Árstíðir – Savoy Kino, Bordesholm; November 30th, 2013
Three days after the concert in Hamburg I was going north again to see the guys in Bordesholm. Thanks to a tip from F., who I had met in Hamburg, I had even found a hotel there. 🙂 My trip was uneventful, hotel and venue easily found. Had some time to spare, but the late November weather wasn’t really inviting so I just walked around a bit, got some food and stayed at my hotel. When I arrived at the venue and told them I was on the guestlist, they immediately knew that I must be the photographer and even handed me a real ticket. Nice. I always like having something to keep. Looked in on the guys soundchecking, but then stayed out, talking to a couple who remembered me from the Pain of Salvation gig in Essen.
The venue was a beautiful former movie theater with red cushioned seats and small tables with little lamps in front of each row. A pretty nice background for this type of a concert. If the setting were anything to go by this would be a good one. 🙂 The guys were all in a good mood, even though some of them were a bit tired. It was as if after the perfect concert in Hamburg nothing could touch them any more – they have really grown into a new band.
Slowly but surely the place filled up. Árstíðir had played here before and the night was sold out. They didn’t ask who had seen them before, but I’m sure there would have been many hands raised. I found myself a nice seat in front row, got a glass of wine and waited. It wasn’t long until the lights went down and only the glow of the many lamps was left. It was quite cozy. 🙂 They started playing and for a while I just sat and listened. Even after seeing so many concerts in such a short time frame I can still get lost in the music. <3 The guys mentioned early on how much they liked the lamps and it became almost a running gag during the evening. I took it as a cue and used the lamps in many pictures. It was a great venue for photography – not only was there enough room to walk around, the stage lighting was pretty nice as well.
The setlist was almost the same as in Hamburg with a break in between. The kept ‘Eris’ on the setlist and it was even better this time around. It amazes me how every new song they play is great from the beginning, but evolves into something even better and more beautiful. I just love how creative these guys are. ‘Shine’ was also exceptional this time around. <3 The a cappella song they played in Vilvoorde made a return as well. They told us how it has “proper fifth and everything”. Ragnar joked that it does not sound very romantic even though the words are beautiful. They joked around a lot that night, making us laugh.
Once again everything was just right that night. It wasn’t only the setting that was perfect – venue, sound and light. The song selection worked well too, but the true magic was in the way the guys played: in tune with their songs and each other. In the end of the September tour the band lost some of their balance, needed to rearrange songs and instruments. During the November tour, they finally found balance again and it shows. All their hard work paid off. From now on they can move forward. 🙂
As I walked around taking pictures, I watched the audience. Many were listening intently and most looked like they were loving it. To my surprise I saw a few people leave and wondered what they might have expected. I guess Árstíðir’s music can’t be for everyone. Those who remained enjoyed it though. They did not want the concert to end and cheered for encores. We got three of them. For ‘Heyr himna smiður’ the guys left the stage. I took the chance to step up there and take a few pictures from the back. ‘Góða veislu gjöra skal’ was the final song, played at the back of the room, standing by the bar. To much applause they walked back through the crowd and left.
Setlist:
Heiðin
Á meðan jörðin sefur
Við dagsins hnig
Látum okkur sjá
Days and Nights
Orð að eigin vali
Land mins föður
Sunday Morning
Ljoð í Sand
Kill us
You just have to know of me
Eris
Lost in you
Næturylur
Shine
Ísland farsældafrón?
Nú gleymist ég
Shades/Tárin
Encore
Ages
Heyr himna smiður
Góða veislu gjöra skal
The jokes continued after the show while the guys packed their stuff. They allowed me to stay until everyone else had left. I kept them company for their late night dinner, enjoyed listening to their banter and chatting with them. Sometimes, when I think back to the first few concerts I can’t help but wonder how I got to this point. So much has happened since and this band has become part of my family. <3 When they brought their things out to the car it was time to say goodbye. A long trip lay ahead the next day and we would all see each other again the following night for the last concert of the tour.