Friday 1.8.2014-Travel Day
Being that we live up north, we once again got to enjoy the nice lack of connecting flights….nevertheless so did the rest of the whole bunch so we all got down to Helsinki on Friday evening and stayed the night at the airport hotel. We did however have the time to hook up with our dear friend Mr.Hukari for some beers, which was of course very much fun. We also managed to do the check in so we didn’t have to worry about the gear the next morning….and sleep a bit longer ;-)
Saturday 2.8.2014-Dolni Open Air, Ostrava, Czech Republic
A nice day ahead, first a flight from Helsinki to Warsaw and then another to Katowice, from there we’ll take a van for two hours to Ostrava where the festival is…throw in a signing session and the show, we’ll be lucky if we get an hour at the hotel to relax. Well I didn’t get into this business to get some sleep and rest so whatever, let’s go !!! The first flight was easy, I slept most of it. During our changeover we had some lunch, and I did order a sandwich which was really crap, Tony also made the same mistake but I think the other dudes were pretty much happy with their food. Anyways, the second flight was a bit less than an hour and soon enough we were sitting in the van on the way to Ostrava. When we arrived it took some time to find the hotel, old gps or something but it wasn’t too bad. We had dinner straight away, rested a bit and went to the festival which was around 5min away. The festival site was actually the same place we played last year with Silent Voices :-) A signing session and then a meet and greet…then some waiting and it was showtime. Somehow I had miscalulated our playing time so we added a couple of songs to the setlist just before we went on. After the show we watched W.A.S.P for a couple of songs before heading to the hotel….which at this hour was closer to 45 min away ??? What the hell, really ? The problem with finding the hotel was finally solved when our vandriver asked a taxi to drive there and followed the cab. Appeareantly our crew van which left straight after the show also had the same problem…if you ever organize a festival it might be a good idea to make sure your drivers know their way from the hotel to festival and BACK ;-) Other than that no bitching here, the show went great and we had a good time once again….
Sunday 3.8.2014-Travel Day
Got up at around 0930 and at 1000 we left for the airport and a couple of flights with a 5 hour changeover in Warsaw. This time we actually found a place with good food at the airport and oh how the ride went much better after that. Of course our first flight was late and our second one as well but a few hours here or there doesn’t matter when you have the time. In the middle of the night we arrived in Helsinki and went to the hotel to sleep.
Monday 4.8.2014-Travel Morning
Up in the morning and the flight back home. Had to take a nap to recover from this weekend. Now we only have one more festival in Pori, Finland before the summer is over for us…and then a whopping 3 weeks off (without shows, not without work, mind you..) before we head for the 7 week North-American Tour.
cheers,
Henkka
Hey, not as much bitching about flights as I thought there'd be :-) But yeah, the driver thing seems a bit ridiculous... At least if they were local drivers, it sounds as if you got them from the festival organizers. But shit happens, I guess.
ReplyDeleteAt least you should have gotten enough rest now :-) (and good food!)
How is Ecliptica going along? Did it turn out the way you envisioned it (as close to the original as possible) or did it change a bit along the way?
And people everywhere keep wondering about the stories project ;-) Will there be any news on that before you leave for North America?
Take care!
Maria
We're just finishing the mixes for Ecliptica and the mastering is on Thursday so things are a bit hectic at the moment. I think it will be quite close to the original, the production is different but arrangements etc haven't changed that much.
DeleteSee you tomorrow! Make sure Tommy doesn't hurt himself this time! :)
ReplyDeleteBtw, semi silly question: is there any Finnish foods you guys miss when in the US for so long? I'm asking, um, for a friend. ;)
ReplyDeleteYeah, ruisleipä...rhye bread ;-)
DeleteAhah, thought so. Ruisleipä is serious business around here, lol. I remember Elias complaining about all the white bread too so...good to know ;)
DeleteToo bad you're going to North America, not South America :) No problem, hope I get to see you guys again next year. Nice blog, I enjoy reading your adventures a lot, it's funny how you always make it sound like Sonata Arctica is a smaller, poorer, less experienced, less successfull band than it really is. The ones who don't show off are always the better ones. :)
ReplyDelete