I'm putting this blog out because I've been following this band for nearly a decade. It's been ten years, out of 15 years listening to their music. I have gone from teenager to grown-up, and I still cherish the memories.
I figured I'd have all the reviews in one place.
Feel free to comment!
The Final Countdown anniversary show - the actual review pt.2
As the last notes of “War of Kings” faded out, so did the lights, and the stage turned dark. Up on the screens a film began, showing 8 album covers, starting with “War of kings”, then going backwards in time. Each depicted album cover had the year of the release sticking to it; “Start from the dark”, it appeared, had been released in 2005... oooops! It continued counting down through "Prisoners in Paradise" and "Out of this world", all the way down to 1986, and the album “The final countdown”.
Once again the screens were black, before an image appeared of an old (ancient) computer with a thick layer of dust. On the ‘enter’-key it said “The final countdown”. The screen on the computer came to life, showing green programming script on a black background: “Final Countdown - Processing”. The rumble had already began, and soon we could hear - what appeared to be clearer than ever before - the synthesizer intro that had hurled these five young men from the Stockholm suburbs into world fame over night 30 years ago. I don’t know if it was the acoustics of the theatre, or the thrill of the moment, but when the prerecorded intro went into the actual live playing, I could hear no distinction. No offense to the live tracks back in ‘86 and ‘87, but the sound of the keyboard onstage always sounded a bit too distinct from the prerecorded one. Not tonight, though... as I said, it could have been the locale, it could have just been wishful thinking, but to me it was perfection.
One impression from watching a clip of this song on YouTube some weeks later: When the pre-recorded intro ended and the "live" part began, you can see that the lighting on the stage and the puff of smoke is very reminiscent of the music video of the song back in 1986. Even if I didn't discover it until afterwards, I think I will let that fact morph into my own memory of how I perceived it at Cirkus as well. It's brilliant! The attention to detail and clear nod to the past!
Another aspect that fueled my thrill of hearing this song this night was the fact that it was just the beginning, not the end! I have had more than a few times of hearing the intro, then choking up, because it signals the end of another great show. But now it would be followed by 9 more songs! I was still in my home-knitted sweater at this point, but even after all those hours of standing on my feet; the song, the occasion, and the happiness kept me off my feet for the biggest part of the song; jumping up and down whenever Joey urged us to.
At one point Joey stooped down to give out a few handshakes, and my disappointment was great when he took first one hand right next to me, then another one, and then he stood back up. It was like a flashback to my second gig (Rockefeller 2004). But just as he did back then, he came back one more time, to take just one more hand in his, and this happened to be mine. Joey has some really big hands on him, my hand felt so small!
I’ve gotten quite used to being recognized from up on stage over the years. Tonight however, I didn’t feel that happening, not even during the handshake. What I noticed instead was a pack of energy-drugged grown men. I am a saxophonist, and I’ve been performing quite a few times. Initially after playing a concert, if anyone asks me how it went, I can’t answer, because my mind is all fuzzy, due to the extreme concentration it takes to perform something as well as rehearsed. In retrospect, I think this was what I saw in Joey that night. He couldn’t have recognized us in the audience if he had tried; all his focus was on performing the concert as perfectly as he could, all the while being hit with the adrenaline only performing for a sold out theatre packed with dedicated fans can produce. I mean, the band must have been halfway to heaven; they had finished half of their set, getting a massive response, and they still had to hold their focus for several songs to go; a few of which they hadn’t performed live in a very long time!
I was however very happy with my hand-holding-moment. When the song started to draw to a close, I remember thinking “which outro are they gonna use? Are they gonna use the one they did at the beginning of the shows in 1986, or the one they used on the reprise of the song at the end of the song?” It turned out, they used neither. It was a quick fade, before starting up “Rock the night”. Now it was definitely time to loose the woolen sweater!
Disclaimer: This part following now wasn't written until 3 months after the shows. I will try to share my impressions as well as I can remember them.
On "Rock the night", the 80's feeling began in full. No, the band didn't change their clothes or pull on wigs; they played the song like it was just another show. This I would've found a bit disappointing had it not been for the fact that the screen now showed clips from the band and the fans from the 80's. It was like watching those VHS-tapes from Stein-Vidar again, or browsing through old magazines featuring Europe. There were big-haired fans wearing timely clothes and make-up, there were pictures big crowds filling huge arenas all over the world.
I have previously written about how being at the front row at a Europe concert is like being at the disco with your friends, all coming out to dance to the song they like best. Except in a Europe show it's all of the songs. Being surrounded by fans during "Rock the night" at this concert was like chilling with my mate Thomas. He was also in the venue tonight, only a bit further back. But the feeling was there; just chilling (and at the same time rocking, 'cause du'uh, no couch to sit on!), sharing the same interest for the magical era. No matter how you twist and turn it, there's no hiding the fact that absolute most of the fans discovered the band Europe in the 80s. Or, if you like me discovered them later, you discovered the band Europe FROM the 80s.
So, it felt like geeking at the hairdos, the clothes, the different concerts displayed onscreen (even if it was just stills, I bet some fans could pick out a picture naming the country or the year or the venue). Hope that makes sense...
When "Carrie" began, the pace of the photos on the screen went down to fit the song. And the pictures now showing was another tribute to the fans. In early October, the band had asked fans on their Facebook page to send in their own photos with Europe, with Europe memorabilia, or from concerts in the past. And now some lucky fans got to see their own faces up on the screens, posing with their collection, or sporting Europe clothes, or meeting the band back in the day. I knew a lot of the faces, and enjoyed the pictures.
I have perchance mentioned a couple of times that Carrie isn't my favourite song. It is, however, a very unique feeling to stand in a venue like Cirkus and sing your heart out at the chorus on special occasions such as this.
Have I mentioned how great the soundscape was? The collaboration between the venue itself and the excellent sound technician was displayed brilliantly on Carrie, as well as the next song
Which was "Danger on the track"! Now the focus was back on the men on stage and the brilliant lights illuminating them. It could have just been a lucky day regarding my hearing, but on this song I came to truly appreciate the job Mic and Ian do on chorusing! It felt so wonderful to have that extra element, fused together with a very prominent and majestic synthesizer, which in turn did not drown out the insistent, prowling guitar. I loved all of it!! Especially the keyboards on this song. I have heard the song live at least once before; Europe played "Danger" in Lakselv in 2008. But I have never heard it this ... true to its origin. And it worked!
Next came Ninja, and this song was pure energy. What I have already said about "Danger" can also be said about "Ninja". I loved the cheesy synth-bridge that came right before the guitar solo, and the solo itself was so loyal to its origin.
I always LOVE Cherokee. Regarding authenticity, I wasn't thrilled when they changed the opening of Cherokee (Cherokee old intro vs new ) Least of all because my head couldn't wrap itself around what I had heard. So it left me a bit dazed and confused. But the joy soon took over. Joey vocalizing (as on the recorded version) into the guitar solo which in turn played out perfectly in to the most perfect keyboard solo was ecstacy overload. There's a reason the word musicgasm exists! I forgive you, Europe!
Next came a song that I have a tendency to forget exists. I have heard it live before; I actually heard it on my very first Europe concert (and theirs to, if I ever gave you an opportunity to forget the fact) in 2004. It didn't leave a big impression then. But it certainly did this time. The intro to "Time has come" left me open-mouthed and a bit starry eyed. It certainly didn't hurt that the beautiful lights created a most magical mood. The screens showed images portrayed in the lyrics of the song, and it showed once again that Europe had taken the concert experience to the next level. The magic didn't end until Joey closed with a soulful "Now the time has come.. for me to come back hooome".
True to the order of songs on the album, "Heart of stone" came next, and confirmed once again how many hours of rehearsal the band had put into this show. The chorusing was again pitch perfect, the keys and the strings just went hand in hand like lovers; the bass and the drums was the rhythm of life to us all. I had been looking forward to this particular song since the announcing of the shows back in March, so I can't imagine I stood much still during this song. I had way to much fun! I particularly like the drum "stops" in this song. It's so alive!
Next came a song I knew EVERYONE was very eager to experience. "On the loose" had last been played in 1990. 24 years ago. They really didn't disappoint! It was "taking out your last ounce of energy!"-time. Or, that's what I thought, because I couldn't think of another song from the album. So when "Love Chaser" started, I thought "But... isn't that one on the 'Out of this world' album?" I mixed it up with "More than meets the eye" đđ
I think Love Chaser reinstated itself as one of my favourite songs that night. It's a really good song, and it showed a very close-knit quintet back then, who might have grown apart in the early 90s, but are back better than ever in 2016!
And the finale was just as on the "Solna"-gig in 1986, and the "Hammersmith"-gig in 1987... it was the short version of "The song that kicked it all off", from after the guitar solo towards the end, with the time-true outtro.
After the band had left the stage and the lights had been lit again, and we could move more freely around in front of the stage, I approached other fans to let them know what a fantastic time I had had, and to ask them what they had thought. Only trouble was, I couldn't speak. Not for the lack of voice, i think that was very much intact. No, every time I opened my mouth I just laughed. I giggled. I jumped up and down. I hugged people. I fanned the air in front of my face. And I laughed. Thomas later showed me a video clip he filmed some 20 minutes after the show ended, where I had gotten my speech back, and you can hear his voice asking the people around him what they thought, huh? All of War of Kings, and all of The final countdown?", and there's me, looking into the camera, able to say "All of... all of... wooh!"
The venue “Cirkus pĂ„ Kungliga DjurgĂ„rden” is a beautiful theatre that can host a crowd of 1700 people. Europe’s show had been sold out for a month before the concert, so 1700 excited people were gathering excitedly in front of the stage or in the seats in the surrounding gallery. I was one of the 20 or so people that had a number on the back of their hands due to excessive queuing since early that morning, and were walking calmly into the venue to get to the front row. I was joined by my Norwegian friend Atle, who placed himself behind me, and would keep me safe from the potential mosh pit. I was standing Norum-side (that is right side of the stage to those who don’t know Europe very well), almost directly in front of this eminent guitar player.
Back in 1998/1999, as the internet came into people’s everyday lives; through a mix-tape, Europe came into mine. Through signing the guestbook of an online Europe fan page, I got in touch with Stein-Vidar, the webmaster of said fan page. As we were both from Norway - nearly 2000 km from each other, but still - we got talking. Stein, as a devote collector for many years, owned a lot of Europe stuff, like music videos, live shows etc. Lucky as I had been to find this friend, I felt even luckier when he sent me two whole VHS tapes filled with Europe. Then I got to see the band as well as listen to them. There were music videos, the Hammersmith show from ‘87, the Viña del Mar show from 1990 and other treats. And so, through listening to and watching Europe, I became a fan of the 80s. I have now watched the aforementioned recorded Europe concerts countless times, and through the ages, I can say that I have always dreamed of being at one of their concerts from the 80s. So naturally, I was very eager to know how they were gonna take us back to the year it all began...
The stage wasn’t the biggest one, but it had room for all of our guys; the walls on the back of the stage had two big screens, one on each side. There were no other on-stage decorations; normally Europe has decorations from the album they’re touring for. However; in the upper left and right corners “outside” the stage, there were some theatre decĂłr; a sort of figurehead used on a ship (read; naked woman with curves), and a winged, bare-chested man beside her. It was all very theathrical, and didn’t really give the vibe of a sold-out ice-hockey stadium from 1986. But standing here, knowing that Europe filmed the music video for their “Prisoners in Paradise”-single “I’ll cry for you” on these very premises, certainly gave me a feeling of experiencing some authentic Europe history, both from 1991 and 2016.
After 29 gigs, I have seen some very good support bands, some less worthwhile, and some downright forgettable ones. Warming up for Europe tonight was ‘Tax the heat’. They were really great, and I couldn’t help but dance, smile and shake, but that is all I’m going to say about them, ‘cause Europe deserve some undivided attention for this particular show.
It was nearly 9:p.m, the stage was set up for our kings, the light went down, and something was happening on the screens: Text announced that this night, Europe would take us back to where it all began, to experience the emotions and the songs. “... But first .... Only for you ... The whole experience of War of Kings”
I remember being shocked. Neither in a positive nor in a negative way, just shocked. Truth be told; it was a bit anticlimactic; the way Europe had done it. By building up expectations and emotions, and *bam*, suddenly slamming this new information in our faces. I could already feel tension within at those two first words “...but first...” I had of course known before the concert that Europe had some surprises for us; they had promised to play some never-played songs from their recent albums ... But it wasn’t albumS. It was one album.... The setlist was already there: First “War of Kings”, THEN the full “Final Countdown”. After the intial shock settled, my mind got to work: “I’m gonna hear ‘Angels with broken hearts’! And... oh... ‘Light it up’....” So, my confusion and, let’s face it, my tiny sense of betrayal, had to make way for the growing sense of excitement and joy! Two whole albums live! Wow!
And “wow” it was. From the first song, an album track I had really enjoyed from the first time I heard it; “Hole in my pocket” took it away. It became apparent at the very first notes that the screens had not been there for simple announcement; they were now showing a city from a helicopters point of view. The next song was “Second Day”, and the lights on the stage just worked so brilliantly with the images shown up on the screens. I really believe I wasn’t the only one marvelling at how this was an entirely new Europe concert experience. I had maybe half a minute here and there where I forgot to pay attention to the musicians on the stage, because I was following the brilliant screenplay and the fantastic lights. “Praise you” (fantastic imagery on the screens) and “Nothing to ya” (brilliant livesong!) then followed; both of which I have heard live before.
Then there was a keyboard intermezzo. A nice solo from our man on the keyboard, Mic. It wasn’t long however, before the intro melted into the first never-before-played song “California 405”. It was as good hearing it live as I imagined back in the spring of 2015! The vibe of the song is so chill, it just makes you want to groove.
The band members onstage this night was hard at work, presenting to the audience song they had never before performed live. They spent nearly all their energy and stage presence on playing the songs correctly, following each other through the verses, bridges and choruses. There wasn’t much energy left to simply let go and flirt with the audience. And I simply loved them even more for it. These guys are so serious about their work! Still, even though they spent a lot of energy trying (and overall succeeding) to get it perfect, they managed to look towards the crowd now and then.
When “Angels with broken hearts” came, I stood mesmerized, just enjoying the mellow men onstage performing the song ever so soulfully. I know this song like the back of my own hand, so I noticed some less-than-perfect passages in the beginning, but they all came back to perfection in the next verse, so I was over the moon. Again, the screens were complementing the stage performance very nicely.
What they did during “Days of Rock’n’Roll” was the first of many tributes to their fans. They were performing the song onstage, while the screens showed the music video of that song; filmed in Manchester and Wolverhampton during their "War of Kings" UK-tour in March 2015. I could just imagine the joy of those in tonight’s crowd who had been there on those shows. It was fun seeing them up on the screens, knowing they were somewhere in the front row this night as well! I was also paying close attention while John Norum performed his guitar solo perfectly, in perfect sync with his music video self. Absolutely iron-clad genious!
I had not thought that this show would give me new favourite songs; certainly not from “War of Kings”! But that’s exactly what happened when Mic introduced the next song. I go to a different, happier place whenever he starts flirting with those oriental scales; the minor fall; the major lift. I almost expected No Stone Unturned. The same materials are used in that song. But no, this was proving to be “Children of the mind”. With fantastic lights as always, this was yet an out-of-this-worldly music experience like “Angels” had been.
John Norum took very good care of my “happy place”-feeling when he took it all the way down on “Vasastan”. He never ceases to amaze me; the way he can stand in front of a sold-out crowd of 2000 or 5000 people, and caress his strings so tenderly that his notes hits each heartstring soft and contently. My only wish is that he stops using this particular song to beckon the audience for the roaring approval that we so willingly give.
When the next song came, I was sure it was another song that I had heard them play live many times before. It took me quite a while to realise the reason this song was so familiar to me, is because I had played it so many times at home. So my joy of hearing “Light it up” came a little slower than the other people in the crowd; I was too busy having a really good time. After the first full verse and chorus, I started getting psyched to hear the bridge. It’s the bridge of all bridges; when Mic reigns for a couple of bars with a little input from Norum, before Norum delves into his solo. Those few bars, with Mic on the keys and Ian beating the rhythm; that is a proper build-up to ecstacy! It is as musically sexy as it gets! However; John was a little premature in his solo in Stockholm, and Joey took some of the magic away by choosing that time to announce “Go Johnnie!”. Luckily, I got to experience the show in London as well, a few and here is a little video from that magic happening:
Anyway; back to the Cirkus: They rounded off the “War of Kings” set with the majestic title track; the screens once again showing the accompanying music video. The crowd was happy, the band was happy, and then it was all set for the second act; “The final countdown”.
My story starts Friday 19th August at Oslo Central Station at 09.30. My train leaves in 4 minutes, I’ve just been walking around the station gathering supplies, so now I’m stocked up on coffee, Coca Cola, a bottled smoothie, a really nice club sandwich and some chocolate for my train ride to Ă ndalsnes, then bus to Ă lesund. My Facebook status reads
"(…) it's Joey's birthday and also the day before my 29th concert. I've already started my trip towards Ă lesund. Looks like a clear day so the scenery should be epic.» I’ve got a new book from an author I really like, so the 7.5 hours ride should go pretty smoothly."
When leaving Oslo, it’s just the city, and then a few tunnels till you’re at Oslo Airport, and it takes a few hours for the real sights to appear, but I’m keeping myself entertained, with music and my book, and a little bit of social media on my phone. I should probably save the battery more, cause it’s a long trip, and my new phone is a battery eater, but I’m in control.. I can stop whenever I want …. Finally I’m able to put away my phone, the landscape outside the window is now more countryside. The grass and the trees are still summer green, there’s only some occasional auburn seasoning of the treetops here and there to tell you that autumn is waiting. I’m passing rivers and streams which are oh so merry and blue. Occasionally I see a cottage with thick, green grass instead of roof tiles, it’s a fairytale landscape, but nothing compared to what’s coming! I’m finding it hard to keep my face passive, I’m actually sitting there half smilin’ although the concert is not ‘till tomorrow, even though I’ve been up since half past six!
You know what it’s like with long rides, though… You just wanna check Facebook one more time, you want to take a picture here, and listen to a song, and end up listening to the whole album. The battery is showing it’s critically low, so I make a decision to put it away. The pictures I want to take for this review (which I have already started writing in my head, in english) I’ve already taken! I was in this particular area for 4 days in July with my girlfriend and her family, experiencing the best of Norway’s spectacular scenery, even bathing in the green rivers filled with glacier water! Now the mountains are wilder-looking, one of the bridges we’re passing is … words elude me on this one, see for yourselves:
And now I see the mountains of Ă ndalsnes. I know I said I had taken lots of pictures in July but I just… can’t … help … it … just … one … more …. «Oh, the view is even better here» *click*. Battery power 2% … I might still yet make it. The last half an hour before the train arrives in Ă ndalsnes must be THE reason why so many tourists come here every year. When arriving in Ă ndalsnes I’m experiencing the same sensation as the first time I came here: dizziness, nausea and butterflies in my stomach. It’s like car sickness mixed with anticipation, but I’m not car sick, I’m just totally overwhelmed and in love with the mountains. They make me feel so small and insignificant. As you might have guessed; when I’m boarding the bus to Ă lesund, my battery is all out, and I have no physical student card to show the bus driver, so I have to pay the full adult ticket, costing me 100 NOK more than I planned for. But it was worth it.
I was never a big fan of Geography when I was in school. Memorizing the names of the deepest oceans, the longest rivers, the widest lakes or the biggest fjords was not in my interest at the time. I grew up near a lake called Holsfjorden, connected to Tyrifjorden, so all my life I thought a fjord was a lake, and that a lake was a fjord. I learned the error of this some time last year, but while on the bus from Ă ndalsnes I really realize for the first time what makes a fjord so intriguing to people from other countries. I ask the couple in front of me who sound like they’re from abroad if they know the name of the fjord we have been driving next to for nearly an hour now, and they give me a map that tells me it’s Romsdalsfjorden.
A new pop culture reference slams into my head; Slartibartfast. He is a character in Douglas Adams’ book series «A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy». Slartibartfast is a «designer of planets. His favourite part of the job is creating coastlines, the most notable of which are the fjords found on the coast of Norway on planet Earth, for which he won an award.»
I can’t really say what it is about fjords that suddenly is so mesmerizing to me. Maybe this is about size too… The mountains and islands seems to go straight down into the body of water, the bus is driving through tunnels and over bridges, and the water outside of the bus is the same fjord that you have been driving by for almost 2 hours, you expect the next big turn to show you the ocean, but then it’s another mountain in the distance. It’s just epic! My kind host HK meets me at the bus station near Ă lesund, and we go out with friends that night, before going back to his house where I get the guest room.
Through my years travelling in, with and to see Europe, I’ve experienced some fantastic hospitality. This time is no exception. I have acquired a lot of friends and acquiantances through all my years studying, going to concerts and parties. I can’t really say I know exactly where everyone lives. So a month before the gig I made a shout out to my friends and acquaintances of Facebook asking if there was someone who could offer me a sofa for a few nights in or near Ă lesund. A relatively new acquaintance, Hans Kato, heeded my call. He even told me he made some really mean breakfasts.
A couple of days before my departure to Ă lesund, he contacted me to ask what I’d like to eat, offering quite a range of choices for breakfast. This was also one of the reasons I was smiling on the journey to Ă lesund; I was looking forward to all of it, not just the music!
So, when I get up all rested on Saturday morning I take a shower, and the unmistakable sounds of breakfast-making comes from the kitchen, accompanied by a delicious smell. Hans Kato serves me Morrocan omelet; fried eggs with garlic, chili and ginger, with red onion and sweet cherry tomatoes; it’s the most perfect start to a concert day, all full of proteins and vitamins. The recipe may sound hot, but it is actually very balanced; sweet and seasoned all in one.
Hans Kato isn’t that into Europe, he isn’t going to the concert, but almost by mistake I discover that we share a common interest for Nightwish, so we spend some hours listening to, goofing over and really appreciate some fine Nightwish-songs while I am going to and from the mirror in the hallway to the sofa in the living room trying to get the make-up just right! I am relaxed, not stressing about going to the venue really early to maybe catch the sound of soundcheck. I still ride on a wave of energy; this time provided by Nightwish music that I haven’t listened to in a while. Safe to say, HK isn’t just an aquaintance anymore, I can honestly say we’ve become friends.
My newfound friend drives me to Ă lesund (it takes a little while by car and a 15 minute ferry ride to get there), and drops me of an hour before the festival opens for the day, I’m gonna catch some PokemĂłns while waiting, exploring a new city and just get to walk a bit, in the hot sun. Caught myself a Pikachu and a lot of Magikarps. Yes, I know; I’m 30 years old, and cell phone games aren’t cool when you’re 30. So maybe I should’ve kept it out of the review? Nah, I like it, it’s fun, and you wasn’t expecting to read it. So there :P
I eat a sandwich and a couple of carrots before entering the big Color Line Stadium where Europe is due at 21.20 p.m. My first impression of the stages (there are two) are that they are a bit small, you can’t even tell if the one is bigger than the other, so how do I know where Europe will appear? Oh right, look after clues. Clue number one: I spot an Italian girl sitting on the ground with her back to the fence in front of one of the stages where a band is currently playing. Impersonating Sherlock it wouldn’t take me long to deduce by the fact that she’s sitting there reading a book, that she’s not here for the current band. By the amount of stuff she’s brought, one could deduce that she is experienced at going to festivals and waiting for a long time in order to secure a good spot. Her warm clothes also shows that she’s used to a warmer climate.
I didn’t deduce any of that; I know she’s Italian ‘cause it’s a girl I know; Valerie. I have only ever met Valerie while in Norway. But still, I have met her more than three times. Not for a long time now though! I sit next to her, also ignoring the band on stage, and we catch up a bit. Looking around inside the stadium I see balloons in different colours on the various sides of the stadium. One has «WC» on it, and is hovering in a direct line over the signs to the toilets. Another balloon shows where the exit is. Smart, for when the stadium will be filled with people, already there are people sitting in the seats around the stadium. Having some experience with Europe playing in Norway, I am not really expecting a full stadium, but judging by the flow of people passing when I was eating my lunch, it should fill up quite good.
Looking around further, there’s also a big banner there advertising Burn, the energy drink. The slogan reads «Light it up». I smile to myself; this is one of the songs on the most current Europe album; War of Kings. I see more people I know, funnily enough they are all from not Norway. Michaela, like Valerie, has travelled from Italy, and Kelly has come from Glasgow. Through them I meet Cindy who is also Italian.
The only artist I want to mention before Europe hits the stage is Ina Wroldsen, a norwegian singer. Her voice is so clear, and she certainly know how to use it! Her next to last song is Space Oddity by David Bowie. Only its' several keys higher than anyone has ever sung it before, I think. And still she manage to sing beautifully! Check her out sometime, if you get the chance!
After Ina and her band (a dj, a keyboardplayer, a guitarist and a drummer) leaves the stage, the crowd is thinning again, to check out the band playing on the other stage. I decide to find a toilet, just in case. I ask Kelly and Michaela to save my spot. They pledge to try. When I get back, I find there are quite a crowd in front of the stage, but I still get a spot … right in front of Joey’s white mic stand. And I mean RIGHT in front of it! Suddenly the stage doesn’t seem so small. It’s perfect height, the front row fence is set 5-6 metres away from the stage. Close to the stage, maybe half a metre out, there’s a row of tall amps. Not as tall as the stage, but tall enough. In front of those are another row of amps, half the height of the big ones. Pay attention; This will become important later ... Our band enters the stage, and although small, the stage is not cramped. The band has space to move around. The first three songs is as always all about the press. The photographers are all over the band members. But I feel that at this concert, the press is also very intent on capturing the audience, I even catch some photographers trying to get my crazed (but well groomed for once) face on their cameras. So I might have been a little extra crazy, trying to represent my band as best as I could in terms of devotion. I think I succeeded.
I told you I didn’t think the stadium would fill up. It does. People everywhere! Of course this cause for a bit of drama, people getting shoved into other people, creating uncertainty in the front rows now and then. But I get to keep my focus on the band. I didn’t tell you, but there are big screens on either side of the stage, so that the people watching from the seats and further back can also see the artists performing. Europe is being filmed from down on the ground in front of the stage and on the actual stage. The overlapping between cameras is smooth, and the camera men manage to not not take the focus off the concert. But poor guys … when Joey jumps down on one of the aforementioned hig amps, further down on the lower amp, and then onto the ground in front of the audience…. He is reaching out to the audience, running from one side to the other, and I can almost feel the confusion and frustration coming from the camera men «Now what do I do??» What becomes more and more apparent while Joey is down right in front of us, however, is the question: «How does he get up again? There’s more than two steps up from the highest amp to the stage, AND there’s a half a metre gap between those two!» It seems to me that Joey is working these same questions, cause he is taking his time down on the ground with us.
He goes back up on one of the smaller amps, sings a little bit there. Then he goes onto one of the bigger amps, and it takes me a bit longer to realize that the security guys have also been working on the problem. The solution to the confusion is provided by one of the security guys, he lends his shoulder (!) to Joey as the missing step between the tallest amp and the stage.
Speaking of security guys... For those of you that have attended one or more Europe gigs the past 4 years, you may have noticed parts of the entertainment routine Europe does. One is John Norum stopping to play a phrase, then putting his hand behind is ear and looking encouraging out into the audience, as if to say “so, do you think I’m good? I wanna hear ya!” Joey has a call and response-thing during Rock the night (I’ll come back to that in a second), and he has this thing where he lowers his microphone beside one of the security guys, maybe this time they will actually sing into it? Well, today’s victim is with his back to the stage, looking out into the crowd to make sure things go smoothly. Michaela is trying to mimick to him that he has a microphone beside his head now. He is smiling, and giving her a thumbs up or something. I take part in the mimicking and pointing, so he understands there’s something going on at his side.... The look of this guy when he very visibly jumps with surprise is just hilarious! Thank you Joey, that was priceless!
Anyway; like in Karlskoga 6 years ago, the sound is so clear, the lighting is as always perfect! It has just been 7 weeks since I last saw Europe live, so the set list hasn’t changed that much, except they played “Cherokee”! I haven’t heard that song live in 3 years, so when I hear Ian taking it away, I can feel my tonsils vibrating as I yell “Jaaaaaaaa!”.
Speaking of Norwegian words, Joey has a tendency to pick up the local expressions. Like for instance he’s saying “Tusen takk!” (Norwegian) Instead of “Tack sĂ„ mycket!” (Swedish). The norwegian word he is testing today is “Stas!”, which can be translated to something like “Grand!”. He is a talented entertainer for sure.
Europe is offering the perfect ending to a good show when they do “Cherokee”, followed by “Days of rock’n’roll”, and concludes with “The Final Countdown”. Three amazing songs, I think the crowd really has had a good time.
Epilogue: Hans Kato picked me up in town an hour after the concert had ended, and made me a really late dinner. While he was making food, I decided to go online to see if the local newspaper had written anything about Europe before the concert. The first thing I saw after the page was done loading was a picture of me and Valerie. We were interviewed by a couple of young women at the concert, and I had thought they were junior reporters doing something from the festival or something, but it turned out they were actually from the biggest local newspaper.
The next day HK served american pancakes with bacon, maple syrup and blueberry jam, before driving me to the bus stop where the bus was going to take me back to Ă ndalsnes.
When planning to write this review, I was thinking of skipping writing about the little things. But it’s the little things that matter. I could of course start writing things after «sobering up» from the effects of a good time, but when you’re still sleep deprived after a weekend of fun, you don’t just remember things, you still feel them! And when you feel them, you can write them down more accurately. Or, if at a later time, you read through what you wrote, and find things that doesn’t really make sense to someone that wasn’t there, you can change it into something more comprehensible. During the time of the festival, I kept posting statuses to facebook, I will put them in this review as quotes.
I cannot remember the last time I was looking forward to a concert for such a long time in advance as for this concert, I almost started counting down from the day Tons of Rock released the news. I now live in Ă s, which is about 1 hour drive from Halden, where the Tons of Rock festival was to be held for the third year running. Initially, I only had tickets for Saturday, when Europe was playing, but a couple of weeks ago I found out that Alice Cooper was gonna play there on Friday - not Thursday as I thought - so I looked at my salary for June, and found out that I could afford to go on Friday as well.
The day I found out that Europe was going to play at Tons of Rock, I tried calling a Europe fan friend in Northern Norway; she and her husband had booked tickets months back to see Alice Cooper at this festival. I had to call her – Camilla - to tell her that her teenage favorites were also coming there! She was of course very thrilled when I told her. Well, after I had decided to buy the Alice Cooper tickets, I asked her about accomodations, if I could share tent with her and her husband. They were happy to share! So the last two weeks before the concert I was not only thrilled to be going to another Europe gig, but to be experiencing the full festival experience as well. I have seen Europe at festivals before, but I have only ever been there for Europe, and to sleep in tents haven’t been a natural choice. I have slept at hotels, or at a friend’s or a family member’s place. This time I was doing the full experience, even drinking alcohol, which is something I very rarely do, it’s not a priority when I go to concerts, or even to parties.
When I go to concerts, I pack like a man. The necessary amount of underwear, concert wear, and going home-wear, maybe a perfume. Minimal of extra stuff. This time I had packed lots of clothes, sun screen, moist towelettes, anti-bacterial hand gel, umbrella, clothes for hot weather, for cold weather, for wet weather etc. I had even packed the cap for my toothbrush. Too bad I forgot the toothbrush...
I drove to Halden on Friday around noon, I had the day off. I had been showering and packing and fuzzing around my girlfriend’s apartment for some hours, I bet she was relieved when I finally left. One of the last things she said was to remember to eat lunch. I told her I would buy it on the way. I have a favorite shop in Ă s, where I currently live. It’s called «Health Food and Coffee Bar». I had decided to buy some healthy snacks, and my lunch, and coffee there. All organic. So now I wasn’t just a rocker going to a concert, now I felt a bit like a hippie! An "all organic sandwich, ditto double mocca, and snacks; dried pineapples"-digesting hippie! Plus granola bars and ginger pop (the latter makes you sneeze whenever you drink it, I don’t now why, but it goes directly to the sinuses!). The thought was that healthy nutritious food gives more energy when you need it more. This turned out to be a good choice!
«24 June at 12:49 · On my way to Tons of Rock for my first complete festival experience! Lots of wonderful butterflies in my belly!»
So, I was driving alone to Halden, with my gut full of butterflies, with not enough room for lunch, just a granola bar, and coffee. That didn’t help the matter. When I came to Halden city I turned off my GPS, cause the festival crew had put up very clear direction signs for the drivers. Not of the «black markers on white cardboard»-variety either; the signs had the Tons of Rock logo, and arrows in the direction you were supposed to go. I knew the festival was at Fredriksten Festning (Festning means Fortress), but I only realised this was an epic location when I saw the fortress from down in the town centre. You can see the impression I got on this picture:
I parked my car at the assigned parking lot, and got my stuff out from my car; a bag which could be used as a backpack, a Europe bag over my shoulders, a rolled up sleeping pad in one hand, and a cooler in the other. With jeans and a leather jacket on, with ten minutes to go to the camping site. Here came the first problem; where is Camilla and her husband Stig? They had come to the festival on Thursday to see Black Sabbath. I couldn’t reach them on their phones, no doubt their phone batteries were empty. I went into the camping site anyway…. Figured I’d just stand there for a time, cooling down from carrying all my stuff, jeans hot on my legs, leather jacket clinging to my sticky skin. Maybe I was lucky, and a familiar face would just poke out of a tent near me? Mind you, I was half a mind to just shout their names once, just to see if I got lucky.
«24 June at 15:23 · Halden · Arrived at the festival, but can’t find my camp mates :-p Amazing location for the festival nonetheless!»
While standing there I contacted another friend I knew was there on the phone. He told me he was staying in a house near the festival exit, and told me it was a short trip there from the camping site. My phone’s GPS agreed, so after having stood there a while longer, I headed in that direction. I came to the house, and a red haired girl met me: «Is this number 20?» I asked her. «Yeah» she said. «Is Henning here?» «No, but maybe he’s in the cottage!» In back of the tiny house was an even tinier cottage, and there I met Henning, and could actually sit down and have my lunch! At this point I was almost shaking because I was hot, and my body was hungry. Met some nice people there, and got to rest for a bit, listening to the conversations, and of course mention Europe a number of times! Then I walked with them to the festival entrance, planning to go inside the area to look for Camilla and Stig.
At the entrance they check your stuff before you’re allowed into the festival area. Checking for alcohol, drugs and food… I had a cooler with alcohol, for crying out loud! And food that I really wanted to finish! So I asked the guards there if I could place my stuff with them for half an hour while looking for my camping mates, throwing my beverage and delicious food in the garbage was just not an option. At last they gave in to my pleas, and my search just became so much easier, not being weighed down by all my gear. Then I finally found Camilla and Stig, and they showed me around to the main stage. Then we headed down to the camping site, stopping to pick up my gear from the security crew tent. On my bag, and on the sleeping pad, they had attached a big note with some duct tape reading «Looking for her camp mates». Haha, made me chuckle. I was happy that I hadn’t started to walk among all the tents in the beautiful, unusual well-kempt green field, because their tent was 10 metres from where I had stopped upon first arriving, thinking about hollering for them!!!
Now I could finally change out of the clothes clinging to my skin. But what to wear? I had ordered some nice rock wear that would both look cool and expose my fantastic tattoo, but I ordered it too late, so I had to bring my (in my opinion) worn-out clothes instead. I changed into my black with white polkadots halterneck dress, which I ended up wearing all weekend! The weather forecast had promised a cloudy weekend, but the temperatures was OK on Friday, so I changed into the dress, bringing my Wings of Tomorrow zip hoodie for when it got chillier. I had brought my Converse shoes, but left them in the car, so I just made a decision to wear my hiking sneakers all weekend. In retrospect, that was another wise decision.
After I had changed my clothes, we returned to the festival, to actually enjoy some music! My plans was to check out Sixx:A.M and Alice Cooper. There wasn’t anyone else interesting me this day. While there, I met Thomas, a very good friend. He had attended Sweden Rock some weeks previously, and heartily recommended that I paid attention to Sixx:A.M. While we waited for them I introduced Stig and Camilla to Thomas, and they in turn introduced me to their friends from Oslo; Siv and Jan Ove. Siv told she remembered me from the concert Europe did in Oslo in September 2015, and I must have looked really bewildered. «Have we met?»
«24 June at 18:59 · Halden · Quote Siv: "I remember you from Rockefeller (2015)! But I can understand that you don’t remember meeting me, you were high as a kite!"»
I have never done drugs, so for those who don’t know me, that quote must have sounded very wrong. But for those who know me, and have been to a concert with me, they know how «high» the music can make me. Siv told me she had looked in my eyes, and just seen that I wasn’t quite present. I had not had alcohol (or drugs) then, I was just on a different plane, fueled by the concert. Well, I am glad I met Siv this time, because she was SO nice! And she was my witness to what happened during the Europe gig on Saturday. But we’ll get to that.
When Sixx:A.M started, we were just sitting in the grass, looking at the stage, but I heard from the first song that I wanted to know their music better. It was only 7.45, so although there was a lot of people gathered in front of the main stage, there wasn’t any real crowding, I sidled towards the third row, where the crowd was thicker. There I suddenly saw a girl in a fluffy crocodile costume rocking out with her buddy Spider-Man. I just love the different people you find at a festival! Anyway, here my view to the stage was completely blocked by several tall guys. I found an opening, however, and then I was second row. New obstacle of tall guys. The tall guy next to me saw my – in lack of a better word – short-comings. He shrugged at me and gave me a friendly smile, something along the lines of «If I was that guy, I’d help you!» Well, I tried my luck. I carefully poked the towering obstacle on the shoulder (or as high as I could reach from down in the Shire). No reaction. My compassionate new partner-in-crime tried. The guy turned around and looked at him, then down on me. And what do you know, suddenly I was front row at Sixx:A.M (with plans of holding that spot until Alice Cooper entered the stage, of course!)
«24 June at 20:33 · I made it to the front row! Thank you, fun-sized legs!»
I thanked him heartily, and watched the band. They are definitely worth checking out if you haven’t heard them already! This concludes the first day of writing. I knew I had a lot to tell, but this is turning out to be quite the long tale! Hang in there, I will come to the Europe bit eventually. But not today. My wrist can’t take it any more!
The tracks that Sixx:A.M played that caught me from the first notes were “Rise”, “This is gonna hurt” (I’ll tell you about what hurt later!) and “Life is beautiful”! Check them out. I have to admit, when I first heard the female chorusing, I thought “Backtrack choir vocals? That’s lame!” But then I saw the choiring ladies! There were back vocals live at the show. That got so much more respect from me!
Then there was time to wait for Alice Cooper. After 50 minutes or so, the gig started. I was gonna see a full Alice Cooper show! Woohoo! The last time I saw him live, I caught only half the concert. The other half, me and the aforementioned Thomas were in line to get our tickets to the joint Alice Cooper/Iron Maiden show. We got the full Maiden show, but only some of Cooper. Alice Cooper was.... a fun show. I wasn’t really in it, for some reason. There were a lot of the songs that I didn’t know, or didn’t remember, and while the entire concert was really entertaining, it didn’t really draw me in, cause there weren’t much band interaction with the audience! But now I can say that I have seen Alice Cooper live, we’ve been only a few metres apart! Some highlights from the concert for me was “Poison”, “School’s out”, and “Elected”. During this song, there was a couple of actors masked as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and they were attacking each other physically. It was entertaining, to say the least. I have to mention one thing that actually drew me into the show: The female guitar player. She was so skilled!! During one of her solos I had massive chills up and down my back! The last thing I will remember from the concert was when Alice stood there in his “penguin coat” and conducted the music! For a long time! With what looked to me like an epee, a very thin and small sword. I doubt that was what it was supposed to look like, but that was my impression. I am a conductor myself, and have stood at a couple of concerts conducting the band from the audience, instead of fist pumping. This is what I sometimes do when I listen to music at home, whether it’s Beethoven, Mozart, Nightwish or Europe. So of course I do this when I’m at a concert, too :)
After Alice Cooper, I was satisfied with my evening. I was also starting to get a bit cold, so I retired to the tent and fell asleep.
The next morning I woke up, cell phone battery was completely drained from the night before, and although they had a charging booth at the festival, it was closed until the festival reopened at 1:p.m later that day. When I woke up in the tent, no daylight to guide me, it felt like it was wake-up time. And when I learned the time, it was the normal time I get up in the morning! I dressed and found my health food; Had crispbread, walnuts and dried pineapple for breakfast, yum! Then the other two got up, and then there was nothing else to do but wait until 1:p.m. So I opened one of my cans of cider. Then can number two. How bizarre, to be drinking in the morning! But hey, I had decided to do this festival thingy for real! And there was no rush. I had everything I needed, I had friends to talk to, and there was no rain. While we sat in the grass outside the tent the clouds started departing, and the sun peaked out! I had as I mentioned remembered to pack sun screen. Sun protection factor 50 for my chest and my tattoo, and spf 30 for my face. Normally I also use 25 everywhere else. I asked Camilla if she could help me apply spf 50 on my shoulder and my tattoo. I applied the rest on the aforementioned spots. The rest of the back (I had a halterneck dress exposing the upper half of my back) was totally unprotected. I didn’t feel that the two cans of cider had affected me... maybe they had a little bit, considering NOT putting sun lotion on a back is a very foolish thing to do when you’re going to be outside all day. Anyway, there was still an hour until the festival opened, and I had another can of cider!
The festival finally opened for the day, 2 hours before the first band would play on the main stage; Ammunition! Ammunition is a band with Ă ge Sten Nilsen, the singer of the former band Wig Wam. Ă ge is one of the few people in Norway that can really do Queen-songs, I admire his vocal skills, as well as his down-to-earth being. His band also features Erik MĂ„rtensson from the Swedish band Eclipse, and Victor Borge from the Norwegian band TNT. I really enjoyed their concert! First and foremost because of their music, but also because people I know from different places came to greet me there on the front row (it wasn’t really crowded although many people had gathered on the grass surrounding the stage, and some on the plaza in front of it. First, I met the red haired girl that had showed me to the tiny cottage the day before, she really knew the music, and especially the Wig Wam song they did towards the end: “Hard to be a rock’n’roller”, I also know this song very well, having been to 4-5 Wig Wam shows. Then came Henning, and asked if I wanted a beer. I told him I didn’t like beer, but if he was willing, I’d really like a cider! He came back to me with my fourth cider that day (it wasn't even 4:p.m yet!), and on a stomach filled with just a couple of crackers, nuts and pineapple snacks! Then Torild came to meet me, I knew she was coming on Saturday to see Europe, so I wasn’t surprised to see her. I had my full focus on the concert, so I just told her hello before returning to the stage. Felt a bit rude, so I turned around to say hi once more, and even put on a smile this time :-P Lastly a woman came to meet me that I had not anticipated; a colleague from when I used to work at Spar! I got a hug from her, then I had to peer over her shoulder, because surely, if SHE was there, then another colleague from that job had to be there as well. Kjetil goes to almost ALL the big concerts. I’ve bumped into him on so many gigs or festivals through the years! And surely, he was there this day as well. I was very satisfied with the Ammunition gig. Although they have only released one record, and haven’t played together all that long, they’re all so skilled, and their music is great.
" 25 June at 16:22 · Bergen · I am truly among my own people! Meeting people I know from everywhere! The music is really great, too :-) 3+ hours until Europe! (Quote of the day Ă ge Sten Nilsen: I bet you’re looking forward to Europe now!”)”
(Why this Facebook status was geo-tagged in Bergen, I have no idea)
After the show Torild mentioned in passing “I see Ă ge is standing over there.” Of course I had to greet him, and while doing so, I got a hug. About the quote above: It started in 2004, when I was in my senior year celebrations (Russefeiring) in high school, Wig Wam had turned up in the Norwegian Eurovision Song Contest (this was the year before they won and participated in the Eurovision Finale), and they were going to play at one of the outdoor parties where lots of high school third years (Russ) is gathered to drink and have fun. I was there almost solely to see Wig Wam, who I’d liked since I saw them briefly in a TV cameo prior to the Norwegian ESC. While at this gathering, I bumped into a guy with a Wig Wam T-shirt, and next to him was Ă ge Sten Nilsen. This was my first “music hero” meeting ever, so I think I might have made an impression. Anyway, this was in May. In that coming June, I knew that Europe (who was back from hiatus) was going to perform for the very first time since their reunion in Norway, and Wig Wam was set to be supporting them! So when I met Ă ge, this was what I talked to him about. He told me he had been a fan of Europe since 1985! The second time I met him, I had this photo with him
Meeting Ă ge with a Europe T-shirt on in 2005
and he remembered me from almost one year before, so whenever I have met him during the past 12 years, we have always talked about Europe.
OK, so back to the festival. Time for some food! Not just alcoholic beverages. I had, as I said, prepared for the festival, and looked at their website. There I could read about the different food stalls. They even had a culinary street; “Matgata”. I had read that you could buy Moose Kebab, from a local family business. So I was very intent on trying it. And let me tell you; it was delicious! Served in a wrapper with a Warning! Moose!-sign on it.
Time has run out on me again, and I have to conclude my festival review tomorrow
“25 June at 18:02 · Halden · I'm so psyched to see Europe again today! For the 17th time in Norway, and 28th time in total!!”
Okay, so here comes the part about Europe. After having eaten my first proper meal that day, I made a discovery! I was commenting on the hot weather, and the scorching sun. Thomas and Torild replied something along the lines of “We don’t think it’s scorching, but we can see that you do!” Sixx:A.M had after all tried to warn me in their song: “This is gonna hurt!” My exposed back, or the parts of it not covered with SPF 50, was burning red! The picture below was taken 2 (!) days later.
At least the sun screen worked on the parts I applied it to....
Although I was pretty laidback at this festival, the Europe concert was only an hour away, so I didn’t feel I had time to go back to the tent to put some more sun lotion on. So I went to wait in front of the stage instead, at least that spot was now in the shade! So there I was in the shade, exposing my lobster red upper back to the people behind me.
“ 25 June at 19:17 · Bergen · Heard at a festival: (also known as 'you know you’ve got a sunburn when:') "I just have to apply some of my own sun lotion to your back, I can see you have a severe burn!""
This quote - again geo-tagged in Bergen, for some reason - was from a woman I had never met previously, and will probably never meet again. She had just noticed my burning back, so she came to my rescue! This is the second time I get a sunburn at a festival, the first time was at Sweden Rock in 2013, and both times I had helping angels!
I was talking about lyrics, and how I have a tendency of forgetting them. Same as Joey. I am glad we both remember the lyrics to Sign of the times. What Joey did made my whole evening extra special. He was in the middle of the stage during verse 1 and chorus 1. Then he started the second verse. He then began to saunter purposefully (!) towards where I stood singing “It wakes him up, he turns around, and now he’s gone, he’s been waiting for this moment....” He went down on one knee on the edge of the stage right in front of me, only to meet my eyes as we both sang “desperately” (I’m not putting too much meaning in the words here, they were random, but as I tend to be very intense, I thought it was a fun coincidence anyway, because then I could act with superdramatic movements in from of him)
“ 25 June at 22:18 · Not the best position in front of an already way too elevated stage, but in the end it didn't matter. I saw them (with the exception of Ian), and they saw me. John L smiled at me, and Joey gave me a thumbs up at one point, and a wave at another. And then, during Sign of the times, he came over to sit down on the stage facing me, and then we sang together, while both of us were smiling and just, appreciating each other,; him appreciating seeing a loyal fan, and me, appreciating the recognition, the music they have made, and this concert. The concert was so short, but they put SO much into their alotted 70 minutes”
I was so happy with this concert. There were NO dead spots. I was so happy with the setlist. I like drum solos, but as with the vocalizing parts in Rock the night and Superstitous, the William Tell overture drum solo routine is starting to bore me. So the fact that this gig was without drum solos or Carrie was just fine with me. I was very happy to hear Ready or not again.
The sound they had at Tons of rock was fantastic. I normally wear earplugs at concerts, but this time I could take them out without any audible damage to my ears, and the sound was still very clear!
I bounced around like a crazy person during Days of Rock’n’roll. Then the band went behind the stage. I discussed with Torild whether they would come back for two songs, or just one. I was intently hoping for Cherokee before the end.
But alas. The intro to The final countdown began, and this time I was nearly choking on tears. I had waited 9 months for this gig, I had counted down from two months prior to the gig. And now it was over! I think that brought me down to earth faster than normal. But I got to tell my friends about what had happened during Sign of the times, and my newest friend Siv told me she had noticed both the subtle recognition earlier in the show, and what happened later! I love having witnesses. Without them, I would no doubt start to question the actual happenings a few years later. In fact, every 16th of May, I text a good friend in Holland, asking if the meeting I had with Joey in 2007 really happened, ‘cause she was the first one I told about it, when it was still so fresh in my mind...
Anyway, now I feel I am starting to ramble. I think this will be it for this concert experience. Let me know if there is something you think I’ve forgotten to write :)
“25 June at 23:29 · EUROPE THE BAND AT TONS OF ROCK
GREAT GIG! GREAT CROWD!
HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON NORWAY!
// EUROPE”
