Planet of Zeus, The Mystic Tension | 13.09.23 | Chalkida

Their first foray into the capital of Evia, Chalkida, was made by Planet of Zeus, on 13.09.23. The Hard Rock outfit, together with Mystic Tension, gave us a wonderful night, filling the Theatro 'Orestis Makris'.

Mystic Tension and Opening Act

It's true, this is one of my favourite situations: a gig outside Athens! Even more so when it happens in a city I consider inseparably tied to my childhood. Chalkida, with its proximity to Athens, has all it takes to become a formidable cultural capital (much like the whole of Evia, for that matter). This summer especially, we saw some really beautiful things come out of Evia. Thanassis Papakonstantinou's gig in Eretria, the Elimnion Festival in Limni Evias, and now this! A high-energy rock gig in Chalkida.

With so much hype building up inside me, and with the temperature and conditions being excellent, I arrived at the Theatro and waited for the music to start. The gig kicked off with the Opening Act before Mystic Tension (I should apologise here. The guys only mentioned their name once, not too clearly, and they weren't on the event poster). In the short time they played, it was clear they were new 'blood' on the music scene, and we're definitely looking forward to seeing them again in the future.

Next up were Mystic Tension. This is a band with a Brit Rock and Grunge character. Their ideas are quite distinctive and definitely draw the listener into their music. Even their look was pretty Brit! Overall, they showed a lot of intensity and got the crowd going! Until Wednesday, this was a band that had flown under most people's radar, but from now on we'll be keeping them on our radar.

Sex and Violence on Planet Zeus!

Closing out the gig, the long-awaited Planet of Zeustook the stage. The Athenian outfit had a blast under the Evia sky and showed exactly why they're considered one of the biggest names in the Greek rock scene, and beyond! They covered a little over an hour of the programme. An hour packed with their greatest hits. In the end, I, like everyone else in the crowd, was left in a state of ecstasy from the performance and can't wait for the next one!

A Few Words About the Event

To wrap up, I'd like to say a few general words about the event, specifically about the turnout. An event like this, in my eyes, seemed pretty important for the region. However, the turnout wasn't quite what one would expect. The crowd was decent, but not at mind-blowing levels. So I'd like to stress the importance of supporting musical efforts outside Athens. It's very important, both for the artists and for the organisers, who down the line will manage to pull off even bigger events!