The 14th of September, I had to joy to go to the Komplex 457, to see Obscura live, as part as their A Valediction Europe 2022 tour! I was expecting the concert to take place in the Saal with a ton of attendees but it was in the (way smaller) Klub, with something like a bit less than 100 people in the public.
Obscura's Cosmogenesis was released in 2009, and it is not only one of my favourite album, but it also marked a turning point in how I listen and enjoy music. I distinctly remember the first time I listened to it: the completely alien sound of the fretless bass sounding a bit like alien brass instruments, the complicated constructs with elements of classical music that I'd heard before, lyrics about space and cosmology, … so I was super-excited to finally see them live!
The first band, Disillusion was kinda meh: not my jam. But Persefone (likely the only metal band in Andorra]) didn't disappoint: I really liked their Spiritual Migration album, and their whole set was in the same vibe. And then entered Obscura! The frontman, Steffen Kummerer had a smile almost as big as mine, and both lasted the whole show. Heck, everyone in the band was smiling and cheering, despite playing in a small venue in front of so few people. Their joy and energy were not only present on stage, but shared by everyone in the audience. The musical craftsmanship and technical abilities were, as expected, completely surreal.
The setlist was dope: Ocean Gateways, Emergent Evolution, A Valedition, The Anticosmic Overload, Orbital Elements II, Universe Momentum, Akróasis, When Stars Collide, Septuagint and of course it ended with Incarnated, with everyone singing along.
Amazing evening, and a childhood dream absolutely fulfilled.