On the 26th of May 1986 Europe released their commercially successfully album The Final Countdown. It became the band’s biggest album and to celebrate Europe went out for a 30th Anniversary Tour.
80s rock sensation Europe is bigger than just The Final Countdown. The 3rd album might go into the history as their biggest, but albums like Out of this World, Last Look at Eden and their latest 2015 album War of Kings prove they kept evolving over time. A more hard rock sound came, and the band aged like fine wine. Tonight is all about celebrating the past whilst highlighting the new as well.
The best part was sharing the show with my dad. Growing up with so much Europe music, experiencing this concert together was incredible.
TAX THE HEAT
Before Europe hit the stage, it was the task to Tax the Heat to warm up the crowd. This English rock band is known for their electrifying sound. They released their debut album, Fed to the Lions, earlier this year. I wasn’t familiar with the band, but my dad and I had a great time watching the band.
The band consists out of Alex Veale on guitar and vocals with Jack Taylor on drums, JP Jacyshyn on guitar and Antonio Angotti on bass. They brought a great live set with a lot of energy. Some of my personal highlights were Fed to the Lions, Highway Home and Some Sympathy.
After Europe’s set, Tax the Heat stayed around to sign autographs and take pictures with fans. I jumped at the chance, bought their vinyl, and had it signed right away.
EUROPE
The 30th Anniversary Final Countdown Tour is here to celebrate the landmark success of The Final Countdown. For this special tour, the band performed The Final Countdown album in its entirety, along with a full set from their War of Kings album, at every show. My dad and I were very excited to have tickets to the show in Utrecht.
War of Kings was the album that kicked off the night. I loved how both albums were played in the same way as they were released tracklisting wise. This album is a lot heavier compared to the 80s Europe sound, but I really enjoy it. I love the heavy sound, and it really fits the band and the vocals of Joey Tempest. He sounds incredible, considering for how long he has been doing this.
This album was also really the time to shine for guitarist John Norum. A lot of guitar solos, with the best one being Vasastan. An incredible instrumental number, which John was performing right in our faces. We stood on the fence, less than half a meter off the stage, and John stood in front of us for most of it. My dad did a thumbs up to him whilst he was playing in front of us with his guitar being just centimetres away. The guitarist gave us a nod of appreciation, and as the song ended, a guitar pick flew in our direction. I’m thrilled I caught it.
Other highlights of the first part of the set were Hole in my Pocket, Angels (With Broken Hearts) and Light it Up. The band sounded awesome, and it really warmed us up for a thrilling second half.
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
The second part of the set started on a high with The Final Countdown. Immediately, we were thrown back into the 80s.Apart from the looks, the band sounds like the records. Time didn’t stand still, and obviously the members became older, but it didn’t stop us from rocking out.
We already mentioned Joey and John, but on base it is John levén, keyboard duties are for Mic Michaeli and on drum it is Ian Haughland. These core members have stuck together for most of Europe’s career, playing a key role in the band’s lasting success.
Honestly, it wouldn’t come as a surprise that this part of the set was what the crowd came from, and you could feel the energy from the crowd. Letters written by lady fans were handed to Joey, and generally the crowd was having a blast. Some of my personal highlights from this set were Rock the Night, Ninja, Time Has Come and Love Chaser.
Europe proved tonight they’re far from a one-hit wonder—they’re a true rock band that has aged like fine wine. The anniversary tour was brilliantly structured, starting with tracks from War of Kings and closing with a full performance of The Final Countdown album. Catching John Norum’s guitar pick was a surreal moment, and I’m so glad I got to share it with my dad. However, we both agreed the venue wasn’t ideal for Europe.
The sound from the speakers was poorly mixed, overly loud, and left us with ringing ears. But despite that, both Europe and Tax the Heat rocked the stage. Here’s to many more years of incredible music!
