Kamelot @ Arcada Theatre, St Charles (US)

KAMELOT / VISIONS OF ATLANTIS / FROZEN CROWN

Date: 17th September, 2026
Venue: Arcada Theatre
Ticket Price: $46.75/€41 - $78.75/€69
Promoter: OShows

There is something slightly unusual about seeing a three-band Metal package inside a theater like the Arcada. The seats obviously make things comfortable between bands, but once the music starts, they can also become something of an obstacle when the musicians onstage are asking people to jump, raise their horns or, as we would discover later, row an imaginary pirate ship. Still, on this Thursday evening in St. Charles, FROZEN CROWN, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS and KAMELOT seemed determined not to let a few rows of chairs get in the way.

The task of getting things moving fell to FROZEN CROWN. The musicians took their positions first, leaving singer Giada Etro to make the final entrance wearing an icy-looking crown visually connecting with the band's name. Both KAMELOT and VISIONS OF ATLANTIS use plenty of stage props that, depending on the available real estate, could have restricted the Italian band's space. Fortunately, Arcada's large stage left enough room for FROZEN CROWN to deliver their Euro Power Metal while also taking full advantage of the raised platforms for some optimum visuals. It is also worth noting that the band has three guitarists, but for this performance there was no bassist.

The up-tempo “Kings” cleared any doubts about FROZEN CROWN's musical identity, while the epic “The One” sealed the deal. Giada greeted the audience and asked for some hey, hey participation during the faster “Neverending”, and that's exactly what happened. No matter your Metal affiliation, this type of music combined with the lineup's lively stage presence is an almost impossible-to-resist combination. To be honest, this is one of the many reasons why live music feels so great as a shared experience.

Speaking of audience participation, “Who Wants To Burn In Heaven” was a strong call-to-action song and the second of four tracks FROZEN CROWN performed from their upcoming “The Legend Of The Six Kings” album. The strongest of those new songs proved to be “Reborn”, where the ooohs, ooohs managed to get everyone off their seats. Guitarist Federico Mondelli announced that it was time for an old song, which turned out to be FROZEN CROWN's take on the GOO GOO DOLLS' “Iris”. On paper, it may look like the odd one sitting among the band's Power Metal material, but it provided a nice change of texture before the final attack.

“Okay St. Charles, this is the last song for tonight,” Giada said before rhetorically asking whether everyone wanted some Heavy Metal. “I Am The Tyrant” was FROZEN CROWN's answer and the way they closed a solid set that excellently paved the way for the armada that would soon dock at the Arcada port.

FROZEN CROWN setlist:

01. "Kings"
02. "The One"
03. "Neverending"
04. "Who Wants To Burn In Heaven"
05. "Reborn"
06. "Iris"
07. "I Am The Tyrant"

FROZEN CROWN

That's right; the stage was transformed into a ship's deck, nurturing the band's pirate look gently introduced with “Wanderers” and solidified with “Pirates” three years later. With the VISIONS OF ATLANTIS ship safely docked and the visuals in full swing, the intro of “Master The Hurricane” accompanied the crew onto the stage, leaving captain Clémentine Delauney, wearing a striking red dress, to be the first of the two singers to appear.

Michele Guaitoli soon followed, and the two co-helmed the ship, proving once again to be an excellent singing duo with a perfectly balanced onstage presence. Their chemistry is unparalleled, and I love how each singer gets the same amount of time in the spotlight without stealing the thunder from the band. In maritime terms, it is all about the crew and not the captains.

Those who didn't know VISIONS OF ATLANTIS received an impossible-to-deny invitation to join the armada with the catchy and groovy-as-hell “Clocks”, and this was the first of many times when jumping up and down inside the seated theater became non-negotiable. “So happy to be here; we see so many seats on the pirate ship,” said Michele, and later we would find out exactly why he had mentioned the theater's seating. “Tonight I'm Alive”, with its dance-along melody and clap-along groove, added to the already gathered momentum, while the cinematic and symphonic “Legion Of The Seas” proved why KAMELOT wisely chose VISIONS OF ATLANTIS as direct support. Of course, that decision would prove even more valuable during the headlining set.

Under red lights and with the epic “Hellfire”, the band asked for even more audience participation, a strategic move since the Arcada was about to be transformed. Clémentine appeared wearing the dark crown seen in the “Armada” music video and left Michele to make a rather bizarre request: everyone had to sit down. He immediately followed that by explaining, “It is time to row.” And during “Pirates Will Return”, everyone put their back into the oar.

I really didn't expect this to be so successful, and apparently neither did Michele, who admitted as much afterwards. In fact, this was the first time the band had tried the rowing routine inside a seated theater, and we were more than happy to be part of it. Who said theater seating cannot be Metal? This was definitely not the time to hold back, so “Melancholy Angel” pushed things even harder and completed the evening's training routine with some intense cardio. Yeah, it was time to jump up and down to the rhythm of the fantastic song before reaching the climax with “Armada”.

It was also time for another sing-along, with the audience taking over the backing vocals for “hail Jolly Roger” while Michele waved not the flag carrying that same name, but one proudly reading “VOA”. The VISIONS OF ATLANTIS ship is clearly on a rising course, increasing its crew with every show. Don't miss your chance to be enlisted; you won't regret it.

VISIONS OF ATLANTIS setlist:

01. "Master The Hurricane"
02. "Clocks"
03. "Tonight I'm Alive"
04. "Legion Of The Seas"
05. "Hellfire"
06. "Pirates Will Return"
07. "Melancholy Angel"
08. "Armada"

VISIONS OF ATLANTIS

During the switch, I had time to appreciate what KAMELOT had prepared for this tour. The multi-leveled stage was designed around the gothic aesthetics of “Dark Asylum” and somehow made the already large Arcada stage look even bigger. The back screen was also put to excellent use, wrapping everything together into what was easily the best stage setup I have seen from KAMELOT live.

Around thirty minutes after 9pm, the lights dimmed and the “Sanctorium” intro, accompanied by KAMELOT's trademark purple color, created a beautiful contrast against the black tones of the stage. Drummer Alex Landenburg was the first member of the lineup to appear and was soon accompanied by Oliver Palotai, who assumed his stage-left post behind the keyboards, with guitarist Thomas Youngblood and bassist Sean Tibbetts taking opposite sides. Right on time, Tommy Karevik appeared to sing the opening lyrics of “Ashen World”. FROZEN CROWN's Giada joined Tommy and handled the growling vocals, immediately proving my earlier point about KAMELOT cleverly choosing the supporting bands for this tour. The song's oooh section was also the first of many occasions when the audience made its loud support for KAMELOT impossible to miss.

“It's wonderful seeing you,” admitted Tommy before the symphonic “The Great Pandemonium” took us back more than a decade to the band's rich back catalogue and “Poetry For The Poisoned”. That album closed an important chapter for KAMELOT, being the last one with the beloved Roy Khan behind the mic. Listening to Tommy perform this one and “Rule The World” reminded me how impressed I was the first time I heard him singing with KAMELOT. His vocals felt like a perfect fit then, and they still do now. Indeed, the band struck gold with Tommy.

The audience's loud reaction even made the singer wonder, “Is this a Thursday?” And after admitting, “This is going to be an amazing night,” he was joined again by Giada for “Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)”.

KAMELOT are experts at enhancing their theatrics with female singers, and this was no exception. The theater's beautiful surroundings were a match made in heaven for the band's strong cinematic aesthetics, with “Godlike Alchemy” building the tension before one of my favorite KAMELOT songs, “Karma”. Apparently, it is one of Tommy's favorites too, as he admitted before Oliver masterfully delivered that unmistakable keyboard melody. Singing along to “Who will trade his karma for my kingdom?” still has that shivers-down-your-spine effect, doesn't it?

A podium was brought onstage and Karevik assumed his position as if preparing to deliver a speech. “Revolution” followed, and for a moment there was only one reasonable thought: Tommy for president! Thomas then brought an illuminated skull onstage, giving Tommy and Giada the proper setup for “New Babylon”, which transitioned into the dramatic “Dark Asylum”, with the purple lights once again working their magic.

It was the right moment to slow things down, and for the next one Tommy asked the audience to become part of the visuals by turning on their cellphone lights for “Ivy, My Dear”. Decades ago, lighters were used for moments like this, but I guess things are moving forward. A drum solo followed before Tommy returned carrying a black flag with the trademark “K” at its center, leaving very little mystery about the identity of the next song. “One More Flag In The Ground” restored the heavier momentum before Oliver Palotai took over with a keyboard solo of his own. However, some technical difficulties and the sudden loss of sound didn't allow Oliver to properly finish his solo, and it took some time to resolve the issue. Things became a little awkward for Tommy, who did his best talking to the audience despite not having a working mic, but honestly, this made the night even more special.

“You won't get to experience something like this again,” the singer said. And he was absolutely right.

To some, this may have seemed like an annoyance, but this is also the definition of a live show. Even a technical hiccup makes a concert unique and gives those in attendance something that belongs only to that particular night. These are the little things you end up holding dear.

For “Sanctuary”, Clémentine Delauney, now wearing a beautiful and stylish black dress, joined Giada and Tommy, who remained hooded and seated on the throne positioned to the left of the drum kit. Having KAMELOT's singer remain mostly in the background put the two guest vocalists under the spotlight, and rightfully so. Both had already played an important role in the show and deserved their moment.

I am sure everyone was happy to hear Tommy lying when he announced “Veil Of Elysium” as the last song of the night. To be fair, with everyone joining him during that earworm chorus, it did have all the ingredients of a proper curtain-dropper.

The band left the stage but clearly was not going anywhere just yet.

Red lights announced the encore, and the gates opened for Mephisto to come and claim his place inside the Arcada. With FROZEN CROWN guitarists Alexandra Lioness and Alessia Lanzone adding to the marching intro, “March Of Mephisto” was performed with all the dramatic presentation it deserved.

There was still one final card to play. Tommy offered a huge thank-you to everyone in attendance, promising that KAMELOT would not forget the evening and that they would return. Then, “Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife)” brought the show to its actual conclusion, with the two guest singers joining the band one final time to properly drop the curtain — for real this time.

Three bands, three distinctly different visual identities and, perhaps most importantly, three performances that complemented rather than copied one another. FROZEN CROWN had only half an hour and attacked it accordingly. VISIONS OF ATLANTIS somehow transformed a seated theater into a pirate vessel, while KAMELOT made the most of the theater setting to deliver their Symphonic, often Power Metal with the type of visuals it deserves.

For sure, this was the best we have seen KAMELOT in the States.

KAMELOT setlist:

01. "Ashen World"
02. "The Great Pandemonium"
03. "Rule The World"
04. "Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)"
05. "Godlike Alchemy"
06. "Karma"
07. "Revolution"
08. "New Babylon"
09. "⁠Dark Asylum"
10. "⁠Ivy, My Dear"
11. Drum Solo
12. "One More Flag In The Ground"
13. Keyboard Solo
14. "Sanctuary"
15. "Veil Of Elysium"
16. "March Of Mephisto"
17. "Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife)"

KAMELOT