Sentenced to drama for life

Poets of the Fall – Aurora Concert Hall, Sankt Petersburg; November 11th, 2016

Severely heartbroken, due to events for which I only have myself to blame and for reasons that have no place in this blog, I made my way to Sankt Petersburg to see Poets of the Fall, hoping they would help me deal with the pain I felt. During the meet & greet each one of them asked me how I was and I gave them an honest answer so they wanted to know why. Afraid to break down crying in front of them if I even touched on the story I just told them it didn’t belong there, it was going to be OK and I trusted them to make me feel better. They promised they would and they did. It was an amazing concert and despite being all over the place emotionally and sometimes in my thoughts as well, I loved every second of it and felt a lot better when it was over – bless the healing powers of music.

I hadn’t planned on going to Russia this time. It just did not fit in my busy schedule with Árstíðir’s UK tour and Iceland Airwaves too. The original plan for this night had been different though: seeing Europe in Cologne with my friend R. – when it turned out he would not be able to make it and I had more vacation days left than I though, I applied for a visa. It took longer than usual and I got it only about two weeks ago. Luckily the concert wasn’t sold out yet. So I found myself at Düsseldorf airport once again, waiting for a flight to Sankt Petersburg. At the gate I met A. who was going home (or almost home) for the gig. Once in Sankt Petersburg we went into the city together, where our ways parted until the next day.

I got an early night and didn’t really know what to do with myself at the hotel. Feeling restless, I left for the concert hall early. Being the fourth person in line I truly earned my front row spot. Paid for it with nearly freezing my butt off too. Waiting outside for a couple of hours at -11 C is not funny and I was rather happy when Nina let us in. The meet and greet was great. We all got our picture taken with the band and still had lots of time to talk. Captain was really sweet, promising they’d play a great concert for me. I told him they were always great. My most memorable conversations was with Jari who told me about a festival where he played on a carousel between a horse and a giraffe. 😀

During the waiting time for the gig the Sankt Petersburg street team gave out flag with “Poets” and the black knight on them to be waves during ‘Drama for Life’. Other than that it seemed endless though. The venue had seats by the side of the stage and some people were standing there as well. We could not fully get a sense of ist size though because, like at the CD release gig, there was a white curtain or sheet in front of it, but it was not see-through this time. I liked how they had brought this idea to the tour. It had been a great effect at te first gig and I had missd it at the following ones.

Finally the house lights went down and everyone in the audience screamed to the first notes of the intro and Marko’s shadow dancing on the sheet in front of us. Moments later the curtain fell and the band launched into ‘Drama for Life’ with everyone in the audience raising and waving their two flags. It must have looked great from stage. The photographers in the pit were going nuts: snapping pictures here and there, moving back and forth. They had to leave after three songs and I was glad I didn’t have to worry about getting good pictures this time.

For the rest of the night, all sad thoughts ceased to exist and the music carried me. It was exactly what I needed, feelig every note, every word in my heart and soul. I sang along, I screamed, I jumped (carefully, since it was packed and I did not want to jump on anyone’s feet), I swayed with the music, cried a few tears and had a smile on my face all the way through. Poets of the Fall have always had the power to make me happy, no matter what state I was in before I arrived and they proved it again, letting me forget all my troubles for the time being. I loved everythig about the concerts: the sound, the lights, the setlist, the band’s interaction with each other and the audience.

The songs they play this time around seem to grow stronger every time I hear them, especially the new ones. I am falling in love with them more and more. <3 This night though, was all about old songs taking on a new meaning, suddenly fitting perfectly with what I felt then and there. Even ‘Diamonds for Tears’ was perfect for me this time around. The song that hit me hardest was ‘Running out of Time’ though. It seemed like every line was telling my story. I screamed along as loud as a could, drawing strength and new hope from every word.

I was really emotional, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have fun. As always I loved watching the guys work, seeing them play together, standing side by side. At one time or another, everyone but Jari was standing next to Captain and he came out from behind his keyboards to go to the front too. Of course there as a lot of interaction with the audience as well like Jaska throwing guitar picks or Marko “threatening” to strip. He even threw his gloves into the audience, making people scream for them. 😀 Everyone in the room seemed happy with the concert and expressed it loudly. Good vibes! 🙂

Sound and lights were amazing. I could hear everyone clearly and loved the play of different colors and shadows on the wall. Somewhere in summer Captain had told me they have their own lights now. It was a good investment, adding some more drama to the show. Being front row, I got to see the guys up close and had a clear view of Captain and Jari too. Since the stage, had the audience on three sides so the guys made sure to play to everyone. 🙂 I just loved watching all the big and small gestures they made in tune with the music. The audience was energetic and loud, cheering them on all the time.

The entire show is a big blur in my mind, but left me with a wonderful feeling of being at home again, being content. There was nothing more in the world that I wanted. It was exactly what I needed then and there and the guys delivered. 🙂 They promised to make it great and they did. The show was amazing and worth the trip as well as braving the cold. Sometimes I remember details, sometimes it is the overall feeling that matters. This was a concert for the overall feeling. It was important for me to know that no matter how many miles I travel, no matter how many shows I see, I can always find happiness with this band. Thank you, Poets of the Fall! I love you more than words can say!

Setlist:

Intro: Shadow Play
Drama for Life
Daze
The Child in Me
Dreaming Wide Awake
Diamonds for Tears
The Game
Stay
Someone Special
Sleep
Running Out of Time
Once Upon a Playground Rainy
Locking Up the Sun
Carnival of Rust

Encore
War
Lift
Children of the Sun

Clearview tour 2016/17: 5 gigs down, 19 to go, next stop: MS Baltic Princess

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