It seemed as if a considerable number of Savatage fans couldn't find their way to the Noorderligt on this brewing hot thursday evening. At this second concert in Holland, the hall was only filled for approximately 80%.

Non Fiction opened the set, followed by Overkill. Then it was Savatage's turn.

By opening with two compositions off the latest CD "Edge Of Thorns" new frontman Zachary Stevens made it clear right from the beginning, that he's a valid replacement for Jon Oliva. Anyone who had thought Jon could never be replaced, had to aknowledge that fact right away. Of course you can't just make people forget a guy like Jon Oliva, but Zachary posesses of loud and clear vocal abilities and he manages to sing the older material like "She's In Love", "Holocaust", "The Dungeons Are Calling" and "Gutter Ballet" ( to name just a few ) in a convincing manner.

Savatage was in super shape and presented us with a wonderful performance. The excellent sound quality was an advantage for guitarist Criss Oliva. His recognizable style was evident and his solo's were one of the many highlights of the concert that lasted a little over an hour.