Poets of the Fall – MS Mariella; April 26th, 2013
Having just been on an amazing tour with Árstíðir, Anneke van Giersbergen and Pain of Salvation I was not entirely sure what a Poets of the Fall concert would feel like. I love them, always, but once in a while a break is a good thing and I had already been on the road every weekend in April. Yet the cruise was booked and I was looking forward to seeing my friend B. So I boarded yet another plane to Helsinki on a Sunday morning. Met up with B. at Helsinki train station and on we went to the harbor. Once there we ran into T. and S., saying hello, then went in search for food and met A. and friends at the café.
Once we got on board there was some time to relax before the gig. We got to the cub in time for a spot in front row and ended next to three very excited Danish girls. Soon the curtains opened and the show was on. The stage was quite big for a ship so the guys had room to move. Anton was on drums again, strangely behind an acrylic glass screen.
With Marko’s first words I realized the sound was far from perfect – I could hardly hear him at all. 🙁 After having been spoiled with amazingly clear sound during the previous three weekends, this was a bit of a letdown. The sound got better eventually, but it took me ages to get into the mood.
The audience was forgiving though and enjoyed the show nonetheless, hanging on to the guys’ every move. And move they did, lots! Marko climbed the railing several times, testing the pipes on the ceiling for stability, before he held on to them and leaned out into the audience. Everyone loved that. 🙂 Jaska, Jani and Ollie were on the move too, often at the front to play.
The guys seemed to have fun, were joking around with each other like Jaska wiping the acrylic glass or Jani whispering with Ollie. Especially Captain seemed to be in a great mood an Anton was all smiles too. I loved seeing that and I enjoyed seeing the happy faces in the audiences and hearing the scream.
The setlist was the usual one, no surprises there, but I hadn’t expected any changes. I’m still happy with the songs I have always enjoyed and I still wish one or two would be put to rest for a while. However, if we fans had to determine the setlist,I fear we’d never agree and the guys know how to build a good show. The audience reaction was great overall and we did some good singing along too.
The whole show was fun for sure, but for me it lacked the special something the great ones have. I liked it, loved some bits even, but remained a bit detached most of the time. Viewed next to all the other concerts I attended in April, this one just paled in comparison.
B. and I spent some time at the bar and later at the café. Before the night was over I had a chance to talk with Jani, Anton, Ollie, Petri and the sound guy. He told me it had been difficult to get the sound right due to restrictions by the venue regarding the volume. Bummer.
This cruise had a day’s stopover in Stockholm, so we spent a nice day there, before going back to Helsinki in the late afternoon and into a glorious sunset. A second night on board and thus ended our long weekend. See you next time!
Setlist
Delicious
Lockig up the sun
Kamikaze Love
Jeremiah Peacekeeper
Given and denied
Don’t mess with me
Temple of Thought
Everything fades
Cradled in Love
Stay
Running out of time
Illusion & Dream
Diamonds for tears
Late Godbye
Encore
Sleep
Dreaming wide awake
Carnival of Rust
Lift
Poets of the Fall 10th anniversary tour – 8 gigs down and so far 2 to go. Next stop: Helsinki