Lean on me

Poets of the Fall – Oliver’s Corner, Rovaniemi; June 11th, 2016

It had been a long time since Poets of the Fall last played in Rovanieni, so long, that I could not remember it, i.e. it must have been a time before I went to as many concerts as I do. Either way, they were back and enthusiastically received by the audience. It was a fun gig, full of positive energy that everyone enjoyed. The band gave it all they had, much rewarding those who had taken the trip to this concert. 🙂

I had arrived the previous night, happy there was no snow on the ground (like the week before). Considering that it was surprisingly warm. The sky was too grey to see any midnight sun though and there was nothing to do but rest. Concert day was for exploring, but as beautiful as the cities surroundings are, Rovaniemi itself is a bit bleak. I enjoyed walking along the water though and looked Forward to the evening ahead. Two bands were scheduled to Play before Poets of the Fall, but with them starting at 22:30 it was still and early concert.

Got to the venue around 7 pm, sat down for a while and listened to the first band, then the second. Both cover bands, both OK, nothing special. Went dancing for a while, met S. who I knew from Turku, saw only one familiar face otherwise. Anyway, it was easy to get a spot in front row and we didn’t have to wait all that long once the second band was done. It felt weird to know they would play while it was light outside, but it was not going to get much darker. 😉 S. and I spent the time chatting, both happy and excited to see the guys again.

At 10:30 pm a guy from the venue walked on stage to announce Poets of the Fall. I did not understand everything he was saying, but he did mention that people from Germany and Sweden had come to see the show. 😀 The band walked on stage one by one, all in long sleeves, the only indication of summer being Marko’s sunglasses. 😉 Loud cheers from the audience greeted them and got louder as they started with ‘Daze’. The song rocked and right from the start the audience was into it. Everyone seemed happy and so full of energy, clapping and moving along to the music.

It was such a fun gig! The guys looked like they loved it too. They had changed the setlist around since last time, exchanging a few songs and playing the others in a different order. It made things seem new and fresh again. Once more it was a setlist with the right mix of fast and slower songs. I loved the songs, loved singing along, enjoyed having enough room to move around and jump with the beat. Being there brought me lots of joy. The sound was great and the spot I was in was perfect for watching all of the guys – at least those times when Jari and Captain were not hidden by artificial smoke that is. 😉 Of course I had no trouble seeing the others and enjoyed watching all of them.

Between the stage and the front row was about a meter of space in front of the barrier, but there were a few boxes to step on, so Marko came close frequently, leaning out into the audience, singing directly to people. A few times, he even used my shoulder to lean on. 🙂 As always it was a lot of fun watching not only whoever was closest to me, but especially seeing the interactions between the band members. I can never get enough of seeing how they play together and joke with each other all the time. They have amazing musical skills, every one of them playing their chosen instrument well. That is part of what makes them function as a band, but even more so, it is the appreciation they have for each other, the way each one of them gives the others room to play, the gestures between them showing they really like each other and enjoy working together. It often feels like watching one happy family and the best part is they make the audience feel like we are part of it too. 🙂

With the lights and a lot of moving around it got arm on stage so most of the guys got rid of the long sleeves, pretend stripping included. 😉 We also got to see quite a few poses and stuck out tongues during the course of the evening. The good vibes from stage spilled into the audience and vice versa. Whenever I looked around I saw happy faces and people moving along with the music. Everyone in the room was into the show and whenever we were called on to clap or sing along, it worked nicely. It was as if the audience had decided to make the most of this show after waiting to see the band for years. Overall I had a blast and did not want it to end, but of course it did eventually. As soon as the Poets walked off stage, I wanted to call them out again for the next show, but I guess I will have to wait a little bit for that one.

The evening ended with a relaxed chat and drinks for S. and me. At some point, Ollie said hello and Jani even dropped by for a little chat. Such a nice treat. 🙂
Flying back to Helsinki the next day, the band was on the same plane. I didn’t bother them though, just said hello to those who saw me and thanked them for the great show. See you in July!

Setlist (to the best of my memory, out of order)

Daze
Locking up the Sun
Temple of Thought
Rumors
Rogue
Stay
Diamonds 4 Tears
Cradled in Love
Miss Impossible
Sorry go Round
Late Goodbye
Jealous Gods
Dreaming wide awake
Illusion & Dream

Sleep
Lift
Carnival of Rust

pictures from this concert

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