Savatage played London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and one could say that, despite his well-justified absence on the night, the band’s co-founder, Jon Oliva, was extremely present in what we can already call one of the musical performances of the year.
Savatage, Like They Never Left
O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London – 16 June 2025
Words: Bogdan Bele
Photography: Steve Ritchie
Savatage waste no time starting the night’s proceedings. The Ocean (from The Wake Of Magellan, an opus they would play around half of tonight) is tonight’s intro piece, followed by Welcome To The Show.
You could not ask for a better start, and I see this on the dozens of smiling faces around me, as well as on stage. Vocalist Zak Stevens, with a wide smile, seems in fantastic form as Welcome To The Show is followed by one of the band’s most popular tracks.
Thrown in very early in the set, Streets’ Jesus Saves has a chorus chanted in unison by everyone present. 
I was saying that it feels like they have never been really gone. The band sounds incredible, and Stevens’ voice is nothing short of perfect throughout the evening. To top it all off, the spectacle is completed by very well-designed graphics on the massive screen behind the people on stage.
Next comes another double dose of Wake Of Magellan, with Another Way, greatly led by the excellent guitar duo of Al Pitrelli and Chris Caffery followed by the album’s title song.
You can find out some of the story behind this long-awaited reunion in MetalTalk’s interview with Chris.
Apart from the two axemen and Zak Stevens, 2025 Savatage also includes the band’s long-term rhythm section of bassist Johnny Lee Middleton and drummer Jeff Plate. Not to forget the significant contribution of the two touring keyboardists, Paulo Cuevas and Shawn McNair.
I could not move away from this moment without remarking on the absolutely incredible vocal harmonies, a constant presence in the band’s music, executed to perfection live.
As the night continues, we get a set that few Savatage fans could complain about. It has moments from all eras of the band’s career, including Dead Winter Dead, with a majestic This Is the Time and I Am, featuring a vocal part by Chris Caffery.
If you are a more traditional Heavy Metal Savatage fan, you get Strange Wings, the chorus again screamed by everyone in a room full of people who missed the band a lot.
We were then treated to something from one of my favourite Savatage albums, Handful Of Rain. It is the blues-hinting title track, prefaced by Stevens saying that it was released 30 years ago and that it has been 24 years since the band last played London.
You would not think so, judging by the energy on show at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.
Then, we are treated to a moment of the night to tell your children about. Chance. This track, to me, features most of the things that make Savatage great: the classical influences, incredible musicianship, and those fabulous vocals, which are done impeccably tonight. This is a moment that includes, vocally, almost everyone on that stage. Fantastic stuff.
We are also witnesses to a medley of Starlight, I Am, and Mozart & Madness that even includes a very well-executed lead vocal part from Chris Caffery.
The title track of Dead Winter Dead also makes a memorable appearance, and so does The Hourglass, another Magellan song, with Stevens completely dominating that stage.
Next comes a moment everyone expected unless they have not read anything about the band since their return. The Mountain King himself, Jon Oliva, makes an appearance on the screen, singing Believe.
This is truly one of the most powerful Savatage moments.
Jon Oliva is later joined by Zak Stevens and, indeed, the whole audience, as the screen also features images of Savatage co-founder and guitarist Criss Oliva, a man who left us way too soon.
You see tears in many eyes around the room.
One could say that they left some of the best for last, but that would be unfair in light of the sheer quality of what we see tonight. However, you cannot ignore the power of the next moment.
The last two tracks of the regular set show how seamlessly two important stages of the band’s discography complete each other – Gutter Ballet – a defining moment of the Jon Oliva-fronted era, and Edge Of Thorns – one of the most important moments with Zak Stevens on lead vocals. 
Of course, everyone knows there is no going home yet. The band returned to end what was a triumphant return over a two-hour set with an energetic Nothing Going On.
It all comes to a close with Hall Of The Mountain King, and hopefully, the Mountain King himself will join this lineup on stage very soon because this does feel like a new beginning.
Induction
Kicking off the evening is a dose of old-school Power Metal from a young band. They are called Induction and they do a good job of warming up the audience for the evening’s main event with an energetic performance. 
We even get a well-played cover of Europe’s Final Countdown. As a bit of trivia, and showing that the apple does not fall too far from the tree, guitar player Tim Hansen is the son of Helloween guitarist Kai Hansen.
