Wednesday 14.1.2015 - Superpark, Oulu
Back from the Holiday break !! We (me, Tony & Tommy) took the train to Oulu in the afternoon, making it to the venue a good hour before soundcheck. It was nice to meet all the dudes since it’s been over a month that we did anything together. During the soundcheck we started to get the feel for it, being a bit rusty but that’s how it goes sometimes. In the evening everything was much better and the band clicked like before…back on track so to speak. Went straight to the hotel after the show and watched some netflix before I fell to sleep. Nice to be back playing shows.
Thursday 15.1.2015- Baltic Princess Turku-Stockholm(Sweden)
Managed to get a quick breakfast before we boarded the bus in the morning and I slept quite awhile during our 10+ hour drive down to Turku. On board our crew started to set up the show and we went for dinner. The schedule was kinda hectic so there was no chance for soundcheck. Just before the show we watched some monitor backstage which showed the front of the stage….we counted 9 people and were beginning to suspect that this was going to be a complete disaster. That wasn’t the case however and as soon as we hit the stage the front was packed and the whole restaurant had a good turnout….and the show itself went really well, even better than the day before. Afterwards we had some beers and mingled with people at the bar.
Friday 16.1.2015- Baltic Princess Stockholm (Sweden)-Turku
I got a wake up call for the soundcheck at just after 10 and after that it was time to rest a bit before the show. Todays event was an acoustic 30min + a signing session. The show was ok and the crowd seemed to enjoy this afternoon entertainment bit. We spent around an hour signing stuff afterwards and then it was time to pick up our stuff and leave the ship and head for Tampere. I got a few beers too many on the way and after picking up a pizza my night was over.
Saturday 17.1.2015-Pakkahuone, Tampere
Had a really good and long nights sleep which always is appreciated on the road. Woke up in the afternoon feeling allright and ready…at the soundcheck we ran through some stuff that we’ll be playing next weekend at the Snowcastle show in Kemi. I think the biggest concern there is the weather, if it’s too cold (which it probably will be) it’ll be pure hell to play…although we only play a few songs so I guess we survive somehow. Anyways, Tampere had a really good turnout and this was the best show on this stint in my opinion. At the end of the show we had The Preacher (who’s talking on X-marks the spot and at the beginning and end of our shows) go on stage and do an improvised outro speak live. People where stunned and it was a truly magical moment…for the band as well. Since we were gonna spend the next day in the bus, I went to the hotel and spent my nights watching movies and going through some merch stuff with our merch guy.
Sunday 18.1.2015-Travel Day
Got up in time for breakfast which was excellent…and probably the highlight of my day since the rest of it was spent driving back home. We started at 0900 and at around 1900 I was at home (the second highlight of my day). Next week we play a couple of songs at the SnowCastle and the week after that we have 2 more shows in Finland before getting ready for the extensive Latin American Tour which will be the longest one we’ve done so far. See y’all !!
cheers,
Henkka