Category: FESTIVALS
GUITAR UNIVERSE – Day 3 [Stockholm, Sweden]
Woke up at SAS Radisson in Helsinki.
I had pre-booked a cab early in the morning, to get to the airport on time. So I got up at 5 AM and went downstairs to get some breakfast before the cab came to pick me up. It was almost empty in the big breakfast room, but a decent buffet to choose from. I took a quick look at my phone and saw that I had about 15 minutes before the cab was supposed to arrive, so I went to get my little carry-on that was behind the front desk.
On my way out in the lobby, I see ONE person (at first). Marty Friedman. He smiles and waves a little and I kind of wave back, wondering if he still remembers me or if he just remembered from seeing me the day before (and the day before that).
The reason why I wondered was because the first time I met Marty was when he was new in Megadeth. I did two or three interviews with him during that time. This was, obviously, before there was internet and he mentioned at some point that he had lost touch with a friend of his, drummer Anders Johansson (Yngwie, Hammerfall).
Anders was a friend of mine, so I remember dialing Anders’ number at the hotel, handing Marty the phone before leaving the room. That was the “old” way of getting back in touch with friends. Nowadays I guess it’s Facebook…
About ten years later, Megadeth were opening for Iron Maiden in Stockholm and I was at the hotel where both bands were staying. I ended up right behind Marty at the front desk, because I needed a map to find the venue.
I figured there was no point even mentioning that we had met before cause of course he would have no idea. He turned around for some reason, stopped and went: “Hey… I’ve seen you somewhere before, haven’t I?” And then he went on to give me all the details. That it was an interview in Copenhagen and what it had looked like there and soforth…
I was incredibly impressed by his memory for faces. I don’t even remember people I met last week – and he remembered after all those years. I never forgot that, I thought it was amazing.
However, I honestly doubt that he still remembers now, another 10 years later, we’re talking almost 25 years ago now. But – I still couldn’t help wondering.
As I got closer to the lobby I saw the whole bunch of tired musicians sitting out there, waiting for what I’m guessing was their ride.
I picked up my carry-on and thought that I would be able to stay and chat for maybe 10 minutes before my cab arrived, but the girl at the front desk told me that my driver was already there.
Suddenly I had to run off like a freaking Cinderella..!! The guys were trying to persuade me to hang out a for a few, but as I didn’t know how else to get to the airport later, and I didn’t have time to get the details about what they were planning to do I just barely even had time to say good morning – I just waved as I ran towards the door and said that I’d see them all in Stockholm.
Afterwards I felt mighty rude but I thought I had all the time in the world – and then the driver shows up too early and there you go. Suddenly you end up getting super stressed…!
I got to the airport, expecting a large place with lots of restaurants and shops, but the security was a tiny little station that I breezed right through and much to my surprise, my gate was just a few steps ahead.
Had nothing to do, so I picked up my new little Sony Vaio ultrabook (love it – if it hadn’t been for that annoying Windows 8…). Maybe 30 minutes later or so, I hear some familiar voices. I looked up, and there’s a whole collection of longhaired musicians and crew again, walking slowly like zombies towards the same gate. We were all on the same flight to Stockholm.
So, there we all were, trying to kill some time before departure, which was maybe 2 hours later. It was a computer-central. Mobile phones, laptops, iPads, mini-iPads everywhere. You’d think you just walked in on a DreamHack convention or something. :D
And some…. took a nap.
Once we got to Stockholm, I actually didn’t have a plan, for a change. I thought I was going to just improvise, but luckily, there was room for one more on the bus. :)
So, the whole equipage headed towards the baggage carousels to pick up suitcases and gear. Then continued out to find the tour bus – their rolling home for the coming few weeks across Europe.
The nice British driver welcomed everyone onboard, and while the band went upstairs to find their bunks, I found a place downstairs at the table where I wouldn’t be in anyone’s face. I was joined by two of the guys from the crew and it was really nice to just chat for a bit on our way into town.
When we arrived outside the amusement park Gröna Lund (where the venue was and the festival Stockholm Rocks was taking place) I thanked for the ride and continued on my way to check in at my hotel which was just up the small hill nearby.
The band was getting a bit more well-deserved sleep and the crew had work to do so the best I could do was get out of the way. :)
I had very little time but I’m rarely in Stockholm and I wanted to meet at least one more of my friends there before I left. One of them being my “little brother” Chris Laney (known as a producer at the classic Polar studios (where ABBA recorded their albums), songwriter and band member of a bunch of bands). But frankly, I haven’t seen him in so long that it felt like an hour just wouldn’t be enough.
[Me and “little brother” Chris:]
So I asked another dear friend, drummer Martin who’s now in Stockholm studying to be a producer and learning management, the business part of the music industry and about a million other things. We’ve always had tons of fun, so it would be great to see him. He took the ferry over from Stockholm city to Gröna Lund and joined me while I grabbed a bite at one of the restaurants across the street from the venue Tyrol. Hadn’t eaten all day.
[This is what Martin was doing when I first got to know him and the awesome dudes of the band Chains. The band split up but the guys have been doing great on their own. The guitarist Gabriel for instance, is now in LA, playing guitar and kicking ass]
Time went very fast and I had to run so I wouldn’t miss the festival, and he had to run too as he really didn’t have much time at all but still took the time because we never get to see eachother normally. That’s what happens when you’ve got friends all over the country…!
I was going to review the festival for Sweden Rock Magazine so I picked up my pass at the door.
There was some cool stuff to see and hear. The girls onstage when I walked in, Imber, were really good and I liked the singer’s badass attitude. Very confident but not arrogant and an edgy rock’n’roll voice. She had something unique.
Next band on stage was Finnish glam band Reckless Love – and to be perfectly honest, I expected it to suck. I’ve seen shitload of those bands putting tons of time and effort on their IMAGE, hair, clothes and various props, but when it comes to the music, they usually bore me to tears.
Well, I had another thing coming.
They were quite entertaining and they did their thing very well. Their singer was a total strutter and it just worked with that whole concept. If you didn’t take it dead serious, it was what it was – fun!
What I liked the most was the great vocal harmonies. The guitarist and the bassist could both sing which made all the difference. Few bands can pull that off nowadays (or they don’t even attempt it), so kudos for that.
Honestly, they were a hard act to follow. How do you walk up on stage right after a band that just invited to a rock’n’roll party and got the whole crowd singing and jumping? Phew.
Luckily, the act that followed was no rookie. If anyone knows how to work a stage, it’s Gus G. For a second there, I thought that his fan would have worked great now, just to add a little extra spice and effect on stage. But then again… he doesn’t really need it. :)
I saw another familiar face in the photo-pit (I chose not to go down there, eventhough I had a photo pass, because the angle where I was standing was better than the pit…). It was Tallee Savage, a very cool lady and talented photographer. Was glad to see her, so we went to the bar before Gus got onstage, to get something to drink.
Her husband left after a short while to leave the most expensive cameras at home, as those weren’t needed anymore and it was too risky to walk around with them.
I still hope she will get a chance to get a proper photo shoot with Gus, because I love her photos and I think that her dramatic but very elegant style of photography would suit Gus well, as he already has a bit of “mystery” about him. Someday, maybe, who knows :D
When Gus G hit the stage it was really a pleasure to watch. The crowd was chanting his name inbetween songs: GUS….G! GUS… G!! Some guys in the front were going absolutely wild, headbanging like crazy, reaching for him, trying to get a pick… the whole deal. I just thought it was awesome.
[Pure adoration…]
The rockers were totally into it, especially, of course, during the covers, which was probably the only songs they had even heard before as the solo-album is brand new. The Firewind-song World On Fire generated a bunch of banging heads as well.
In short – it was a successful show. The band couldn’t have asked for a better crowd. :)
During the changeover to Marty, we bumped into Anders Tengner, Swedish journalist and author (one of his latest books was “As Above, So Below – The Unauthorized Yngwie Biography”).
He was the presenter of this festival, so he had a few minutes to come and say hello. “Oh – Tallee – AND Daniela!” he smiled before he hugged us both simultaneously.
When I was a teenager, he was my main role-model and I loved his personal writing style. I’d say that he definitely influenced me a lot cause he was almost like a rock star himself when I was 15. All the stuff he experienced, I wanted to experience too – and then write about it, the same way. I’d say I’ve done okay doing just that. ;)
Marty went onstage to do his thing – and once again he mesmerized the Swedish crowd. You don’t even think so much about it being 100% instrumental. It’s so well carried out that you have a good time from beginning to end and he does have a stage presence that draws people to come check him out.
After his show, Anders picked us up to escort us backstage. We hadn’t even gotten through the door when we bumped into the promoter Christer. He immediately went: “Daniela Pilic! I haven’t seen you in twenty years”.
I knew I recognized his name when I got an e-mail about my pass, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember where from. He said the same thing. I do remember him working with a record company back in the 90’s who handled the band Talisman and that might have been one of those times we first spoke. But it’s a small world – it really is. :)
He continued: “I hear you went to Australia with Gus and the band!”
How on earth did he hear that? I wondered. He laughed and said that the management had mentioned it. Once again, it’s a funny and small world. :D
Once we got right in the middle of the backstage area where all the different bands were hanging out, I bumped into another old friend – Suzan from Playground Music. She’s done everything in this business and been around as long as I have, working with everything from band-PR to being a tour manager and whatnot. She’s a cool lady so it was great to catch up a little! We meet here and there, at least at Sweden Rock Festival every year. :D
The bassplayer from Reckless Love had been left behind, wearing only the thin, white tank-top that he had been wearing on stage. He had had a few beers and kept explaining that everything from their dressing room was gone – including his cellphone and his jacket.
So he couldn’t call his manager to ask where the hell everyone went or how to get back to his hotel. I had seen the manager budging out all the stuff from the dressing room maybe 30 minutes before. This dude was stranded.
Luckily, they were staying at the same hotel as I was, which was not far away so he could make it even dressed in…that. Suzan was about to show him the way when someone came for the poor guy. :)
H.E.A.T got back from their set, they are a very energetic live band and I can’t really find anything to complain about, except that they aren’t quite my cup of tea, that’s all.
TNT rushed by, passing us on their way to the stage and everyone left to go check them out from the side of the stage. Tony Harnell still has an impressive voice, that’s what stuck with me the most.
The backstage area was clearing out after TNT had finished their set and someone suggested that we should go to the classic Stockholm hangout for rockers: Pub Anchor.
This particular evening they had an Ozzy cover band which maybe could be fun for Gus to see. :D
So we all got a large cab/van and headed off to Anchor. I don’t know if I would call the cover band a good band, but at least they were kind of funny. :)
This clip is from the show at Anchor – “Ozzy” hanging from the ceiling singing No More Tears….:
We stayed there for a few hours until the place started to “thin out” just before closing time.
The guys ended up at another club I think, whereas I went back to the hotel to get 2 hours of sleep before crawling on the train back home to Malmo (as a sleepy zombie) a few hours later…
My next destination will be Munich, Germany…..!
The festival season is around the corner!
If you’re a rocker and you live in Europe – you might already have planned to attend one of the many summer rock festivals. It’s become a tradition.
I started going in 1993. I think my very first rock festival was the Danish Midtfyn festival. Lots of great bands: Mr Big, Whitesnake, Therapy, Jimmy Barnes, 4 Non Blondes, Sass Jordan, Johnny Cash…. It was great, I spent half my time writing articles and reviews in the press area, and the other half at press conferences or checking out bands. But what I remember the most about that festival, is why I chose to never ever stay in a TENT at a festival….EVER.
I barely slept a wink in three days. People were loud and drunk – and tents aren’t soundproof… The Germans next to us kept singing their German drinking-songs, and the more they drank – the louder their “singing” became. After ALL these years, I still remember the song they kept singing, over and over: “Jawohl, jawohl, jaaaah-woooohl, wir lieben Alkohol, wir haben keine Wasser so wir trinken Alkohol – jawohl jawohl….“. Probably way off with the spelling but you get the general idea… :)
Personally, I never drink at festivals. There are a few reasons for that.
1. Music is my drug. Nothing makes me feel better than that. As nerdy as that sounds. :)
2. If I want to stand in the front row, I can’t leave it just cause I need to pee. I only drink a little bit of water, just what’s absolutely necessary, so that I sweat it out rather than having to stand in line for the yucky toilets.
3. Since I don’t live in a tent, I usually drive to a hotel, a friend’s house or home after the evening’s last band. No drinking & driving.
4. It’s tough in the front row – I need my strength to fight off assholes, can’t make myself drunk and powerless in those situations.
5. I’m just simply a music nerd who prefers to get drunk elsewhere, not at a festival :)
I’m one of those who plans which bands I’m gonna see months ahead, I create my own personal schedule and print it, I already have it all planned, how to get from stage A to stage B (to stage C and to stage D….). I know if it’s a band where I absolutely NEED to be front row (requires a few hours extra to make sure) or if it’s a band that I’ll only watch a few songs of from afar before heading off to see another show.
All those logistics are already planned pretty much into detail when I get to the festival area. The only thing that ISN’T planned, is how to fit in the press conferences, cause usually those are subject to change or improvisation.
A festival to me – is ALL about the MUSIC. I forget to eat and drink sometimes. I don’t care what others are planning to do there, I have my plan, and if it fits theirs – perfect! :) If not – I’ll see you somewhere out there or after the show. But nothing is going to change my band schedule. Unless the band totally sucks of course.
I make sure I sleep in a REAL bed after a long day of walking around in a dusty field, I make sure I get a nice shower and a real breakfast before heading off to the next day’s festival.
Since Sweden Rock started, I’ve only missed it ONCE, and that was because I was living in the States. Other than that, nothing has ever stopped me.
Last year was pretty horrible and I most likely wouldn’t have gone if I hadn’t felt that I HAD to because I had a friend visiting me who came for the festival. My father had passed away only a few days before, I was still in shock, I remember just walking around there like in a dream, it was all so unreal. All these happy people, all the things I loved so much, but the one person that I loved more than anything in the world, my dad, was gone. Just like that. To this day I can’t believe I managed to review a few bands in that state. :-/
Today I’m glad that I forced myself to go. I somehow got right back in the saddle, I had no time to drown in my own grief, I turned it around, and the festival became a part of the healing process in some strange way.
It’s like a home. Sweden Rock to me, is HOME. All the things I love are right there. Far away from the “real world”, 24/7 pure, concentrated rock’n’roll, that live concert energy that can’t be explained unless you’ve experienced it, all those people who are “my kind” – who are there for basically the same reason… Thousands of people with the same love for rock’n’roll. Friends I only see once a year, at the festival. The whole atmosphere that charges my batteries like nothing else.
All those things are enough to make me feel high. The last place on earth where I would ever need alcohol, is at a festival. I’m already so high on everything else, that it would just be a waste of money.
I spoke to guy who was shocked to hear that I didn’t drink and “party” at festivals. He spent a week at Roskilde festival last year… and only saw 2 bands. I’m not quite sure what he did with his time, but he mentioned something about weed, getting high, getting drunk, throwing up, passing out, drifting around the area…. And he was happy doing that. He called it “festival life” and that was HIS idea of a good festival. Fair enough. He’s not the only one.
What festival-type are YOU? And which festival is your favorite?
Firewind – Rock In Den Ruinen (Dortmund, Germany)
Rock in den Ruinen, was the next stop on my (neverending…) journey across Europe (and the US) to check out Firewind doing their thing. Still enjoying it as much as ever.
Flew into Düsseldorf international airport very early in the morning and rented a car to drive to Dortmund, which is less than an hour away.
The “adventure” started already after 30 minutes when the GPS gave up on me. Suddenly, the battery-symbol started blinking, informing me it was dead– ceased to be. Bye-bye. Oh, wonderful. I found my destination eventually – with the help of my backup, a printed Google-maps description.
It was 8.30 in the morning when I got there, and the show wasn’t until seven in the evening so I had plenty of time to kill. My iPad picked up a T-mobile network, so I paid for a 1-day pass….only to realize that it wasn’t working. The signal was gone. Sigh– five euro down the drain.
So, moving on to Plan B. McDonald’s is a good place for a traveller. You can sit there for hours and nobody cares, they’ve got their own free Wi-Fi and there are toilets, food and everything else you need. So I went to find the nearest McDonald’s.
Only – in Germany they don’t accept anything but CASH at McDonald’s apparently. I’m just not a cash-person, usually travel with just “toilet and tip”-money, the rest is for the credit cards. So I just got the essentials – their loss.
Was hanging there until I got bored and went back to the festival area to find the parking lot. The plan was to take a nap. I needed all the sleep I could get.
[Hanging at McDonald’s in Dortmund…]
There were signs showing where the festival parking was, and loooots of cars in line to get there.
Or so I THOUGHT!
When I finally drove up to the guy with the handheld credit card machine, who didn’t speak a word of English by the way, I asked how much it was. I was expecting him to charge me whatever it cost and then show me where to park the car.
Instead, he tells me to open my trunk. WTF???
So he goes and opens the trunk, and I figured it must be some sort of security thing. He comes back, says something in German, and looks puzzled (not to mention how puzzled I must have looked right back!).
One of his colleagues comes over and tells him in German that I’m probably looking for the festival. Turns out I was in line for the city DUMP where people drive through to get rid of their junk – and apparently pay depending on what they’re getting rid of! Lol! The festival parking was right next to it. :)
Tried to get a few hours of sleep but I had ended up at the Heavy Metal parking-lot. I don’t know WHAT kind of audio-system people are building into their cars, but it sounded louded than a fucking airport! I had earplugs shoved into my ears so hard they almost switched places half way through my head, but heard the Metallica-anthems anyway!
After a while I gave up the sleeping-idea. Decided to go find the box office, get my pass and go watch a few bands instead.
But – I encountered one of those classics. The “Uhmm… no, I don’t see your name on the guest list….”-classic.
The lady was very kind, it wasn’t her fault, and I could tell she felt bad telling me that my name wasn’t on the list she had in front of her – she even showed it to me.
“I*ve got these names for Firewind – could you be listed under a different name or as somebody’s “plus one”?
No. I’m not a “plus one”. :-)
So I had to sort this out. Drummer-Jo saved the day, he got the “chain” of solutions started – and the problem got solved eventually. If I had known, I could at least have brought enough cash to buy my own ticket, but since I knew I was on the list I didn’t think more of it.
In the meantime, a girl with red hair approached me with a smile, said that she heard there was a problem with my pass. I said that I was on the guest list – but apparently not on the one they had.
She said that in worst case they’d just simply let me in, but if I was supposed to have a backstage pass, they needed approval from the band. I didn’t know if it was “just” a ticket or an actual guest pass, I never ask these things. I’m grateful for whatever. :)
So a guy shows up with a handwritten note, saying that the only had “these” names on the Firewind-list – and was about to make a few calls to get me in – as they all understood that I wasn’t a local, I had travelled from Sweden for this event. Would suck big time to be stuck outside the box office!
Five seconds later HE got a call, and next thing I know, he comes back and hands me my AAA-pass. Everything was cool. What a relief. :)
Unusually friendly and helpful staff, I’m used to the “nope, you’re not on the list, not my problem – NEXT!!” -sort of people. The Rock in den Ruinen people went out of their way to help out – I truly appreciate that!
Hadn’t heard of any of the bands on the bill except Firewind. The only artist I remember was some psycho dude who was much like an escaped mental patient playing some sort of circus/varietee punk/Rammstein mix of some sort with belly-dancers and flutists on stage. Just weird but in an interesting sort of way. :)
Bob (Katsionis) was outside with some people talking, so I ended up talking to a super nice photographer who had taken the live-photo that Firewind will be using for the live-CD that’s coming out this summer. :)
He wasn’t a full time photographer, but loved going to gigs whenever he could. I can relate to that – it’s the rock’n’roll that keeps us sane (or insane, whichever way you choose to look at it, lol!).
The show was great – REALLY great. I keep saying that every time, don’t I? But the fact of the matter IS that this is a brilliant live-band, it’s as simple as that. But then there are evenings when they spice it up even more and deliver “with a twist”. That’s what they did in Dortmund.
Maybe because it’s the home town of their record label Century Media, but I just think they were in one of those “let’s kick some ass“-sort of moods last night! :)
Kelly did an excellent job, he was really belting it out, and he’s clearly a lot more comfortable as a live-frontman now than he was the first time I saw him a few months ago in Atlanta and NYC. He’s definitely developing into a good frontman.
Cause it’s tough to get thrown into a band like Firewind which is 100% a live band. If you don’t have the same background, you’re in for quite a challenge. But he’s really catching up fast. Great job, I was impressed.
[One of my favorite songs from the latest album…]
“Gus is such a poser”, was a comment I heard from a photographer backstage – in a positive sense. We love posers, they make great photos and videos, give us more posers! :)) It’s almost impossible to take a bad live photo of Gus, and that goes for my video-filming as well. If you’re gonna be a guitar-hero, you gotta be one – all the way. And Gus certainly is.
He’s the born entertainer. We all know that he kicks everyone’s ass on guitar. But he owns his stage, every single time. However, he gets tough competition from Bob Katsionis who keeps up with him like it’s a walk in the park – not only in the guitar duels but also by showing off his multitasking-skills on keyboards/guitar. It’s the perfect showstopper and jawdropper-combo! :)
Music is not a contest, but it’s a good thing when you’ve got someone in your band who challenges you to deliver not just your best but even better than your best- and never get too comfortable.
Petros (bass) was in a great mood spending more time than he usually does at the front part of the stage – and all of this backed up by the Belgian monster-drummer Jo Nunez whose sticks are seconds from being set on fire by the speed…! Man.
Together they are like a speeding train, you just can’t stop them – and I LOVE the energy!
[Take THIS!!]
After the show I was pretty much just hanging with the photographer dude again. He kept saying that since I had the triple-A pass, I could go anywhere, so he did’t undestand why didn’t I just go in there and say hi to the band.
I’ve never been comfortable doing that. I probably never will be. They were in the catering-tent having dinner. I had no business being back there. It’s simply what I would consider “band-time”. It would feel totally wrong to just barge in uninvited. Sure, I’ve got the “right kind of pass” but I’m not going to abuse that privilege.
So eventually, Kelly and Jo came to hang out a little. It was freezing though – like it can be in the spring when it’s humid and the cold really gets really annoying.
[The sun was setting behind the backstage area this chilly spring evening in Dortmund, Germany…]
We decided to go to Firewind’s “dressing room” (=tent) but the security guy took Kelly for somebody else and wouldn’t let him through! What a dork.
Apparently he looked a lot like someone they didn’t want backstage so he had to prove he was in the band! Lol!
Jo was trying to get the photographer in with us, cause normally you can escort a guest with your AAA-pass. But the security dude was being an asshole, so we had to part ways with the photographer. He was cool about it though.
It wasn’t a lot warmer in that tent, that’s for sure. The crew guys were working on getting the gear ready for transport, while the rest of us were just enjoying watching other people work, lol! :)
Nah, they are all great guys. Very relaxed atmosphere, always.
We got kindly thrown out though because the festival was “closing” so the backstage area had to be cleared. The guys were waiting for their shuttle and I had to go get my rental car. The whole afterparty-idea fell throuh – for me at least. I headed back to Düsseldorf airport to spend my second night being sleepless.
I was tired, but I was on that “after-show high” that makes it impossible to unwind to get some sleep. By the time I got off the kick, I was afraid to fall asleep cause I was so dead tired that I would probably pass out completely and miss my flight.
Came home to Malmo looking like I’ve been hit by a truck and run over by a bulldozer – five times. But I still think it was worth it, like it is every single time. This is just a solid band, and I can’t wait for people to discover them at Sweden Rock Festival in June. :) They’re in for a treat, and this is one of few bands that I never have to worry will suck – cause they just never have.
So – over and out from Malmo – I’m off to Dreamland…!
ASSHOLE FANS
Heavy metal is often said to be an outlet for aggression and frustration. That’s spot on, especially if you’re talking about going to live shows. Cause the main thing you need to know about live gigs is that it’s the law of the jungle – survival of the fittest.
And metalheads have definitely embraced the idea of gender equality too – because they don’t give a fuck if you’re a girl, they will gladly punch you, kick you, try to climb on you – whatever it takes to get you to move. Don’t expect being treated like a lady at a rock concert, you’re gonna get the same shit as any guy, if not worse. Take it or leave it.
But having been a rocker all my life, it’s not like I haven’t learned how to deal with these things. Bring it on.
A friend of mine told me about her experience at a Pretty Maids concert in Copenhagen the other night.
[Axl Rose gets pissed at random crowd-assholes: “You’re fucking up other people’s show!”]
“Their fans seem to consist of giant six-foot guys who haven’t been taught by their mothers to behave nicely. I tried to stay upright but the stage was just two inches high and the dude was hanging with his entire weight on me. I know he was aiming for the “little blonde slender lady” at the front cause he thought it would be a piece of cake to get her to move. Well – wrong bitch!
He tried every trick in the book to get me to move and when I fought back he gave me the kind of look that said “if you can’t take the pressure, get the fuck out”. So at some point while he was hung over me, I took the opportunity to lean on the monitor for support, then I reached back, streched and grabbed his family jewels – and TWISTED for all I was worth!
When I turned around his cocky face had vanished and he was staring at me with astonishment and probably pain – and what do you know. He left to find somebody else to bother!
I can accept those who are there to jump, scream and have a good time, but these assholes who are consciously trying to hurt others to give up their spot – THAT I will NOT accept!”
I know the feeling. Things that you would never do in any other situation, you will find yourself doing at a rock concert. And it feels good, because you don’t have to feel bad about it – those assholes are asking for it. I’m sure we’ve all been there. There’s always one or a few of those airheads at every show. To quote Dave Mustaine at a Megadeth concert at the Hard Rock Caf’e in Las Vegas, who pointed at a fan and said: “There is an asshole in every crowd. Guess you just volonteered!”
[Another yell-at-fashole fan incident: Megadeth-Mustaine vs The Laser Kid]
Brings me back to a W.A.S.P concert a few years ago when me and my friend Henny were standing in the front and some drunken tool decided that we had taken “his” spot. He was doing everything to get us to move and he just wouldn’t stop. Henny got pissed off and stomped on his toes with her high heel boots for all she was worth (man, it hurt just to SEE it, I can only imagine how it felt when that this pierced the dude’s toes!).
But he was too high on something to let that stop him, so I found myself doing something I’d never done before (and probably won’t try again) – I thrusted back my head, full force and hit him right in the face. Nice headbutt, it even ached in MY head, I honestly didn’t dare to turn around to see what that did to the dude. Must have broken his nose or kicked out a few teeth, I don’t know. All I know is that after that – the torture stopped!
[Dave Grohl: Hey, you motherfucker in the striped shirt! Get the fuck out of my show right now!]
It’s not like you would EVER do anything like that in ANY other situation. But sometimes it just feels like you have the right to do it.
Some bands have asshole crowds, more than others. Motley Crue is one of those bands. Their audience isn’t exactly the civilized kind – and by that I mean that eventhough there is always pressure in every front-row situation, some people are easier to deal with than others.
Even the Slayer-fans were nicer. It was HELL standing in the Slayer-crowd at Graspop, but two guys actually let me come between them so I could lean on the barricade. Would NEVER happen with any Nikki Sixx-fanatic, that’s for sure.
[Henry Rollins beats up a fan who’s being a pain in the ass]
Whitesnake-fans are great, mostly people who are there to have a good time, sing along, jump or headbang to their favorite songs, whatever, but basically, it’s a cool crowd. You don’t have to worry about being beaten up. The worst assholes don’t listen to Whitesnake. Thank god.
It can be annoying, cause fans who are in the front row have been standing somewhere for hours just to be first in line to secure that front row spot. So when some smelly idiot, who just got in (cause he was busy getting drunk somewhere), starts making trouble, it’s simply not something you are willing to put up with.
I don’t have a problem with fans going wild and crazy at a concert because they love the music. That goes with the territory, go ahead, go nuts, it’s what we’re all here for! But THOSE types whose mission in life is to create trouble, deserve whatever they get!
And just cause I’m a girl doesn’t mean that I don’t have a few tricks up my sleeve. Just TRY to move me..:! In the 27 years I’ve been going to gigs, that has never happened. And believe me – it never will. I don’t care if you’re 6 foot tall and weigh a ton. I ain’t moving.
When I got back from the W.A.S.P shows on the Helldorado tour, I had bruises all over my body. I was green, yellow, purple, black, blue….. At every show there was “one of those” types trying to get me to move. Over my dead body! And well, it wasn’t far from it! :)
[Carries on playing, like a boss…]
Another annoying thing, while I’m at it, is people who are trying to tell you what rock’n’roll is. I’m sorry, but I feel that at this point in my life, I certainly don’t need some little dweeb telling ME what rock’n’roll is!
Like pretty recently, when H.E.A.T played in Malmo, I was in the front taking pics, filming a bit, minding my own business. Suddenly somebody behind me started pulling my hair (wtf?!?!).
When I turned around, there was some chick with a bad “trendy” haircut, glasses and a ruffled blouse (!) yelling: “Come on! Dance! It’s rock’n’roll”.
Oh please. That wasn’t even worth a response. Some chick who is at her first concert this year, is trying to educate me in what to do at a concert?! I overheard her yelling to her friend with her screechy annoying voice “why are they in the front?”. BECAUSE WE GOT HERE BEFORE YOU, bitch!
Nobody was stopping miss Ruffle to get in the front row, stop whining.
[“You just fuckin’ pushed my grump-button!”]
Besides, what people do at a show is nobody’s business, as long as they aren’t hurting anyone else. I was a bit surprised at Bruce Dickinson’s reaction to some fan in the crowd who was texting throughout the whole gig. I mean, yeah okay, might not be overly “rock’n’roll” but the dude paid for his ticket!
Even if he wants to go in there and take a fucking NAP it’s still his business. Paying for a concert ticket doesn’t mean that you are obliged to act a certain way. Again – do whatever you want as long as you’re not bothering somebody else. Pretty much the same rules that apply outside a concert arena.
[“Oh, for fuck’s sake, the man the white shirt, you’ve been texting for the last fucking three songs! You’re a wanker!”]
I’ve been asked a few times how I can experience a show “properly” if I’m standing with a camera in my hands. Well, first of all, I see the show even BETTER through the camera because I can zoom up close with it – kind of like using binoculars at the opera.
Secondly, if I like a band, I want good footage of them as it’s a PR-thing for the band as well to have good quality videos on YouTube as opposed to the awful, crappy cellphone versions with bad audio. Thirdly, I can always go back and re-live my memories anytime I want by watching those videos.
Also, it depends what kind of band it is. If it’s AC/DC it’s just a party and I might want to jump and go wild for a few songs and THEN do the photo-thing. Other bands are more the kind where I’m STUDYING and listening carefully. It’s nedy but after thousands of shows, you just get a little less nuts at gigs, as you’ve seen so much already.
It’s harder to get the same kind of kicks that you did back when you were a teen. I experience live gigs differently. Firewind for instance, that I’ve seen a million times now – I still find little bits and pieces in their music that I haven’t noticed before and it’s just a cool feeling to “suddenly” discover that eventhough you’ve heard the songs so many times before.
Live and let live. Go to shows, get wild, have a good time, sing along, do your headbanging or your jumping, whatever makes you feel good – or be a nerd and be just a spectator (even if you want to text people or update your Twitter or Facebook-status during the show) go the fuck ahead! It’s 2013 and the rules for how to behave at a rock concert have changed. And if you’re one of those “complimentary assholes”, you’re only going to get what you deserve….!
MY YEAR IN ROCK – retrospect 2012 (part 3)
(continued from http://lita77777.posterous.com/my-year-in-rock-retrospect-2012-part-2 )
OZZY & FRIENDS IN DORTMUND, GERMANY
The Ozzy & friends gig in Dormund was a memorable experience for good reasons and bad. I got to know a new friend, Suuded, and we had a great time. Remember a fantastic dinner in a restaurant right behind the Westfalenhalle, but I also remember the sky just opening and it was pissing down all day! We were forced to stand out in the rain by a sadistic power-hungry security person who made sure nobody was under the long roof in front of the entrance (there would have been PLENTY of room there for a lot of people). Anyway, we got in the front row eventually. Both Steel Panther and Ozzy were well worth the wait and the rain!
The story can be found here: http://lita77777.posterous.com/ozzy-sweden-rock-festival-part-1
Photos from that are on my Facebook-page: www.facebook.com/intherearviewmirror
SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL….
Only two days later, it was time for the next annual event: Sweden Rock Festival.
This time I was joined by Vera, my Russian colleague that I got to know after bumping into her several times at press conferences at Sweden Rock. She was going to camp with her friends though (wild horses couldn’t get ME to do that camping-thing).
The full story: http://lita77777.posterous.com/sweden-rock-festival-2012-part-2
The next day I ran like crazy to make it to the first signing-session of the day, which was Satchel from Steel Panther. I had found this great tent where musicians hung out and various guitarists were doing signing sessions. But it didn’t seem like it had been widely announced anywhere, so thank god there weren’t those insanely long lines as to the “regular” signings.
When I walked in, it was still Andreas Kisser from Sepultura who was signing. I was first in line for Satchel, and I got my hoodie signed, and some pics. The message he left was of course very “Satchel-style”…! ;)
Vera and I also met a nice dude from Adrenaline Mob’s crew, who invited us to be his guests, so we spent the day hanging backstage and on various stages. That was perfect, if for no other reason than because it was raining all day, and we didn’t have to be out there getting soaked. Watched Ugly Kid Joe, Motorhead and Twisted Sister up on the stage for instance.
Press conferences I didn’t want to miss included Steel Panther and Sebastian Bach – but then I happened to walk in on a few more by coincidence. There is activity 24-7 at Sweden Rock, it’s nearly impossible to try to sum it all up. But check out the pics on the Facebook-page (URL mentioned somewhere above), that will give you a quick tour of what was going on on stage and back-stage at Sweden Rock Festival 2012!
Way too much to mention, I think I kept updating in real-time on Facebook because I wouldn’t have time to write an actual blog. Busy summer! :)
Next up was my other favorite festival: Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium!
[to be continued….]
IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR 