were there? Super happy for you. :)
4:09
choir with out mics...
ok
🤘🤘
Greetings from The netherlands
Thank you so much for coming by, greetings from Austra. ;)
Themepark is called "de efteling". 🙂 At first i thought that is was Dance Macabre (from ghost)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danse_macabre_(Saint-Sa%C3%ABns)
❤❤❤❤