In This Moment’s “The Witching Hour”: A Theatrical Masterpiece That’s Impossible To Put Into Words
Beforehand, we checked out the setlist of the show, and were once again left confused and frustrated learning that the band are only going to perform 11 tracks, with a severe lack of tracks from the band’s 2014 record “Black Widow”. This frustration peaked when the band also kicked off their long overdue show approximately 20 minutes later than scheduled.
The lights went out and the band portraited a video on the canvas that was covering the stage, playing the “Ritual” opening track “Salvation”, which is an instrumental introduction to the record. When the last notes of “Salvation” were played, the canvas dropped and before us stood a determined In This Moment. Props, dancers and a small canvas armed and ready, our frustration disappeared like snow before the sun and was instantly swapped around with goosebumps and high anticipation for the band’s performance.
​Each track on the 11-song setlist was in a completely different setting, with a new video portraited on the canvas, frontwoman Maria Brink and her lovely dancer switching outfits and masks almost every track made for a truly spectacular show. I would not be able to put it into words even if I wanted to.
Bottomline, I could go on for ages about the beautiful display the band put on during “Black Wedding”, actually showing a wedding ceremony between Maria Brink and her dancer taking place, or the beautiful fire display on the canvas during several tracks or the iconic portraying of a “whore” during the performance of the popular track “Whore”, but truth be told, I will never ever be able to put this extraordinary performance into words, hence the title of the review as well.
Where my words have failed to paint a mental picture, perhaps Eva van Kuik’s photo gallery will give you a clear picture of the amazingness that went down in Amsterdam. Beware: there are A LOT of pictures in there. Enjoy!
