Scary Little People and a Whole Lot of Laughs

The Date: 17.11.2006
The Place: Lempäälä, Hakkarin liikuntahalli and Tampere, Yo-talo.
The Album: Carnival of Rust

I entered the Lempäälä's gig place (a huge gym hall) just when the gig was about to start. I hugged the row of cheerleaders that was situated in front of the mixing table and took a place next to them. The audience consisted mainly of adolescent in the various stages of puberty. When the gig started we all were shocked of the amount of screaming and yelling that came out of those little peoples' mouths. It was actually pretty frightening. Suddenly the front row was packed and many young girls were lifted in the shoulders of boys, it reminded me of mushrooms popping out of the grass. We didn't even try to go among the crowd, we had our own little party there at the back. LDG joined us also and hugged the row and then Mako came by, also to hug us all.

For a brief period of time I went to stand at the bleachers so I could see more, but after a couple of songs I joined the rest of the group. It was so fun just to goof around with the galls, to spin our hands the certain way during Sorry go round, to mimic playing a rhythm egg during CoR, to jump around during Gravity (this time I actually had room around me, so I didn't have to worry about stepping on someones toes).And when the Late goodbye was played, the Cheerleaders waved their multicolored glowing lollipops and the rest of us phones, Jani noticed that and just cracked up! Also during that song Mark tried to get the audience to sing along, but that didn't quite work out. Just before CoR was played, Jani stepped in front of the microphone and gave a speech that today's epistle was about dark things and tragic love (or something like that) and Mark had to practically steal the microphone from him.

During the gig Marko was throwing 'Christmas presents' among the audience. One landed straight in front of my feet where LDG picked it up and kept it. It was a pair of white male socks, decorated with the autographs of Mark, Ollie and the Captain.

The gig lasted about an hour and then I asked if LDG could give me a ride to Tampere. She said yes and also decided to try and find out, if there was still tickets left to the yo-talo gig. Before we left the gym hall, I noticed CoR-poster, fastened to the main door that led outside. I also spotted two security guys and asked them, if I could take that poster. The guys didn't know at first, but then the other one said that go ahead. They also joked that I should not take the whole door with me, or to brag about the poster to my friends, until I got home.

When we entered the yo-talo at 11.15 pm we were amazed that there were still tickets left. The last time Poet's were at yo-talo, the gig was sold out couple of days before the gig. I had already bought my ticket via the Internet, but LDG then bought hers. We were also amazed that the front row was still practically empty. At once we reserved places there and stuck there like glue. Slowly the front row started to fill up and Maaru showed up as well. We also talked to two girls that were at a Poets-gig for the first time. One of those was planning to ask Mark to sign an autograph onto her breasts, but we said that that might not be the best of ideas...
Then two loud and obnoxious girls appeared just behind me, they kept pushing and turning and shouting to the phone. I had the urge just to grab the phone and throw it away, but that might have led to a cat fight, so I just endured it. The gig started a bit after midnight and the place was totally packed and we actually had to fight so we could keep our places.

And then my mind goes a bit fuzzy of all the excitement but I do try to remember things that weren't the normal routine. Ollie had minor problems with his guitars and his 'earphone'(or whatever that is) throughout the gig but it didn't bother much. Jaska and Mark played and sang some catchy tune (sounded really good) while the others were tuning their instruments. Mark shook hands with the front row, as did Ollie. Mark said something of the gig place (I didn't hear what, the speeches usually tend to sound porridge-like at the front row) and some girls answered something like 'noo, you don't see right, this place is full' and 'come to Ilosaarirock'. Those comments made the whole band burst to laugher. The girls repeated the Ilosaarirock comment a couple of times and Mark said that maybe they try to be there. The same girls reached out and messed with Ollie's hair when he was playing near them. Ollie's guitar was somepoint almost upside down when he played, the neck of the guitar touched the stage.

When LDG and me mimicked the rhythm egg playing during CoR, Ollie noticed it and bursted to laughter. During Stay, instead of singing the little things-part, Mark sang something complete different, sounded good. But now I don't remember the words...(help me out here girls). After one song Ollie jumped off from a speaker and just missed Mark. Mark showed him that it was 'this close'. Ollie's guitar lurched almost out of control when Ollie was taking a sip of water. LDG waved the socks she got to Ollie and he saluted her. Some people from the audience gave Mark a wooden bracelet and devil's horns.

The band rocked like hell, they were in a really good mood, the audience was great with the sing along parts and I had the best of time partying with LDG. Mark said thanks to an unbelievable great gig and that they always have the best gigs in Tampere. I agree (I also count Lempäälä and Hämeenlinna as suburbs of Tampere, lol).

When the gig was over, the audience kept clapping and yelling for a while, but it didn't pay off.
For LDG the Christmas came early, she got one of Jari's drum sticks and a card that was listed the songs that were played this time. We stayed there for a little while dancing and goofing around and one guy tried to hit on me. I wasn't that impressed. Then Petri walked by and hugged us and after that I noticed one guy that I know from Tampere scifi scene. I talked with him and his friends and it turned out (or so they said) that they have known the Captain for 12 years and they are his fans. Also one of his friends was amazed that I am Battlestar Galactica fan and he was totally mesmerized by my eyes. Funny!

Then it was my time to run to the buss stop and go home. I have been hyper for the last 3 hours. Maybe it is better to get some sleep now.

Falling

The Date: 3.11.2006 

The Place: Helsinki, Club President 
The Album: Carnival of Rust

The moment I entered the club with the Cheerleaders I felt I was out of place, like I didn't belong there. It kinda reminded me of the Awalon-club, but luckily the mirror ceiling was missing here. And the dj wasn't so good. After we had got ridden of our coats, we went to say hi and hug Petri and Mako. I immediately felt better, their welcome was so warm and happy. I just have to buy a new shirt sometime soon, I only got one..But I don't have money for everything and if I have to choose between a gig and a shirt, the answer is obvious.

After a bit of touring and mingling, Toola, LDG and me hit the dance floor and thus reserved also a place in the front row. The stage was sooo tiny, that reminded me of Awalon also. It was decorated with Christmas lights and there was also a bouquet of flowers and I do believe there were also some white and red striped lollipops between the flowers. Between the stage and the audience were metal bars that I hate.

Then the familiar sounds started and the band entered the stage. The stage was so small that I could make eye contact with everyone. But I'll have to admit that Mark's and Ollie's eyes are the ones that make my heart skip a beat. Just can't help it. And so the party started. I was so happy to hear Gravity after a long time, me and LDG just jumped up and down during that song, as we do always. And then, I heard all the way/4 you for the first time live. My arms were filled with goosebumps and I really cried during that song. It is so beautiful that it almost hurts. And my eyes weren't the only ones filled with tears in the audience.

The guys were in a good mood and why not? The had just won the Europe music awards best Finnish act the day earlier and this was the victory party. The gig lasted hour and a half during which
-Mark showed us a towel that said: we can't hear the singer's voice at all
-Mark was handing out raisins from a plastic bag
-both Mark and Ollie sang/played on top of speakers, located at the corners of the stage
-Mark had a very tender moment stroking at Ollie's guitar
-singing along and clapping along went really nice, the audience was pretty good
-Mark was handing out drink ticket's that were only valid in the bar for that night
-Something was said about that bouquet of flowers but I didn't hear it
-both Ollie and Mark noticed me
-when Illusion and Dream was played, Mark handed me a red bull can and this time I kept it for myself.
I really needed it, this time I didn't even try to take a water bottle with me. So I was also able to raise my red bull and say here's to you *grin* Afterwards I realized that I hadn't even thanked Mark for that, I just had grinned like a madwoman. So, thank you =)

When the gig was over, LDG found a paper at the stage and grabbed it. There were the speeches that were used between the songs and she was happy as ever. Then when Einari came to the stage, she waved the paper at him and he took it and offered her raisins instead. LDG was devastated, but she had to settle for the raisins. The rest of the night we danced and laughed and also witnessed how some lady was practically throwing herself at Mako. Luckily LDG went to buy a shirt then and thus saved the poor guy. Then I had to say goodbye to everyone and literally run to the train station. I couldn't help but smile the whole way to my friend's place. I had fell in love with Poets of the Fall, again.

Back with the Family

The Date: 28.10.2006
The Place: Tampere, Pakkahuone, YleX live 
The Album: Carnival of Rust


Jariq and I entered the gig place about an hour before the gig. And yes, I might have guessed it, they took my water bottle away. Although there were many bands performing there that night, I was only interested in two. The other one (besides the obvious) was local progressive rock/metal band called Cyan Velvet Project. They were performing just before the Poets, at the another stage. The lights were really low and directed weird, so we didn't see the band members properly. The lead singer was wearing striped stockings, blacks short skirt and black shirt. When the first song started, I was baffled because the voice of the singer was really low. But it was only after the song (when the singer spoke) I realized that the singer was in fact a man! It is funny, how our preconceptions mold our way to see things.

After couple of songs I got a message from Perla, telling that the Cheerios had arrived and waited at the front row. As the whole row was already occupied, I had to settle for the second row. It was so awesome to be with the forum-family again and to be in the middle of the crazy bunch know as the cheerleaders =) I felt an incredible feeling of belonging and acceptance and I just floated in the air.

Because of the other bands, the gig was somewhat short, with the usual single songs and few others.
I wasn't so observative as usual, for two reasons: 1)I was at the second row, so I didn't see everything that was going on at the stage and 2) I hadn't seen a gig for a long while, so I just let the music take me away. I felt overwhelming joy and my heart was about to burst, I almost even had trouble breathing.
This was the first gig after the break up with my boyfriend and I wished that I had been able to go to gigs much earlier. PotF-gigs are the best cure for heartache.

I do remember one detail from the gig. There were two oranges at the stage and before the gig Jaska waved one of those the way Jari uses the rhythm egg during Carnival of Rust. At the end of the gig the oranges were thrown in the audience.

The gig left me hyper and craving for more. And before I knew it, I already planned the next gig-trip to Helsinki.

Pure Joy and Love

The Date: 14.7.2006
The Place: Tampere, Tammerfest
The Album: Carnival of Rust

When MelesMeles and me got to the area where tickets were bought and checked, I got slightly irritated. First the gatekeepers wanted to take my water bottle and empty it on the ground. Great, I was already thirsty but I had no money to buy their expensive drinks. And second of all they wanted to see my id. I just turned 25 and they still want to see my id. But luckily my mood got better when The Crash started to play. It is one of those bands that I don't own any records of, but have always liked.
Their cheery brit-pop kind of music made me to jam and sing and smile widely. It was awesome to see how the audience warmed up to them during the gig and started to rock with the band.

When the Crash had finished, I surged to the front row and was able to get me a very good place. Right next to me were couple of girls who had self-made Poets County Jail-shirts on and I started to talk to them. At that time they didn't have forum-names and I completely forgot to introduce myself. But that didn't stop us having a nice chat and Mirha and me even did an improvised sing-dance show while Seal's Kiss from a rose was played through the loudspeakers. Slowly the other forum-peeps arrived, Jack-of all-trades, Hexalius and the cheerleaders.

The guys started to set up their gear up on the stage and they had also a short sound check. Jani said hi to me (it is always so nice that he notices me) from the stage and Jari had a huge grin in his face while he was testing the drums. I also noticed that he and The Crash's Teemu Brunila do look a bit similar.

Then the gig started with Locking up the sun but something was definitely wrong with Ollie's guitar. He and Einari were trying to fix it, but eventually they had to go work on it outside of the stage. The other guys just kept playing, but it was so strange not seeing Ollie up there. Mark promised that in the meantime they would provide us some music and other entertainment and so they did. At one point Mark asked us if he should go to interview Ollie and we shouted of course. He asked the legendary question: how do you feel now? Ollie answered: Pretty funny.

Mark, Jaska and Jari also had a bit of fun:first they played a bit of a Gipsy Gings' Bamboleo and then they started some country-styled song that ended with Marko singing 'I haven't sung this song before'. Jaska had the chance to bit show off his guitar abilities and he also tried to throw his towel to the stage. Unluckily the towel fell at the space between the stage and the audience. I so love it that this year the other guys are also participating the show, not just Mark, Ollie and Captain.

Ollie had his guitar working in the middle of the Carnival of Rust. He had tried to come earlier and got thunderous applauses, but then he had to go back again because the guitar still didn't work. But after CoR he was back in the game. Earlier he had come to play some acoustic guitar a while and Mark called him ' a soldier of unfortune'.

There was a fridge at the stage too, full with cans of Red Bulls. At one point Mark opened a can, took a sip of it and then asked if the audience would like one too. Practically the whole front row raised their hands. First Mark was clearly thinking about getting off the stage, but then called a security guy and said to him:' give this to that young lady' pointing vaguely at someone in the first row. The security man gave it to one girl, who was near him. Then I’m not sure why, but the girl asked me if I wanted it. I was baffled and said that I don’t know, go ahead..I don’t know if she didn’t want it or did she thought it was meant for me. But after that song was finished, I was thirsty so I asked it for her. Then I passed it on and I think it went trough the whole first row.

The place was packed and the audience was really good. The atmosphere was relaxed, good humoured and giddy. Mark was amazed how loud we sang Late Goodbye’s chorus and he also noticed the crowd outside the gig-area, on the balconies and then he pointed at them and yelled: ‘naked people’ and everyone turned to see and he just laughed.

After Lift the band disappeared but I knew the gig was far from over. Then Mark appeared on to the stage all by himself and the first chord’s of don’t mess with me were in the air. Slowly the others appeared as well and it was rocking time. When Illusions and dreams were played as the last song, I borrowed MelesMeles’ water bottle. It is my tradition that when the lines ‘I raise my glass and say here’s to you’ are sung, I’ll raise my water bottle to them. And this time Mark sang: I raise my water bottle and say here’s to you!

After the gig I talked to my forum-friends and I got some CoR stickers and postcards from the cheerleaders and a thought came to my mind. Mark and Ollie were giving signatures to people. My beloved SLS couldn’t be at this gig. So I went to Mark and asked if he could write a few lines to my boyfriend. And so he did. Then Ollie came at the scene and said ‘hey, I can see familiar faces here’, a line that I have frequently used! So I asked him to do the same as Mark and he did. Every time I watch that card, I immediately start to grin.

The energy surge that I received from the gig was something awesome. I just laughed and grinned the hour and 20 minutes that the gig lasted and I continued that (with giggling) about 3 hours. I just felt so incredibly happy, joyous, light, positive and at balance, that I haven’t been in a long time.
All I can say: thank you for the bottom of my heart.

The River of People and the Water of Sound

The Date: 11.6.2006
The Place: Helsinki, Kaivopuisto
The Album: Carnival of Rust

Two days later there were Radio Nova's free concert at Kaivopuisto-park at Helsinki. PotF was announced to play there at three o'clock, so I decided to go there just in time to see them, the other bands didn't interest me. I hadn't been to the Kaivopuisto before, so I was just a little lost, but I got there eventually, after asking several people the directions.

When I got nearer the park, it was just easy to follow the river of people streaming that way. When I entered the park-area, I recognized the familiar tunes and realized that they had already started, even if the clock was ten to three! So I started to run towards the stage while the first tunes of Locking up the sun sounded in the air. The song has never sounded better! It was amazing to run into that song. With every step the music was louder and the words clearer, with every step I felt the music more profoundly, like I was really running to a soft wall of sound, surrounded and drowned by the music like water.

When I got from the behind of the stage in front of the stage, Mark raised his hand and waved. Although I believe he was waving to someone else (there were A LOT of people there), I felt welcomed there *smiles* They performed only three songs there, LUTS, CoR and Lift.
Carnival of Rust brought tears to my eyes, just like two days earlier. That song really makes me cry. And during Lift I just jumped and partied my head off.

After the three songs I contacted Tiia and I tried to meet with her and few other foruminians, but I couldn't find them, cause Tiia told that they were near the right side of the stage, when in fact they were near the left side. Then I had to leave for the train, again with a huge grin in my face.

Herd of Cows

The Date: 9.6.2006
The Place: Kivenlahtirock, Espoo
The Album: Carnival of Rust
 
My journey started when I entered the Tampere-Helsinki train. Jariq and Hexalius were already there and the hugging started. We went to find the restaurant in the train, but it was so full that we decided to look for a better place to chill and talk.
The train was packed, but we were able to find a little place above the stairs in a corridor. We spent the whole trip talking, laughing and having a good time.

When we arrived, our train was 15 minutes late, but luckily the other foruminians had waited for us. Then the hug fest started again! We headed for the pizza hut to get something to eat. There were so many of us that we occupied two long tables. I wondered, should I have continued the line that I started at previous international meeting in Berlin (eating only desert) but I was actually hungry.
So I ordered a pizza with sweet and sour-sauce on it (among other things), at special size (other options were pan pizza and small). Danny's friend was sitting next to me and when I was finished, he said jokingly: I never had thought that you could have eaten all that!

After eating we decided to leave for Kivenlahti but we made a little detour and stopped by to listen some Happoradio, who were on a gig at the top floor of buss station Kamppi. The buss ride took about 30 minutes and when we got of the buss, most of us didn't know where to go or where we were. So we just followed the cheerleaders blindly, like a herd of cows...
At the gate my water bottle was taken from me, I just hate that! When we got to the area we scattered around, it was a while before the gig started. Me and Jariq tried to find a good place at the front row,but it was packed with teenagers. But we were able to get fairly good places from 4th row.

At the audience there were also two members from Uniklubi (Finnish love metal band) and they were actually holding court there. They were surrounded with teenage girls that tried desperately to impress the band members by giggling and shouting. All through the gig. Those people weren't interested at all about PotF-gig and still they occupied the second row.

The gig itself was really awesome! We were told, that Ollie's and Captain's hometown is Kivenlahti and it did show on their show. They were giddy, energetic and wild, even more than usual! They kind of reminded me of young calves that were allowed to go out and play for the first time after a long winter. During Late goodbye when Marko and Ollie did their contest-thing (Marko goes oh we keep on driving in toooo the niiiii-i-i-i-ght" and Ollie goes "tviviiuiuiuuuuuu") they both were actually crawling down on the floor of the stage with hands and knees, but never missing a tune.

When the gig was almost over, Uniklubi-guys vanished from the audience and not long after so did their 'entourage'. I was able to invade a space at the front row for a couple of songs time. When I had been there for a while, Ollie started waving his hand and when a girl next to me turned to watch me, I concluded that he was probably waving to me. I waved him back, puzzled but pleased.
After the gig was over, we forum-peeps gathered and we were led to the area behind the stage. We had to wait a while for the band to show up and in the meantime we did some last minute preparations. Tiia had assembled really awesome fan book and I really regretted that I hadn't had the time to make something for it. So I just settled to write a few lines there, thanks really.

Then those who wanted to give the presents (silvery key rings) to the guys, drew a kind of lottery, to whom one would give the present. I got Ollie, as I wished. When the guys appeared, at first we gave them the fan book. They actually thought, that it was the only present and were truly amazed, that we had something more. Then we who were responsible for the giving of the gifts went to the guys and handed the small boxes and hugged them.
The looks on their faces were indescribable when they opened those boxes. They were very pleased and amazed and we fans just glowed. Jani said that the next time THEY would have to get US gifts and we all just laughed. But seriously, their music and awesome mind-blowing gigs are the all the gifts we need. Plus a little exclusive gig for us foruminians, please? *laughs*

Then we took some group-photos, talked a little and it was already time for the guys to leave. It was a lot shorter meeting with the band than last time, but we were really happy for this too.
After the guys left, our group just scattered too and I had to leave to my aunt's place where I crashed.