NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
When Finnish symphonic metal band Apocalyptica released “Plays Metallica by Four Cellos” twenty eight years ago, they were a revelation and, even though orchestral arrangements has historically been a part of metal, there were questions about whether this band would be a flash in the pan and quickly forgotten. Fast forward to last year’s “Plays Metallica, Vol. 2” and we have the answer. After ten studio albums which include two number one singles, one in Finland and one in the US, Apocalyptica have been a mainstay in metal, touring extensively even through a few lineup changes. The current touring band including original members Eicca Toppinen and Paavo Lötjönen, current lead cellist Perttu Kivilaakso, and drummer Mikko Kaakkuriniemi. Currently on a tour through North America, they stopped at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto on Thursday, February 13th.
The opener, LA-based guitarist Nita Strauss, needs no introduction. She’s been the long time guitarist for Alice Cooper as well as having a successful solo career. Her high energy performances are always incredible beside the killer riffs she seems to knock off effortlessly. Her set was too short but spectacular and dazzled the crowd.
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It’s been quite awhile since I attended a fully instrumental show, most likely at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center ten to fifteen years ago. This show was a completely different animal and the makeup of the audience was evidence of that. Oddly enough, it was a seated show more like those previous types of performances I mentioned. Kicking off their set with “Ride the Lightning”, Apocalyptica had the crowd headbanging right away. They followed up with “Enter Sandman” and, all of a sudden, it became a sing-along! I had expected the band to play the full album “Plays Metallica, Vol. 2”, but they played a nice mix of both that album and their original “Plays Metallica by Four Cellos”. The fans weren’t going to complain. Whether they were Metallica fans, general metal fans, or orchestra fans, the performance was inspiring and fierce. With Toppinen handling speaking duties, Kivilaakso bounding around the stage engaging with the audience, and Lötjönen laying down the rhythms, it was such a fun show. If you’ve never seen this band perform, you wouldn’t realize that cellists could move around the stage as much as they do. After a brief all too short twelve song regular set, they closed out the show with an encore of “One”. If you’ve never considered going to a show featuring three cellists, forget that and catch Apocalyptica on their current tour, which ends with three shows in Texas in early March.
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