Concert Review: Savatage: Pompeii July 27th, 2026, on the "Prelude to Madness" European Tour

Photos by Mark Kurtzner

Review by Mark Kurtzner and John Moore

On July 27th Savatage performed a very special one night only show with a full

orchestra at the oldest amphitheater in the world: the Amphitheatre of Pompeii. 

The Amphitheatre of Pompeii is the oldest amphitheater in the world.  Estimated to have been built in 70 BC, this venerable stone venue has seen it all in its 2,100 years – built to host 20,000 people even in ancient Roman times, the Amphitheatre hosted gladiatorial combat in days of yore, was damaged by earthquakes in ~62 AD, and was buried in the devastating eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D., until being excavated in the 1700-1800s. In more recent times, the venerable stone venue has acted as a music venue, most famously hosting Pink Floyd (with only a film crew as audience) for the Live at Pompeii film, and since 2016 with full audiences, with performances by not only Floyd’s David Gilmour, Elton John and King Crimson, but heavier acts like Dream Theater and Opeth. A day after UK prog titans Marillion finished a 2-night run at Pompeii, on July 27,2026, a metallic earthquake with volcanic orchestral accompaniment came to this Amphitheatre of lore: legendary American heavies Savatage performed a very special one night only show with a full orchestra at Pompeii.

Just to stand there and think about all the people who had been in that venue in ancient days were truly mind-blowing.  Savatage – while not nearly so ancient – have a storied history of their own. I've been a fan of the band since the very beginning, from my tape- trading days when I first discovered them to buying the Sirens album on its release date in 1983.  During the 80s, I saw the band four times and photographed them twice in 1990 but I haven't seen them since.  I’ve included some of those early day's photos for you to see.

Savatage hail from Florida, founded by brothers Jon & Criss Oliva in 1979 under the name Avatar before they changed it to Savatage.  Jon's voice was so powerful and Criss' guitar playing was outstanding. Those first few albums were so heavy and so classic – the self-released Sirens of course, the EP The Dungeons are Calling on Combat Records in 1984, before switching to Atlantic Records for Power of the Night in 1985.  Most agree that 1986’s Fight for the Rock was a failed attempt at a more commercial sound which was happening more at this time with many of the harder rock bands.  It was a tough time for heavier bands leading to many failed bands & albums due to the rise of a lighter glam metal that record company reps were demanding.

However, Savatage righted the ship and achieved greater success when the classic Hall of the Mountain King was released in 1987; this was also when the band started working with producer (and, sometimes, songwriter) Paul O'Neill.  This collaboration led to three more classic releases: Gutter Ballet (1990), Streets: A Rock Opera (1991) and Edge of Thorns (1993). Tragically, guitarist Criss was killed in a car accident on October 17th, 1993. His brother Jon & producer O'Neill decided to forge on and keep

Criss' memory alive by releasing 4 more studio albums: Handful of Rain (1994), Dead Winter Dead (1995), The Wake of the Magellan (1997) and Poets and Madmen (2001).  Significantly, Atlantic Records stayed with the band even through changes in trends in rock music like grunge and nu-metal, and released Savatage’s classic power metal through the 90s.  Poets and Madmen (which saw release on Nuclear Blast) was the last official Savatage release, although O’Neill and the band members obviously achieved huge US success with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra thereafter.

Presently the band - long inactive until recent European and South American shows in 2025 shook the cobwebs off – are on a European tour of festivals and select headline dates, including this monumental show at Pompeii. Vocalist Jon Oliva has had to miss the tour due to health concerns, and the band now consists of:

Bassist Johnny Lee Middletown - longest member since (1986 - 2002, 2014 - 2015,

since 2023)

Guitarist Chris Caffery - (1987 - 1990, 1995 - 2002, 2014 - 2015, since 2023)

Vocalist Zachary Stevens - (1992 - 2002, 2014 - 2015, since 2023)

Drummer Jeff Plate - (1994 - 2002, 2014 - 2015, since 2023)

Guitarist Al Pitrelli - (1995 - 1999, 2002, 2014 - 2015, since 2023)

Added to this lineup are two guest touring keyboard and backing vocals, Paulo Cuevas and Shawn McNair.

I arrived at the venue around 2 pm, went to the backstage area and walked around the venue, meeting the guys in the band plus various PR people, which was really cool. I got to meet so many cool people, hear a lot of great stories and see some really cool pictures as well.

This show was a big deal, and a big production. Savatage used the same lighting and film crew as Marillion did the night before. Tonight's show was being filmed for a future video release along with a live recording. Soundcheck ran late, 1st Savatage did a run through around 3 pm with the orchestra coming in for 5 pm but didn’t finish up until almost 7pm when the doors were scheduled to be. Italy’s summer this year has been extremely hot with daily temperatures in the upper 90’s - which also made the daytime soundcheck a chore but they railed through and got everything set for the 9:15 pm show start.

Show time: It’s 9:15 and the lights go down, the temperature is still almost 90 degrees but everyone is ready, the Orchestra starts off the show with Overture. The packed crowd was extremely excited - many fans traveled in from faraway places - myself included for this very special event. The band takes the stage, the energy level of the crowd and the band are as one giant united group. The Savatage fans are intense fans, they sing every song, they savor every bit of the show, knowing all of the members.

Since this was my 1st time in Europe it was also my first time seeing how European fans react to a show. It was honestly really cool hearing those songs even the heavier songs with an orchestra accompanying them, it’s almost like these songs could have been written this way. Being a longtime fan of course the earlier heavier stuff is my favorite but I like all of the Savatage recordings.

The band was super tight with Chris and Al trading solos; Zac’s voice was spot on and super powerful, Johnny’s thundering bass lines and his endless stomping around the stage along with Jeff providing the thunderous drums, both keyboardist Paulo & Shawn provided some excellent backing vocals and keyboards along with a large orchestra which was around 30 members all contributed equally to giving the fans such an amazing show and a lifetime experience and endless memories!

So many highlights for me, my 1st time in Europe, shooting a band's full show, working around the Film crews and sweating almost as much as the band… well almost! It’s kind of hard when you’re photographing to fully pay attention to each song, but I found myself singing along to most of the songs as I was always on the lookout for the best photo opportunities. So unfortunately, I can’t give you full intimate details, but I can tell you it was just simply amazing, just look at the 25-song setlist and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Hopefully for US fans Savatage can eventually bring some Savatage shows to the states but in the meantime be on the lookout for the upcoming video & audio releases and enjoy my photos.

Set List:

Overture (orchestra only)

Morphine Child

Dead Winter Dead

Jesus Saves

The Wake of Magellan

Miles Away

Sirens

Another Way

This is the Time

Unusual

Chance

Adagio - The Storm

Agony & Ecstasy

Christmas Eve Sarajevo

Not What You See

Handful of Rain

Lights Out

Tonight He Grins Again

The Hourglass

Believe

Gutter Ballad

Edge of Thorns

Encores:

Temptation Revelation

Power of the Night

Hall of the Mountain King