A Silver Mt. Zion (2008)
After Forever (2004)
Alaska Kalan (2007)
At the Gates (2008)
Avenged Sevenfold (2008)
Amorphis [4] (2006, 2007, 2 x 2008)
Anathema [2] (2008, 2009)
Apocalyptica (2006)
Apulanta [5] (2002, 3 x 2003, 2006)
Before the Dawn (2007)
Black Dahlia Murder (2009)
Blanko (2009)
Boris (2008)
Bullet for My Valentine (2008)
Callisto [3] (2007, 2 x 2009)
Chaos Infinitum [4] (2 x 2005, 2006, 2007)
Chestburster (2009)
Children of Bodom [2] (2005, 2009)
Cirque du Soleil (2007)
CMX [2] (2006, 2008)
Cold Fairyland (2008)
Cynic (2009)
Deep Purple (2003)
Devenial Verdict [2] (2 x 2009)
Diablo (2006)
Dir en grey [2] (2 x 2007)
Divine Intervention [2] (2 x 2005)
Don Johnson Big Band [3] (2006, 2007, 2009)
dälek (2009)
Eläkeläiset (2008)
Emiliana Torrini (2009)
Emperor (2007)
Entombed (2009)
Ever Circling Wolves [2] (2008, 2009)
Flogging Molly (2008)
girugamesh (2009)
Ghost Brigade (2009)
God is an Astronaut (2009)
Gojira (2009)
Goon (2008)
Herra Ylppö & Ihmiset (2008)
Hidria Spacefolk [3] (2 x 2007, 2009)
Hjaltalín (2009)
Hurt (2006)
Hässäkkä (2008)
Immortal (2009)
Insomnium [2] (2 x 2007)
Iron Maiden [2] (2003, 2008)
ISIS [2] (2007, 2009)
Ismo Alanko Säätiö (2006)
Ismo Alanko Teholla (2008)
José González (2008)
Katatonia (2009)
Kent (2008)
Kìla (2009)
Korpiklaani (2009)
Kotipelto (2004)
Kuusumun Profeetta (2009)
Ladytron (2007)
Lapko [3] (2006, 2007, 2009)
Lauren Harris (2008)
Lowlife Rock'n'Roll Philosophers (2009)
Magyar Posse (2008)
Maj Karma [2] (2006, 2009)
Mamiffer (2009)
Manowar (2009)
Maria Gasolina (2008)
Medicated (2009)
Mensura [2] (2005, 2006)
Metallica (2004)
Ministry (2008)
Mogwai (2006)
Moi Dix Mois (2007)
Mokoma (2006)
Moonsorrow (2007)
MUCC (2009)
Murderdolls [2] (2002, 2003)
Murmansk (2009)
My Dying Bride (2009)
myGrain (2005)
Naamiomiehet (2009)
Naturemorte (2007)
Neurosis (2009)
Nevernettles (2005)
Nick Arse & the Arsenicks [4] (2005, 2 x 2006, 2009)
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (2009)
Nicole [2] (2007, 2009)
Nightwish [2] (2004, 2008)
Nine Inch Nails [2] (2 x 2007)
Oomph! (2006)
Opeth [4] (2006, 2008, 2 x 2009)
Pain (2007)
Papa Roach (2002)
Placebo (2009)
Porcupine Tree [3] (2007, 2008, 2009)
Radar (2008)
Regression (2009)
Riverside (2007)
Rotten Sound (2009)
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo (2009)
Scandinavian Music Group [2] (2006, 2008)
Sleep on the Railroad Tracks (2009)
Slipknot (2004)
Snipe Drive (2008)
Soilwork (2006)
Sonata Arctica (2007)
Stam1na [3] (2008, 2 x 2009)
Standard Coil Company [3] (2 x 2007, 2009)
Subspace Radio (2007)
Swallow the Sun (2007)
Sydän, sydän [3] (2006, 2008, 2009)
Temples (2009)
The Faceless (2009)
The Hypnomen (2007)
The Ocean (2009)
The Smashing Pumpkins (2008)
The Wandering Midget (2009)
Timo Rautiainen (2006)
Tool (2006)
Tracedawn [3] (3 x 2008)
Ultramariini (2006)
Uriah Heep (2003)
Vauva [3] (2 x 2008, 2009)
Von Hertzen Brothers [3] (2 x 2008, 2009)
WASP (2007)
YUP [6] (3 x 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008)
Comments:
A Silver Mt. Zion (October 5th, 2008 @ Club Tavastia, Helsinki): The show was surprisingly interesting, taking into account that it was a post-rock band playing. The set consisted of mainly newer songs that are more vocal-oriented, which didn't bother me at all, but my friends in the audience felt that it would've been better if they had played older, instrumental tracks. Well, some like Efrim's voice, some don't. It was no problem to me, and I was mesmerized for the whole set, and especially God Bless Our Dead Marines' ending part with the a cappella section cycling in three parts was simply amazing. Also the songs that don't have drums in the album versions had them now, giving them more drive and depth. Definitely one of the best gigs of that year, and ASMZ remains one of the bands that I must see again in the future.
[setlist: 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons, God Bless Our Dead Marines, I Built Myself a Metal Bird, I Fed My Metal Bird the Wings of Other Metal Birds, Horses in the Sky,
1,000,000 to Make This Sound, There's a Light, encore: Microphones in the Trees, Take These Hands and Throw Them in the River]
After Forever (December 26th, 2004 @ Jäähalli, Helsinki): They were the first warm-up act of Nightwish. Mostly boring and unoriginal operatic metal. Didn't really catch my attention - except when they played an Iron Maiden cover
The Evil That Men Do.
Alaska Kalan (December 22nd, 2007 @ Club Tavastia, Helsinki): Alaska was the warm-up act of Don Johnson Big Band, and even though I'm not really fond of blues, his energetic live show really hit me. Incredible voice and nice slide guitarwork with his resonator guitar kept the audience definitely entertained. Also his ramblings about the United States and sincere apologies about being an american himself between the songs were sure things to grasp the attention. If I happen to be somewhere around where he's palying, I'm sure to see him again.
At the Gates (July 4th, 2008 @ Ruisrock, Turku): I was expecting a lot more of them after having listened them and The Haunted beforehand a bit, but their live show was pretty lame, and their sounds quite horrible. Lucky I wasn't a big fan of them, I might've been disappointed. Didn't stay there long enough to see their set to the end.
Avenged Sevenfold (July 18th, 2008 @ Olympiastadion, Helsinki): A7X was Iron Maiden's second warm-up act. In my very humble opinion, they were utter shite. I hadn't heard anything from them beforehand, and I was completely disappointed. There were loads of teen girls in the who were going to see them, and leave before Iron Maiden, I mean, what the hell? Completely unoriginal, reel br00tal riffs mixed with happy-go-lucky pop melodies, guitar solos that made my ears bleed (honestly, they were horrible), and all that topped with the ultimate evil skull-demon-backdrop that fits them like a straight edge dude at Oktoberfest. Brrrh. Never, ever, ever again.
Amorphis (July 8th, 2006 @ Ruisrock, Turku): My first Amorphis show, and quite a regular one. The Way got me pumped up. But I must admit that Tomi Joutsen's dreadlocks were pretty impressive sight when he headbanged.
Amorphis (August 5th, 2007 @ Ankkarock, Vantaa): Pretty dull for an Amorphis show. But they played
Alone, which made me happy. Joutsen's locks still worked.
Amorphis (June 13th, 2009 @ Provinssirock, Seinäjoki): A regular set too, but from what I've seen, the best one yet. This one had the biggest audience, so I guess they've been getting popular all the time. Played
Alone again, yay, Joutsen's locks still looked awesome, yay.
Amorphis (June 28th, 2009 @ Tuska, Helsinki): Well, pretty much the same thing as in Provinssirock, but they played on the main stage, which somehow added to their stage presence. Though nothing special, it didn't hurt at all seeing them once again live.
Anathema (July 24th, 2008 @ Nosturi, Helsinki): Well, I'm not a big fan of Anathema, but they were still worth seeing even though I knew only a handful of songs. Before the encore songs Vince Cavanagh emerged from the backstage with a box of beer he said they didn't want, and started throwing beer cans to the audience. You could see they were not too serious about playing, but enjoying it as much as they could.
Boris (2nd May, 2008 @ Tavastia, Helsinki): Ohmygods, one of the most amazing concerts I've witnessed. When the first song began, the first third of the WHOLE FRIGGIN' AUDIENCE formed a massive mosh pit. During the final part of the show, while the rest of the band were droning, the drummer climbed on his drumset and jumped to the audience, did a quick crowsurf and returned to the drum seat to finish the song. Plus vocalist playing a two-neck instrument that is both bass and guitar is amazing too.
Bullet For My Valentine (July 6th, 2008 @ Ruisrock, Turku): Practically the same thing as with A7X without happy-go-lucky melodies and the backdrop. I can't understand their popularity amongst teen girls. Could watch about the first third of the gig, then had to call it quits.
Callisto (June 1st, 2007 @ Nosturi, Helsinki): They were pretty dull the first time I saw them live, which was quite a disappointment, because I had really enjoyed True Nature Unfolds and Noir. They played with Swallow the Sun and Before the Dawn, but they were mainly the reason I went to that particular concert.
Callisto (June 12th, 2009 @ Provinssirock, Seinäjoki): The new vocalist, Jani Ala-Hukkala was really that this band needed to make their live shows more interesting. Even though not really a showman, his facial expressions when singing growls and shouts are the most furious I've ever seen, as if he was about to beat anyone close enough to a bloody pulp. Full marks for that, because it looks so stupid when somebody is growling like a demon but looks as if they're scared of everything and -one. At least he knows how you're supposed to look when you're growling.
Callisto (June 26th, 2009 @ Tuska, Helsinki): A bit duller show than a few weeks beforehand in Provinssirock. The setlist was not so tight, and unlike in Provinssirock, you couldn't hear almost anything from the low end. The bass was almost nonexistent, which was a pity, because their basslines add so much to their sound, especially when playing live.
Chestburster (July 4th, 2009 @ Lepakkomies, Helsinki): Dude, what stage energy! It's pretty rare I see band's bassist jump from the stage to the moshpit and play bass at the same time! Though their mix of stoner rock, psychedelia and punk was not really my cup of tea, I really enjoyed their performance, especially their speaks in-between songs, where they praised their little hometown of Kouvola, picked up fight with people of Helsinki and joked about syphilis the singer claimed to have. And after the set was over and the bassist and drummer left the stage, the vocalist-guitarist took off all his clothes, played the guitar with his manly parts with wah pedal on full, and finished the set by playing a short part of Star-spangled Banner. Really a live set you don't see every day.
Cirque du Soleil - Delirium (September 23rd, 2007 @ Jäähalli, Helsinki): One of the most amazing audiovisual shows I've ever seen. Just wow.
CMX (July 8th, 2006 @ Ruisrock, Turku): Though CMX is one of my favorite Finnish bands, I must admit that they're not that good live. Or maybe it's because they play live with their original, more punk attitude than in studio, which makes their pretty songs too harsh for me to enjoy.
CMX (July 5th, 2008 @ Ruisrock, Turku): Exactly the same thing as above. Maybe I should go see them play in a club to see if this is just a festival stint.
Cold Fairyland (February 6th, 2008 @ Tavastia, Helsinki): Actually I was attending this concert to see Magyar Posse play, but this artist was which made in the end the attendance worthwhile. Their amazing combination of western prog rock and Chinese folk music was simply stunning. If anyone has the chance to see them live, just do it! No excuses! You won't regret it.
Cynic (December 15th, 2008 @ Dante's, Helsinki): I hadn't heard them beforehand and they were supposed to be Opeth's warm-up act, but Opeth cancelled their show due to Åkerfeldt's sickness. However, they managed to arrange a show for Cynic with tickets a measly 4e, so I went to see them out of interest. And they were actually a nice surprise, though their overtly technical approach to music and songs lacking completely the traditional song structure made it a tad hard to get into their show. Maybe next time.
Dir en grey (August 5th, 2007 @ Ankkarock, Vantaa): Um, too much crowd to see them up close (though thank Bog 95% of their fans are teen girls, so I had no problems seeing over their heads with my not-so-tall build). However, the setlist was a disappointment for me, as most of the songs were from The Marrow of the Bone, the weakest of their albums to date IMNSHO. Too much grinding, unoriginal metalcore without melodies. Well, at least they played
THE FINAL.
Dir en grey (November 5th, 2007 @ Tavastia, Helsinki): This concert was loads better, I managed to get a lot closer than in Ankkarock, and they played a bit more older songs. The then-unreleased single,
DOZING GREEN, was amazing live, especially the intro drums, and playing
Riyuu (or Wake) as an encore was a huge surprise for me, which really made my day.
[setlist: Repetition of Hatred, Merciless Cult, Lie Buried With a Vengeance, Obscure Disabled Complexes, Rotting Root, The Final, Shokubeni, Dozing Green, Hydra -666-, Conceived Sorrow, Dead Tree, Ryoujoku no Ame, Grief, The Deeper Vileness, encore: Riyuu, Kodou, Agitated Screams of Maggots, Beautiful Dirt, Clever Sleazoid]
Don Johnson Big Band (December 22nd, 2007 @ Tavastia, Helsinki): Though I've seen them couple of times in festivals, they've been nothing compared to this gig. Their light show alone was incredible and one of the Finland's best violinists, Pekka Kuusisto, was playing with them with such enthusiasm I jsut couldn't help enjoying their show. And their vocalist's, Tommy Lindgren's senergy on-stage never ceases to amaze me. I really encourage people to go see this band live, fan or not.
Eläkeläiset (Can't remember the date, some park festival in summer 2008): The funniest gig I've ever seen. These guys really know how to keep themselves entertained, and the audience just gets entertained at the same time. They don't come to play to people, they come to fuck around and have fun. I really need to see them live more.
Ever Circling Wolves (July 4th, 2009 @ Lepakkomies, Helsinki): Well, the band's second gig ever, and the first one for the 75% of the band. Even though every band member (me included) said having played completely wrong here and there, during practically avery song, the people in the audience didn't hear anything going wrong and no-one was none the wiser. That's just how it goes. Almost 150 people attended, and we managed to buy ourselves supper from a grill bar after the concert with the ticket sales! Big thanks for
Chestburster and
Temples for playing with us!
[setlist: A Desperate Frolic, Picturesque Petrified, Dear Eva pt. 1, Dear Eva pt. 2, One Joyless Knight, Alone, Into the Silence of Ice]
Flogging Molly (July 4th, 2008 @ Ruisrock, Turku): It was incredible, some 10,000-15,000 people were there to see Floggers, and if you stopped for a moment from dancing, you could feel the actual ground beneath your feet going up and down to the beat of the music from the people jumping and dancing! Just wow.
Gojira (June 26th, 2009 @ Tuska, Helsinki): They were the opening act for the festival, and the main reason for me getting the ticket. Even though they played majority of the set from their most recent album, The Way of All Flesh, the show was probably the best in Tuska that year! Especially Joe Duplantier's stage presence was a perfect combination of furious energy and humble amazement of people coming to see them in such big numbers even though they played as early as 3pm in Friday. Playing Remembrance would've made the show perfect, but it was second to none even without it.
Hurt (June 20th, 2006 @ Nightlife, Helsinki): I got see this band's only gig in Finland to this date by attending some competition and winning attendance tickets for two. Though nothing really special, an acoustic set with just two of the band members, it was pretty amazing that they could make their songs sounds so full and complete with just two acoustic guitars. And even though I'm not really fan of their music, I must admit, that Wince's voice is pretty great, even when singing live.
Isis (June 30th, 2007 @ Tuska, Helsinki): The only reason I was in Tuska that year. Even playing in full sunlight, the band maintained their magical atmosphere, and the show was simply awesome. The only thing that bugged me a bit, was that they really didn't take any contact with the audience. Practically no-one even glanced at the audience, and Aaron said "thanks" one or twice. Well, maybe it was thair way of maintaining their mysterious aura or something. I don't care. The songs were what mattered. Thanks for
So Did We.
Ismo Alanko Teholla (July 6th, 2008 @ Ruisrock, Turku): I was a bit skeptical how good a two-member band would sound, but I must admit that they were nothing short of incredible. However, the most power they managed to get into their rendition of their Sielun Veljet cover,
Laulu, which was played mostly with only Ismo Alanko's acoustic guitar, and the final verse he sang without any accompaniment. That song was one of the most touching and moving performances I've ever seen. Period.
Kuusumun Profeetta (April 25th, 2009 @ Korjaamo, Helsinki): One of the weirdest performances I've seen, and practically only because of the band's singer-keyboardist-musical genius, Mika Rättö. He's just only of this kind. Bowing to no-one, he does what he thinks this world needs to be done. His stage costume alone (a leather cap, "wife beater" and moustache) were a complete show by themselves, with his unique singing voice being the second. They ended their set with an elongated jam while Rättö rambled on, spit spattering from his mouth, while marching like a soviet footman at the same time. There is not enough people like Rättö in this universe.
Lapko (January 2nd, 2009 @ Nosturi, Helsinki): I've seen Lapko about once a year from 2006, and I must admit that they've been getting better concert by concert. Originally it bugged me that when played live, their pretty, melancholic songs were played faster and cruder, making them losa most of what I liked in them. However it seems that the band has dropped their punkier stage aesthetics little by little and nowadays they sound live the way I like it. This concert was a good example of it, being a nice balance of new songs and old hits, all performed in a way that respects the studio recordings but adds the live energy to them.
Magyar Posse (February 6th, 2008 @ Tavastia, Helsinki): I had wanted to see this band live for a long time, but their mostly boring live set surprised me. I mean, their hypnotizing songs have so much potential for an energetic live show, but they just remained mainly still, everybody concentrated on their instruments. Except their violinist, Sandra Mahlamäki, who mainly giggled and joked with some people (most likely her friends) in the front row. Maybe I was expecting too much from this band, it being my favorite Finnish post-rock artist. Well, now I know better.
Manowar (June 27th, 2009 @ Provinssirock, Seinäjoki): SHIT NO. :DD I could stand looking them for some half an hour and even that was too much. I just don't understand how they can be so popular, even if people listen to them only as a joke! And it was insane, even when we sat several hundred yards away from the stage, we had to use earplugs, and it was too difficult to communicate even by screaming. The volume levels were simply ridiculous. And their costumes and stage speaks and everything. DO NOT WANT.
Metallica (May 28th, 2004 @ Olympiastadion, Helsinki): I wish I had seen them some 15 years beforehand. From what I've seen from their old concert footage, this show was a shadow of them, mainly an all-the-hits marathon, but without Orion and Fade to Black. Well, the old geezers still knew how to throw a decent show and especially Rob Trujillo's performance was great and energetic, but Metallica is an institution, not a band. How boring it is to hear "Metallica is here to rock you!" or "Metallica loves you" from the man who'd fuck arounf with audience and play guitar that told people to "eet fuk"?
Ministry (July 4th, 2008 @ Ruisrock, Turku): HELL YEAH. The lightshow and Al Jourgensen's snarling voice in the dark summer night was really a creepy sight, and the mosh pit was insane. Only during one song I managed to hurt one of my toes pretty bad there, and my friend lost his hearing from one ear for a few days. :D And let us not forget Al's coffin-shaped guitar! It was great seeing this band live before they called it quits.
My Dying Bride (June 28th, 2009 @ Tuska, Helsinki): Even though MDB's extremely depressing, slow music doesn't fit at all in the summer sun, they managed to give a great performance, what with Aaron Stainthorpe trembling or kneeling, hanging his head down in between his singing and all. Stage theatrics that'd look silly unless they'd fit so perfectly to their gloomy music. Especially the crushing despair and hypnotizing progression of
The Cry of Mankind was simply incredible. All in all, a great concert.
Neurosis (June 26th, 2009 @ Tuska, Helsinki): It was pretty ahrd for me to stand in the front row, dehydrated in the direct summer sunlight, sweating like a pig in my amazing pirate costume, and due to that I couldn't concentrate fully to their set. However, their concert was awesome, shifting from droning sludge to furious hardcore and back. The finale was really worthwhile seeing, first Scott Kelly knocking the mic stand down with his forehead, making his head bleed, Steve von Till following shortly afterwards beating the mic to his head until he started to bleed too, then both of them moving to percussions for the final percussive battery. I had no idea that so droning music could be charged with so much energy.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (June 28th, 2009 @ Provinssirock, Seinäjoki): The whole audience held their breath before the show to see if Nick had his moustache or not - and the amount of gasps and banter whin Nick finally entered the stage with his lip shaved was enormous. The set itself was amazing, Nick throwing jokes here and there about his moustache, and jumping around like crazy. His stage antics even made me at times nervous, because it seemed that he could fall down or hit somebody with his guitar anytime, but I guess he knows what he's doing, because noen of that happened. Only some problems with mic cord getting stuck here and there, but nothing worse. Also Warren Ellis, looking like a hobo with his big, bushy beard, did a great performance by himslef, playing his violin occasionally like a guitar, throwing himself to the ground and rolling there, playing his violin or tenor guitar furiously. And Conway Savage's decadent artist-look, what with his grog glass and cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth, was the coolest sight ever.
[setlist: Tupelo, Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!, Red Right Hand, Deanna, Midnight Man, The Ship Song, Henry Lee - Breathless - Jesus of the Moon, We Call Upon the Author, The Mercy Seat, There She Goes My Beatiful World,. The Weeping Song, Papa Won't Leave You Henry, Stagger Lee, Lucy, encore: Get Ready for Love, Love Letter, Let the Bells Ring]
Nine Inch Nails (April 10th, 2007 @ Jäähalli, Helsinki): The show's opening was one of the weirdest ever. Roadies were there putting the stage up and everything, and suddenly Trent Reznor was there too, carrying stuff, but no-one seemed to realize it and all the lights were on and everything. He carried some guitars, talked to some people there, walked around, walked to the microphone, and then all the lights except one went out, and only then did the audience seem to realize that Trent was there. What's wrong with the people? Anyways, NIN's set was great, and especially Aaron North's wild stage antics were constantly drawing attention from Trent's furious output. Simply put, a great show.
Opeth (July 8th, 2006 @ Ruisrock, Turku): People whined that Opeth's music didn't work if played outdoors in the sunlight, but in my opinion, it worked really well! A great set of songs, though the buggers played a set 10 minutes shorter than they had time reserved. Also this was the time I heard
Deliverance the first time in my life, and I was honestly blown away by the hypnotizing outro riffery.
Opeth (February 15th, 2009 @ Kaapelitehdas, Helsinki): Opeth kept their promise, and played a concert in Helsinki after cancelling their show in December. Though the cable factory is not the best place to play concerts, Opeth still threw a great concert and kept the audience entertained for the whole evening. Many people complained about Åkerfeldt's choice of having a short jukebox-set after getting frustrated of people shouting song names between the songs, but I found it pretty hilarious, relieving the atmosphere and showing that even though their music might be deep, the band is not so serious. So during this short set, everytime somebody shouted a song name, the band would play the first riff or two, stop abruptly, and Mikael saying blatantly to the mic "next." I don't get it how people could get pissed with this short set of musical stand-up comedy!
Placebo (June 26th, 2009 @ Provinssirock, Seinäjoki): I had heard that Placebo's last gig in Finland was a disappointment, Molko looking like he wouldn't care less playing in Helsinki, they going through their set with minimum effort, so I was a bit prepared for this concert. Fortunately my expectations were not met, Placebo was awesome and Molko was playing and performing with full energy. Even though it seemed that they'd play mainly the songs off their newest album (Battle for the Sun, which seems to be pretty dull), they started to include more and more of their towards the end of their set and if not counting Blind and Twenty Years, they played every single one of my favorite songs (and there's quite a lot of them!). Especially the edgier and distorted rendition of
Sleeping With Ghosts was simply brilliant! With Nick Cave's gig, this was the best concert of the festival.
Porcupine Tree (December 15th, 2007 @ Jäähalli, Helsinki): An amazing set that included both new material and oldies goldies (such as
Hatesong and
A Smart Kid). In addition to the band's small but yet noteworthy stage presence, the animations in the backdrop and the lightshow were nothing but incredible, especially the breaking waves in the third part of the gargantuan
Anesthetize, and the music video to
Way Out of Here. I'm waiting eagerly for their next concert in Autumn!
Riverside (November 9th, 2007 @ Nosturi, Helsinki): A decent gig, with nothing special. Still it really was worth attending, because even though they were not that much of showmen, the songs worked very well live.
Röyhkä ja Rättö ja Lehtisalo (June 13th, 2009 @ Provinssirock, Seinäjoki): OH YOUR GOD YES Rättö is divine. Though their set was pretty nice, Kauko Röyhkä doing most of the frontman's job with his charsima of Finland's own version of Morrissey, practically everyone was holding their breath with an insane leer when the bamd broke into a hysterious jam while Rättö rose from his seat and started to do a hilarious kung-fu-performance, shouting complete nonsense in the process. And some people who managed to break their eye contact with Rättö's mezmerizing perormance might have wondered why there was a person dressed as a gorilla standing in the right side of the stage, doing nothing. I guess it was there just to see if people could see a gorilla onstage if Rättö is performance his own, feverish rendition of kung fu.
Stam1na (June 28th, 2009 @ Tuska, Helsinki) These guys honestly how to throw an entertaining performance. They were aware that Immortal had played the night before yesterday, so the band had painted their own faces in corpse paint too. Also their speaks between their songs reflected this (Hyrde doing classic Immortal-poses or shouting "Norja PERKELE!" (Hell yeah, Norway!)). However, things took a weird turn, when they were supposed to perform a guitar solo -duel, and the PA went crazy. Instead of hearing anything what they were playing, there was only some white noise, which lasted for few minutes, and then nothing. After the next song started, the only sound that the band managed to make came from their backline, and the PA was up and running only moments before the song was finished. Also some utter jackass decided to throw a bottle at the drummer during their encore song, and the band left the stage 15 minutes early. But even with these complications Stam1na managed to give off an amazing gig, which was probably the best out of the three I've seen.
Subspace Radio (November 9th, 2007 @ Nosturi, Helsinki): They were the warm-up act for Riverside, and I was surprised how boring could progressive metal get. Basically it was completely uninteresting version of Dream Theater, which isn't much, as I'm not that big fan of DT. Mainly the audience seemed to look everywhere around them but the band during their show.
The Faceless (June 27th, 2009 @ Tuska, Helsinki): I saw their vocalist buying ice cream the day after their concert! :D Anyhow, they threw a nice set, even though I didn't know any of their songs. The only downside was their pretty minimal performance, which left pretty little to see if you didn't know the songs. Only this amazing black dude who was one of their two guitarists moved around a bit more, thrashing his head around and moving like you should when playing music as crushing as The Faceless.
The Ocean (December 15th, 2008 @ Dante's, Helsinki): I had no idea what expect from this band, but I was very positively surprised after their set. Their stage antics were so aggressive I was amazed no-one got hurt, and the music worked really good. Too bad they had problems with their samples as their Macintosh crashed so they had to manage without them, but to me, it didn't matter one bit. Great music, amazing show.
The Smashing Pumpkins (March 3rd, 2008 @ Jäähalli, Helsinki): Well, I really went to see them because of their older songs, and lucky me, they played quite a decent amount of them. After all, I found Zeitgeist pretty dull, and nothing like the older works of Pumpkins - it seems that Corgan lost his edge as a songwriter after Machina. Though some new songs were played, there were also good old songs like
Today,
Cherub Rock and
Bullet With Butterfly Wings. They also played a grungier and edgier version of
Ava Adore, and even though I've never been that fond of
Try, Try, Try, I was completely mezmerized by it there. The things that bugged me a bit were that Ginger Reyes seemed to play most of the songs an octave higher, and thus the low end of the bass was almost nonexistent, and that it seemed that Pumpkins is not a band anymore, but Corgan, Chamberlin and some random musicians who you couldn't care less, because the live musicians didn't really do anything. The only people in the spotlight were Billy and Jimmy. IMO that is a bit too much from Corgan, no matter how big an ego he has. Oh well, enough with this rant. A great gig by mr Corgan and mr Chamberlin. I only wish that James Iha and ´d'Arcy would've been there too.
[setlist: Porcelina of the Vast Oceans, Behold! the Night Mare, Bring the Light, Tonight, Tonight, Mayonaise, Try, Try, Try, Superchrist, (Come On) Let's Go!, Stellar, Perfect, Lily (My One and Only), The Rose March, Today, Tarantula, Stand Inside Your Love, Ava Adore, Drown, Bullet with Butterfly Wings, 1979, That's the Way (My Love Is), My Blue Heaven, The Everlasting Gaze, Cash Car Star, jam (Easy Livin' by Uriah Heep, Foreplay by Boston, For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield, Wasted Years by Iron Maiden), encore: Cherub Rock]
Tool (July 9th, 2006 @ Ruisrock, Turku): The gig I had waited more than any other to this date, and it was ruined by one asshole. Though I expected to see a lot of people there, the sheer amount of people who turned up and the crowd pressure up front surprised me completely. You couldn't move, because you were stuck from four sides, and when songs kicked off, you just moved along with the crowd, feet off the ground. However, that wasn't the problem. The problem was that we had turned up one and half hours before the gig to be as close to the band as possible, some asshat appeared beside us some 5 minutes before the band started playing, couldn't get any further and lit up a joint. No problem there. The problem started when the songs started, because he thought it was cool to have his own 1-man moshpit, hurting everyone around him. No, we couldn't move away form him, because of the crowd pressure. No, we couldn't tell him to stop, because we did several times, and it didn't help one bit. No, we couldn't hurt him to make him stop, because we did, and he told us that "it hurt" when we rammed an elbow to his stomach, and then continued to hit us. We spent 75% of the concert preparing for the next blow, so surprisingly we couldn't see that much. AND WHO THE FUCK IS MOSHPITTING DURING THE SLOW PART OF
Pushit?! Idiot. That concert would've been a billion times better if we could've moved only a few feet away from him. Well, at least the set list was great.
Lapko
