Moonspell, the legendary Portuguese gothic metal band needs no introduction. These gentlemen have been in the industry since 1992 and delivered some awesome albums. Not only records, but also tours all over the world. This year it’s their 30th anniversary and they decided to do a special concert regarding this occasion. In what was their long-awaited debut in Portugal’s largest concert hall, on Saturday 26th of October, Moonspell took the stage of the Altice MEO Arena and set everything on fire, very well accompanied by the Orquestra Sinfonietta de Lisboa, which, under the direction of Maestro Vasco Pearce de Azevedo, helped the most international of the Portugal bands to shine in a historic moment in their already long career.
by Rak Miranda
photos by Ivan Santos
Taking the intensity of metal and the elegance of classical music, it was with a powerful fusion that Fernando Ribeiro and company revisited some of their greatest hits as well as some less obvious themes, in a show that not only highlighted all of the band’s versatility, but also offered a new perspective on songs that were played for the first time with orchestral accompaniment.
The doors opened at 20:30 and the concert began at 22:00 (Portugal and UK time, since they have the same timeline). While the audience waited for the band, some videos were shown of the concerts that are set to happen at this place. After thirty minutes, the lights went off and the fans of the band began to clap and whistle. Soon afterwards, the Orquestra took their seat and the show fully began.
The first music was an orchestral intro, where the Orquestra Sinfonietta de Lisboa made a magnificent introduction to what would come next in mysterious way. Meanwhile, Pedro Paixão, Ricardo Amorim, Hugo Ribeiro, Aires Pereira and Fernando Ribeiro came onstage… Moonspell!!! And the first journey is back in time!
While the Orquestra was playing, Pedro Paixão, the member responsible for the keyboards, played along. Fernando Ribeiro, holding a lantern, introduced the first song to the concert: “Em Nome Do Medo”, a Portuguese song, totally sung in this language, can be found on their ninth studio album “Alpha Noir/Omega White”, later in “1755”. The main theme is about the Portuguese earthquake. An oboe started to play, followed by Pedro on his keyboards, alongside Ricardo Amorim on guitars. Fernando, while holding the lantern, started to sing with his powerful voice. This song is pure art at its finest.
Up next is “1755”, a song found at the conceptual record with the same name. If you’re familiar with the Portuguese History, then you know that the earthquake happened in 1755, most precisely on the 1st of November 1755, in Lisbon. The date on which a devastating earthquake, followed by a tsunami of epic proportions, destroyed most of the city of Lisbon and the lives of tens of thousands of people… This episode, together with Voltaire’s “Poème sur le désastre de Lisbonne”, served as inspiration for the album, entirely sung in Portuguese.
“In Tremor Dei” a track that talks about a “Lisbon on fire” and ends with the greeting from Fernando Ribeiro – “Good evening, everyone!” Then “Desastre and “Ruínas”, the natural sequence when we talk about a catastrophe.
“Are you ready for a night under the spell?” – asks Fernando Ribeiro. “Thank you for attending such an important occasion for us”. He’s talking about a dream that came true – performing at the Meo Arena as Moonspell , accompanied by the Orquestra Sinfonietta de Lisboa, which he also thanks to Maestro Vasco Pearce de Azevedo. Tides of applause and shouts were heard. The crowd was insane and wild!
“‘We started with “1755” and we’re going to continue with “Extinct” (a track dated from 2015)”, said Fernando. Then an apocalyptic scenario, enhanced by the power of the orchestra is heard. “Breathe (Until We Are No More)”, from the deluxe version of the album “Extinct”, exudes Arabic sounds. Moonspell also sing about Portugal and the flavours of the Middle East: that’s part of their cultural heritage. “Hands up for Moonspell!”, asked Fernando, during Ricardo’s solo.
Up next, was time to dive into 2006’s album “Memorial”! The walls of the room shake to the sound of “Proliferation”, an exclusively instrumental track that suited perfectly the Orquestra Sinfonietta de Lisboa like a glove. Then “Finisterra” followed.
“Now we’re going to “The Antidote”!”, announced Fernando Ribeiro, referring to the work released in 2003, together with a book by José Luís Peixoto:“The Antidote”, inspired precisely by the lyrics of the songs that made up the record. The truth is that, on that occasion, the two artistic forms merged under the same story and concept. “We’re happy!” –stated Fernando. “When they told me about this possibility, my head went round like this, not knowing what to think… We give thanks to our pack…”.
There was also room for words of thanks, in several languages, to the many people who came from other countries and to all those who followed the concert on livestream, all over the world. “Welcome to Lisbon!”, he greeted.
“Everything Invaded” was next. The audience followed the music with clapping, catalysed by Hugo Ribeiro’s drums, but there was also singing, and traditional devil horns around. “The theme that follows is melancholic and perfectly embodies this unlikely combination of metal and classical music”, said Fernando Ribeiro. From “Night Eternal” came “Scorpion Flower”, a simple song about a simple girl.
The atmosphere changed a little bit. The Autumn chill by the river could be felt. “Vampiria” emerged. Taken from the band’s debut album “Wolfheart” and 1995, one of the most celebrated songs of the night. Just like the next one… “Time flies and we’re coming to the end…”. “We wrote this song between 1994 and 1995 and over the years it has become our anthem – “Alma Mater”. The anthem was sung at the top of the fans’ lungs, while Fernando Ribeiro walked around the stage with a national flag (the words “Moonspell” and “Alma Mater” written in green and red, the colours of Portugal’s flag) and embodies the maestro that lives within him, leading the audience, right down to the last drop of sweat… At the end, a festive of applauses.
“This will be the last one…”, announced the frontman. Before the end, however, the band thanks were given to the technical team, Filipe Melo, conductor Vasco Pearce de Azevedo and to the Orquestra Sinfonietta de Lisboa. Then, yes, the epilogue.
Fernando asked the fans to raise their hands for the last time. The last song was here: “Full Moon Madness” arrived. Another anthem. The crow was craving for more and was still waning, but before midnight, the people inside that place succumbed to the Full Moon Spell. The concert finished at midnight and the fans who had VIP ticket, had the opportunity to meet the band at the meet n’ greet, after the show.
A concert that was brilliant! The band and Orquestra were amazing, yet the live stream had some problems, in some parts the sound was cut off, with poor quality. Some interruptions were seen, but overall,it was a dream come true for the band and the fans. This gig will be released on CD and DVD very soon, so let’s wait for it!
