Poets of the Fall – Tulisuudelma, Vantaa; July 12th, 2013
Exactly nine months after their last gig here, Poets of the Fall were back to rock the Tulusuudelma and rock it they did. The band was in a great mood and the audience might have been the most international one Vantaa has ever seen. Great sound was the cherry on top and time flew like it hadn’t in a while.
My trip to Vantaa was uneventful and I arrived at the Sokos hotel in time for the picnic my friend A. had planned. I was quite surprised when I realized everyone waited for my arrival. <3 There were hugs all around from old and new friends, I left my things in C.’s room and we made our way to the park. People from several countries came together: Belgium, Finland, Germany, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, UK and US. There were chats and laughter, strawberries with and without sparkling wine, all the food anyone could ask for, great company and even presents. S. had brought a beautiful POTF bracelet for me. <3 I’m gonna wear that at every concert from now on. Around 6:30 the picnic was over and some of us went their own way while others settled down on the terrace of the hotel’s restaurant for drinks and some “real” food. We got in line about an hour before the doors opened. All was very relaxed and those of us who wanted to go there easily made it to the front.
Ais had brought the fanbook she, E. and K. had made with our contributions and given to the Poets earlier. It looked beautiful and very professional, but to my disappointment my entry was not there. Apparently it had gotten lost in cyberspace. Stupid me for not having checked if it had arrived. 🙁 Ais promised to include it in the eBook version so I felt better again soon. The waiting time went by quickly as it always does among friends. Quite a few of us had only seen one or two concerts until then and for S. and A. who had come all the way from the US, it was the first gig ever so their excitement could hardly be contained when it became clear the concert would start soon. I had about as much fun watching them as I had watching the stage. 😀
Finally, a little after midnight, the intro started and the guys walked out one by one, first Anton, replacing Jari for the night, then Jaska, Jani, Captain, Ollie and last but not least Marko. Each one of them had big smiles on their faces and we cheered as they took their places and picked up their instruments. „Are you ready to rock ‘n’ roll?“ Marko asked us before launching into ‘Delicious’ – hell yes we were! A perfect starting point for a perfect night.
Already with this first song Marko was leaning out into the audience – all eyes on him. He also spent a lot of time moving about and teasing the other guys, mimicking Ollie’s guitar playing, leaning on to Jaska, ruffling Jani’s hair or licking his neck. The others were on the move too, playing together or dueling, watching each other, laughing, teasing, having fun. Anton and Captain kept smiling at us from the back of the stage, while Ollie, Jani and Jaska got close many times – anyone who wanted to could have touched guitars and bass.
My eyes kept wandering from the Poets to the fans and back again. I tremendously enjoyed being there and I especially enjoyed being able to share this experience with so many friends, old and new. We shared many smiles that night too. When it was time for ‘Cradled in Love’ I looked over to S. to see if she was really going to cry, but she didn’t, was much too caught up in the moment. For ‘Sleep’ both she and A. got their special treat with Marko singing directly to them. That wasn’t by far the only special moment though. 🙂
The audience was great, everyone was singing along, waving their arms or clapping when prompted, everyone seemed enthralled and elated just being there. We were much rewarded for being attentive. They guys pulled out all stops, playing beautifully, shining with each solo and showing how much they enjoyed being on stage. Once again, every note they sang or played was perfect and for the first time in a long while, each one of them could be clearly heard as well. Even the things Marko said could be clearly understood and he spoke English a lot for our benefit. <3
There were so many funny and cute little moments that night, one would have needed more than one pair of eyes to see them all. As always, many of them involved Marko’s antics and the other’s reactions to them, from Captain cracking up laughing to Jani making faces. The funniest moment, however, happened when Marko went into the audience during ‘Stay’. He said “no touching my balls, folks” which caused reactions from giggles to eye rolling. Apparently though, nobody was paying attention to Ollie who answered “You wish!” – I laughed so hard, I was unable to sing along for he rest of the song. You go Ollie! 😀
All songs, even the ones I’ve heard live a gazillion times, seemed new and fresh again. Through the eyes of those who had never seen them live, I rediscovered the excitement of that first gig, the desire to drink everything in and the feeling of an hour going by in the blink of an eye. It made me happy that my friends got such a perfect concert and of course I felt lucky to be able to share the experience. Too soon we reached the encores, rocking out, singing along at the top of our lungs, trying to hold on to the moment before it was over. One last look from Marko, one last guitar duel, one last smile from everyone as they left stage and it was over. S.’s and A.’s happy smiles spoke volumes. 😀
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
The lights went on, we blinked, some of us hugged and we moved to a quieter part of the venue to sit down, chat, have a drink or two. It was really lovely to sit and relive the memories. Jani and Ollie dropped by to say hello and chat for a little while too. <3 Everyone was excited still, babbling, not tired at all. Eventually P. and I said goodbye and took a taxi to her place, agreeing this was a night to remember.
Poets of the Fall 10th anniversary tour – 10 gigs down 11 to go. Next stop: Pratteln