Poets of the Fall – Z-Bau, Nuremberg; December 12th, 2016
After an off day, Poets of the Fall were at their best in Nuremberg, playing at a new location and starting the evening with one of the best meet & greets of the tour. The concerts was great too, energetic and fun. The audience somehow always arrives late in Nuremberg, but they are usually good. Our tour family was shrinking with A. and D. having their last night and we made the best of it.
A. and D. were coming by bus so I picked them up and we went directly to the venue. Too early, only S., A. and A. were already there and not even sure which door to wait at since it was a big building. After about one hour someone came out and we asked – the entrance was around the corner. Still, we were alone for quite some time. Tickets for the meet & greet were still available so we wondered how may people would show up. I didn’t count when they let us in, but I think we were no more than 30. Nice. 😀
Everything and everyone was really relaxed with much time to chat. We already had fun before the guys arrived though with D., A. and me taking a picture in front of the backdrop. The band was in a great mood, goofing off while getting in front of the backdrop, either being too far apart or huddling too close. when it was my turn, I told them that statistically I had to be between Ollie and Jari and since Marko and Jani were at the center I told them to move. They did and Marko was hiding behind Jaska. Jari and Ollie both hugged me with Jari asking if that was between enough for me. Awwww <3
I asked about their off day they had spent in Innsbruck and they all told me how much they had loved it. Marko wanted to show pictures, but didn’t have his phone and everyone told me how beautiful it was. wile I waited for Marko Ollie hugged me from the back so I talked to him first. Meanwhile Marko sang an impromptu ‘Illusion & Dream’ for some fans and forgot the lyrics. Captain told me how enjoyable life on the tour bus was and that cabin fever was not an issue. 🙂 In the end, Jani was dragging Jari away and it was time to say goodbye for now.
It was a nice, medium sized venue, just the way I like it. It was going to be a good night. More people arrived, the space filled up and everyone was waiting excitedly for the concert. By now, we were almost as excited to see Flight Brigade than to see Poets of the Fall. Some people around us weren’t so sure of course. It is part of the role any support act plays that they are the ones keeping the fans from the band they really came to see and they always have to work so much harder than the main act to get similar results. In this case of course I already knew what we were going to get and was convinced that those who had not seen Flight Brigade yet, would soon be won over.
I was right, the band hit the stage, playing their hearts out and soon had everyone’s attention. Dorrie was back, creating magic with her violin and everyone else played powerfully as well. Soon, I was smiling, moving in tune with he music. They kept the new song in the setlist and this time I learned that it is called ‘Straight to Tokyo’ not ‘Street to Tokyo’ as I had previously thought. Anyway, the songs rocks and it was nice to have a little variety. I can only repeat myself here. I loved Flight Brigade’s set and was happy to have them there. 🙂
Setlist:
House Fire
Where Eagles dare
U kill me
Tearaway
Straight to Tokyo
Hurricane Season
Thick as Thieves
The party that had started with Flight Brigade continued with Poets of the Fall and we had a great time being part of it. For some these concerts are a place of reverie or worship and they spend them standing still and staring up at the band members, for others, they are one way to get in their daily workout and they spend the time jumping and dancing. Some sing along, others enjoy quietly, most of us answer to any cues that come from the stage and all of us enjoy being there (or at least that is the impression I get). I personally go to lose myself in the music, forget the world for a while and feel connected with the people around me and the guys on stage. Of course I also go to hear the music I love and just observe a band that is amazing at their job creating magic night after night. 🙂
After a rocking start with the combo of ‘Drama for Life’ and ‘Daze’, ‘The Child in me’ had me watch for a while and made me laugh for the first time that night: Marko’s dance moves still included the diving one that D. had taught him – we grinned at each other. He surely is not afraid to make a fool of himself on stage. Nobody in this band is, that’s one of the reasons they are so much fun. I had a big smile on my face for most of the night and laughed out loud from time to time too.
With almost three quarters of my personal Clearview tour behind me, of course I know the setlist by heart and also have an idea of what might happen at which point in the set, like when Ollie might be jumping or Jaska is likely to visit Jari, but there is still always the element of surprise. While they tend to do certain things at certain points of the show, like Marko leaning on Jani during ‘War’, it’s not like every move is scripted. there are certain fixed points that frame their performance, but everything else happens whenever it happens and you never know what exactly you’re gonna get. The combination of things you know will happen and the surprises in-between is what makes the concerts so much fun for me. I love being able to have my camera ready when I know I can catch a certain interaction during a certain song, but I love the unexpected little things just as much. <3
During ‘The Child in me’, while Captain was playing a solo, Jari Ollie and Jaska were all pointing to him, showing that this was one of his moments in the spotlight. At one point during the show, Jani was leaning on to Ollie and later they were playing head to head. When ‘Dreaming wide awake’ came around, A. was a happy camper, because Marko sang the line “I’ll dream you wide awake” to her. 🙂 Seeing him sing to anyone always makes me smile, because we all respond to it with approximately the same look of awe on our faces. It’s just lovely.
The drum/keyboard raiser once again became the place where every member of the band stood at least once during the show. Ollie and Jaska both used it as a platform to jump off a few times and stood there often. Maybe one day, we’ll see Jani jump too. 😉 After the end of ‘The Game’ Marko was up there, standing between Captain and Jari, watching Glen putting up chairs for Jaska and Ollie to use during the acoustic set. He complained: “What, no chair for Marko” so Jari and Captain stood behind him and made a chair. Jari said “Here” and Marko sat down on Jari’s knees, who in turn sat on Captain’s knees. It was hilarious. 😀
Marko went off the stage and into the crowd twice, singing to people in the back for a change. One of those times he went head to head with a guy in the audience and sang to him. 🙂 Jani, was all over the stage as alway, moving back and forth all the time, playing with everyone and kissing Jari and Jaska at one point. When the show ended, Marko formed a heart with his hands and showed it to us, Jani threw kisses to A. and hugged her goodbye. The whole band took a bow together and before he walked off stage, Jani threw his bass high in the air for Glen to catch. It was a great show!
We hung out for a while, because D. and A. didn’t feel like leaving. We said goodbye to everyone who was still there and finally A. and I took them to the bus station. It was raining and we felt like going out, but didn’t know where to go. Finding a bar that is open after midnight is quite a challenge in Germany on a weekday. My hostel, however, offered drinks, so we ended up there, sharing a few until late into the night. 🙂
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: 17 gigs down, 7 to go, next stop: Munich