Eclipse knocked out Tokyo
Japan’s rising sun was eclipsed by a bunch of Swedish rockers.
Eclipse at WWW, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan on 19th February 2024
What a knockout! When Eclipse returned for their fourth Japan tour, they delivered a smashing show in Tokyo. It was a Monday night, but it felt like the best of Saturday nights. This was a Swedish rock band making sweet love to its Japanese audience.
Formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1999, Eclipse this year celebrates 25 years in the name of rock’n’roll with more touring. Still in the band are original members Erik Mårtensson on guitar and vocals and lead guitarist Magnus Henriksson. Newer additions to the band are Philip Crusner (drums) and Victor Crusner (bass). It is a fab version of the band. On Monday evening in Shibuya, they were on fire!
Known as a melodic hard rock band, live on stage Eclipse is heavier and rockier than on their studio recordings. This Monday evening in Tokyo, the band turned its show into a proper hard rock party.
With ten studio albums of songs below their belts, there is plenty of choice when it comes to what to play live.
They opened with “Roses on Your Grave”, “Got It!” and “The Hardest Part Is Losing You”. We got an almost two-hour-long show. Some of the obvious highlights were “Bleed & Scream”, “Children of the Night”, “The Masquerade”, “Downfall of Eden”, “Black Rain”, “Never Look Back” and “Twilight”.
We did get some variations in the show when bassist Victor stepped up to sing lead on the song “High Road” from their latest album “Megalomanium” (which came out in 2023) and Erik pulled out an acoustic guitar for the songs “Jaded” and “Battlegrounds”. Even the ballad “Hurt” sounded energetic and heavy-ish this evening. It was as if the band were hellbent on being seen as a “proper” hard rock act. They even went as far as to play a snippet of Black Sabbath’s “Heaven & Hell”. I loved it.
Eclipse finished a knockout of a show with “I Don’t Wanna Say I’m Sorry” and “Viva La Victoria”.
