Late show, blurry memories and Animal

Poets of the Fall – Backstage Halle, Munich; October 26th, 2018

It’s day four of the Germany tour, I am on a train towards Hamburg and the usual tour exhaustion has set in. Too little sleep last night, too much on my mind to sleep now, I am sitting on this train with three hours to go, wondering how I am going to survive the weekend. I don’t even want to think about work on Monday or the Nordic Film Days next week. I feel about 100 years old right now, asking myself why I’m doing this. It’s not a serious question though. The answer is right there on my mind, clear as day: Because this is what I love, because this life on tour is what live for, because there is absolutely no other way I could imagine spending my time when my favorite band is on the road. This post, though, is about tour day number three, Poets of the Fall in Munich. Unfortunately, my memories are a bit hazy, but I’ll do my best to give you an impression. I can say for sure that Backstage was packed and everyone had fun!

The trip to Munich seemed to take forever. Our whole gang was on the same train, but only B. and I sis not have reserved seats, so we had to find some. The train was packed, we still managed. We were delayed (of course) and finally arrived after 3 pm. I would have liked to get some rest or a warm meal instead of sandwiched for a change, but there never seems to be enough time for these things. We checked into our hotel and B. left soon after. She and the others had VIP tickets, mine was a regular one. About an hour later I left as well. At least I had managed to finish my previous blog post. When I arrived the others were not inside yet. It was a late concert. Once they had left it got really boring, because I didn’t know anyone and didn’t really feel like talking either. Entering was smooth though and I ended up with M. and S. in third row. I told people around me that I’d be in the pit for the first three songs, but would try to come back after. More waiting, chatting and being bored. The usual. 😉

Eventually it was nearing 9 and I moved over to the side. I was the only photographer that day and had the whole pit to myself. The security guys were young, nice and a bit clueless. They asked me if I had any restrictions as to how long I was allowed in the pit. For a brief moment I considered saying know, but I did not want to get them in trouble so I said truthfully “First three songs”, then joked about the possibilities of saying “none”. Walked in during the intro and just for the fun of it walked along front row and high-fived my friends. I’ve always wanted to do that. 😀

Moments later it was on and I was working, moving back and forth in the pit, trying to get the best shots. As opposed to Frankfurt I was singing along though, much more fun that way. 😀 The guys posed for me at times and otherwise I got a close up look. It was great, but there was never really good light for Jari and Captain. It was either too bright or too dark and there was way too much artificial fog. Why? I enjoyed it though, even though it feels more like work than a concert when I am all the way up front instead of being part of the crowd. I’m glad that I usually have time for more than three songs though. Somehow I never get in all the shots I want, even though there is quite a lot of action in only three songs. 😉

Looking at my pictures now I can see I captured a few good moments. Ollie flying high of course (it really helps to know when he’s gonna do it) and Marko leaning out into the audience (even though I missed the moment he took G.’s hand). I did capture Jani sticking his tongue out to Ollie, but not Jani kissing Marko on the cheek. Awww <3 I did capture Jari drumming like Animal of The Muppet Show during ‘Choir of Cicadas’, but I missed Glen playing drums with him at one point. I also captured Marko bowing to Ollie during ‘Lift’, but not Ollie playing keyboards with Captain. These small moments, easily missed if you happen to look in a different direction, are what makes a concert for me. The small interactions, the little gestures that sometimes feel like the band is letting you in on a secret. Of course there is the music and the community and being part of the crowd, but it’s always the little things that make the world and bring some extra magic to the show. 🙂

The setlist is so familiar to me now that I know exactly which song is going to happen next and sometimes even how it is going to be introduced. The latter changes though, depending on Marko’s mood and probably the vibes he picks up from the crowd. Every audience is different, every venue creates a different mood and it’s part of the band’s magic to pick up on that. At every gig they manage to win us over eventually. When it is a great gig, the spark is there from the first note. It didn’t take long in Munich, but felt slower than in Berlin. The Berlin audience certainly screamed louder during the intro. Hell, they cheered for Glen as he was testing out the drums before the show. 😀 Munich caught up quickly though and people sure had a good time.

One thing that always fascinates me about Poets of the Fall concerts is how diverse the audience is. You can find people of all ages and walks of life there. The youngest I saw that night were to children, aged 8 and 9 as the parents told security when they walked in. They ended up at the front just where the barrier ended and looked at the stage wide-eyed from there with mom and dad protectively behind them. They guys noticed of course and were playing to them quite often, making their night for sure. <3

I cannot remember much that happened during any particular song, but I remember Ollie standing on the drum raiser with Jaska and Jani standing in front and playing to him. At one point I think I might have seen Captain air guitaring back there, but that could have juts been a hallucination from lack of sleep. 😉 Marko certainly was air guitaring though, probably dring ‘Locking up the sun’ or ‘Lift’. I also remember him striking Ollie’s hair and cheek at one point. Before ‘Cradled in Love’ he told us to think of someone we loved and some guy yelled “Marko!”, then a girl yelled “Jaska!”. It lead to much laughter. Jani stood so close to the front of the stage a few times that he almost touched the security guard in front of him with the bass. The guys was completely unfazed though. 😀

As the tour goes on my memories become blurry and the blogs shorter, but I always have a great time at the gigs and love being there, even when I cannot recall any details. Seeing this band I love and being with my tour family is one of the best things to do in my life and I’m glad to have the opportunity. When it is over, I am always a little bit sad, but luckily there is always a next gig to look forward to. 😀 All concerts must end and so did this one. The guys waved and this time Jani picked up Jari, lifting him high in the air. He also grabbed the abandoned lamp that was used during ‘Cradled in Love’ and used it to point at people.

Too soon they were gone and we left (after spending what felt like hours in line at the coat check). It turned out that it’s difficult to find food in Munich after 11 pm and those of us that were hungry had to make do with MacDonald’s. Oh well, we had a good time anyway, said goodbye to those who left us here and went back to hours respective hotels for a too short night.

pictures of this concert

Poets of the Fall Ultraviolet Tour 2018: Ten gigs down, two to go. Next stop: Hamburg

Setlist

Dreaming Wide Awake
Dancing on Broken Glass
False Kings
Temple of Thought
Rogue
Standstill
The Sweet Escape
Brighter Than the Sun
Cradled in Love
My Dark Disquiet
War
Choice Millionaire
Lift

Encore:
Daze
Locking Up the Sun
Carnival of Rust
Choir of Cicadas

Ultraviolet Tour 2018: Ten shows down, two to go

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