The Kaisaniemi weekend-report, part 1: Happy Happy Joy Joy And Bribing The Band

The date: 4.6.2005
The Place: Helsinki, Kaisaniemi, YleXpop
The Album: Signs of Life


When I arrived in Helsinki, I met the other fans and finally got myself a pair of wristbans.
We moved near the stage. None of us weren't able to get in the first row though, it was already packed with teenagers. It was kind of weird not being able to be in the first row..

Mark didn't do 110 m hurdles up there, nor did he do any karate moves. But he did do some moves that he had obviously learned in tai chi lessons (for example standing on one foot without a slightest tremble). He ran, jumped, rolled and actually sang on his back for a while but you would never have noticed it in his voice, he was amazing. He actually said that although the stage was a big one, he was afraid of falling down on it, it was like a skateboard to him. The guys seem to have fun and yeah, it was a great gig.

But personally I didn't enjoy it as much as clubgigs. The stage was too high and too far away and the audience.. Well there were some fans (other than just us I mean) but it was afterall a free concert with other bands too. So that familyfeeling wasn't there. The guys have taught us too well; it isn't enough just to see and hear the gig anymore, we have to feel it too, we have to connect with the band and with each other...

After the gig we were told, that we had a whole restaurant booked for us (or at least the terrace) and the band would meet us there. We were waiting there kind of silently, sure sign that we were nervous.
We joked that we should have had laptops with us, so we could have enthuse in the chat  =)
And then the band arrived. It was really, really nice that the whole band was there, and that they all shook hands with us and hugged us =) Now the whole band seems much more close.
And it was a HUGE honour, that we could be there when the gold records were given. So a BIG thank you to the management! They could have done that on the stage, but they decided to do it on the terrace.
And then the bribing really started =)I had participated with the card and the presents as well, but I wanted to give something more personal too, so I had made a card with morphos and a few poetic lines.

The call to Donna was something so sweet,and as Tiia said,something not so many "rock stars" would do for a fan. And we got to hear Mark's Gorgeous Irish Accent (tm) once again. At some point I actually started thinking, what would it be like if he talked that way in finnish too..But nah, it wouldn't work :P

A lot of smiles, laughs, hugs and warm thoughs and words and then it was over, right when it had just started. I wished that we had had more time,but I was grateful nonetheless. And I had a huge grin on my face that hasn't wear off even now.