My gig reviews
Hi! Finally it's time to put together all the punkrock live acts I've experienced. This turned out
to be somewhat difficult, 'cause my first one was in March 1997 - almost nine years ago from this
point. I'm not even sure, which concerts I really was in - too much booze at some point I guess :). Just
memories from here and there... well here's what I got.
The Offspring 22.3.1997 House of Culture, Helsinki, Finland
Oh man... was this so long ago? I was fifteen and I remember that there was nothing else in my head besides
the greatest band in the world - The Offspring. You can imagine what kind of experience the first punkrock
gig ever was for a 15-year old teenager. Thee Ultra Bimboos (FIN) and Vandals were the warm-up bands.
Vandals was great, funny and full of energy, and I already started jumping in the front-row during their set.
I remember their vocalist showing ass to the bouncer in the front of the crowd. In the last song, guitarist and vocalist
changed places and man that guitarist was crazy. He jumped all around ending up on the hands of the cheering crowd with
microphone in his mouth. Somebody stole his knit cap. He got it back, though...
The Offspring crew began organizing their equipment soon after Vandals had finished. Vandals was quite loud, but I almost
shit my pants when some technician stamped the first sound of Welty's (drummer) bass drum. It was SO loud that my heart
almost jumped out from my mouth.
Then they finally started and I was rocking on full throttle! They played most of the songs from Smash and Ixnay on the
Hombre. "Session" and "Burn It Up" were heard from Ignition and "Beheaded" from their first self-titled. Steel fence
was pushing my chest and pressure was building up but I didn't mind. People were trying to get on the stage, but bouncers just carried them away.
One guy without a shirt got away and rocked on the stage. Then Dexter pointed his finger in the crowd and that guy jumped in
that direction like a kangaroo. I remember seeing this guy after the concert and he was still totally stoked. Some other older
man was standing behind me in the crowd and was totally drunk. He shouted "Paranoid" THROUGHOUT the concert and tried to
be annoying in every possible way. I still didn't mind though. The set was quite tight and songs were running on without pauses
between them. Now, thinking afterwards, the band was faint and were just making through a routine show. Noodles was the only
on rocking. Or maybe that just was their style.
After the gig I was totally tired. My voice was gone, I didn't hear anything but humming (volume was surely too high!) and
my chest was a red blanket. However, I was the happiest boy on earth - and also the proudest boy in the school next day.
Disco Ensemble 9.1.2004 Yo-talo, Tampere, Finland
Almost seven years after seeing The Offspring, in between which all of my favourite punkrock bands had succesfully avoided playing in Finland,
I finally found a great band from my beloved home country. Their first gig, which I saw, was in this small club in Tampere.
There were lots of other bands too: best of them were mediocre. DE was the last one and they started rocking right from the beginning and
have stopped NEVER since. They enjoy playing live and the crowd, when fed with this kind of anticipation and primordial feeling,
enjoy even more. Although DE wa far from being popular in Finland that time there were something like 20 or 30 of us rocking
in the front of the stage, which BTW is only something like 50 cm above the floor. Bouncers were absent and it felt like the band
was one of us. Rocking, moshing, jumping, screaming, pitting and - last but not the least - stage-diving were all a part of these magnificent
experience! And if you fell to the ground at some point, there were dozens of friendly hands picking you up from the ground. Sounds were ok too, although
you never hear the vocals in the front (it's not a problem when you know the lyrics by heart). This was what I was lookin for.
After just a 20 minute show I was totally exhausted and immediately decided to attend their next show in Helsinki
next day.
Disco Ensemble 10.1.2004 Semifinal, Helsinki, Finland
Same thing here as in Yo-talo. Lots of small bands playing on a small stage. All I remember is that this was not as good show as the first one.
Maybe I was still so wasted after friday that I couldn't find the feeling. The band rocked hard, though.
The overall volume was way too loud in that small place and my ears were hurting the next day. I still was happy that DE had turned out to
be even better band than what their albums suggest.
Disco Ensemble 17.2.2004 On the rocks, Helsinki, Finland
This gig had the best acoustics and sounds that I have ever heard in a live show. Almost like if you were listening to a CD!
Even the vocals could be clearly heard in the front of the stage. This place had an age-limit of 22 and it was tuesday so
there were not so many fans in the place. I, ZuH and some drunken guy were the only ones rocking.
However, in the end, low number of fans was an advantage to us. We got to choose their last song, which we have already
been shouting before: "And for the request of the audience - Skeleton Key!". We have screamed this song's name ever since and I
wonder will they ever play it again. Overall, a great gig - although the handful of people didn't whip the best out of the band. But
the sounds were great!
Disco Ensemble 26.3.2004 Stella Star, Helsinki, Finland
Quite small stage, nice place, ok feeling, but somewhat crappy sounds. I was quite drunk.
Disco Ensemble 22.10.2004 Jee Jee, Tampere, Finland
If you want to see a great band in Finland, go see DE. If you want to see the crappiest bar with live performances
go to JeeJee. This is the worst show I have seen from this band, but that surely wasn't their fault. They tried
their best under JeeJee's circumstances, which were astonishingly shitty. The stage was so small that the band had
trouble fitting there. They only could stand in that one spot they had chosen in the beginning. Sounds were from the bottom of a metal bucket.
Air condition was totally fucked and there
was something like 30C heat in the front. Our heads were sunken in a thick cigarette smoke. Probably the worst of the worst was that the
stage was 20cm above the floor and if somebody pushed you to the back, you were immediately thrown on the stage. Microphone stands
were falling and cords were plugging off. It didn't help at all, that one drunken fan tried to reach Jussi's (DE's Jussi) guitar all the
time. "Get the fuck out" Jussi shouted and I also tried to convince that asshole to stay out of the stage. "Thish ish jusht sho amazing..."
- he surely wasn't mentally inside JeeJee. After the set, I was soaking wet and felt compassion for DE that they had to play in such a shithole.
Phew. Never there again!
Disco Ensemble 27.10.2004 Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland
I had been several times in Tavastia with DE. I don't remember much about this gig (I'm not 100% sure
that I even was there :) !), but I know that Tavastia has always been undoubted number one gig place.
Shows have always been awesome. And this was too. If I just could remember. Maybe I was drunk. Hmm... no wait - now I remember!
My intention this night was to be a bystander and just observe the gig objectively. Yep... they were awesome and sounds
were great.
Disco Ensemble 25.2.2005 Nosturi, Helsinki, Finland
This was the first show after DE had released their first single off their forthcoming 2nd full-length (First Aid Kit).
It was somekind of gala night, but I couldn't care less about that. I waited enthusiasticly for the new songs DE was going to play.
And they played many of them and they sounded really good. I especially liked the amazingly beautiful fills and drumming of Mikko, who is BTW always
beating the best out of his set. Unfortunately, the stage and technology were once again against DE at some parts. Vocals suddenly
disappeared and this happened to the bass and guitar also. One after one. Nosturi, one of the major gig places in Finland, was struggling hard
(or maybe it was their equipment).
Not so good thing in this big place was also the distance of the band and the crowd. Anyway, I felt happy afterwards, 'cause
DE's new stuff sounded great. They were also getting popular in Finland at this time and their 2nd album reached top-ten charts. This changed their
shows irrevocably ever after, but in a good way: they never sold out their idea of having fun. Crowds were just getting bigger thereafter.
Disco Ensemble 12.3.2005 Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland
DE "First Aid Kit"-tour had started and I was ready. And Tavastia was ready, packed full of people. Tavastia is undoubtedly the best place to see
bands in Finland. Sounds are always great and the stage is big enough for vivid bands. However, the best thing is that, although
the place is large, the connection between the crowd and the band is very intimate. They're right there in front of you.
Tavastia also has the best bouncers in the world. People can do what they want as long as they keep it reasonable and don't
harm each other or disrupt band's performance. And DE's fans luckily seem to maintain common sense: they just want to have fun.
And oh fuck, did we have!! The crowd and the band were fucking amazing. One big unity. Everybody was
crazy - the band rocking like hell with new songs (not forgetting the old pearls) and I was once again screaming my lungs out.
This reminded me of the first gig in yo-talo, but was even better. In fact, the best. I was happy for a week thereafter. And I bet so was the band...
Disco Ensemble 14.7.2005 Yo-talo, Tampere, Finland
Same thing as in the first gig in yo-talo this time with hundreds of fans. Awesome. Great pit. Miikka ended the gig by stage-diving into
the crowd and back to the stage. Do I need to say more? Awesome. Band seems to like this place too!
Disco Ensemble 1.10.2005 Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland
rock + unity + feeling + sounds = Tavastia!!! dot
Disco Ensemble 22.10.2005 Klubi, Tampere, Finland
This time the gig was somehow filled with angry people. One mullet haired rocker whipping around with a steel pin belt. One asshole
looking exactly like Billy Corgan trying to pick a quarrel with everyone/anyone. Got his ass kicked during the first song already.
Klubi's stage has one extremely irritating feature. It has a big column in the front center. You can't see the whole band from any place.
Spent almost the whole gig in the pit, because the band was hidden behind the fucking column. I wonder where did all the assholes come from?
Not a common phenomenon in DE's gigs.
A Wilhelm Scream / Lagwagon 21.1.2006 Schlachthof, Wiesbaden, Germany
Without DE I probably would have moved to some other country. All I did see was the tours of NOFX, Lagwagon, Rise Against etc. pass by
Finland. I and ZuH decided that, if we ever really want to see our favourite bands, we should start planning somekind of trip. Suddenly
everything was set for a unforgettable "once in a lifetime"-gig: Lagwagon and A Wilhelm Scream touring Europe together - this must be it.
We had already scheduled our flights and reserved our hotels when bad news began to flow from the tour. Joey had lost his voice and they
had to even cancel one show in Dresden. I was stoked. Luckily they tried to play the rest of the shows with Joeys vocals being supported by
other band members and crowd. Let's go!
Schlachthof wasn't the most beautiful building in the world: dilapidated and full of messy graffitis (some of them were nice however!).
But the stage inside was great. It was much like in Tavastia in Helsinki except that there was a steel fence and a meter wide space
between the stage and the crowd. The place was FULL of people!
After German band called Sub-Simplex had played it was time to cut in to the front of the stage. My knees were shaking - partly because
it was quite cold (which turned out to be good in the end!) and partly because of the excitement I was going through. Few minutes and it would start. And then suddenly AWS
was there. The starting riff of "Killing It" was played and that was the point of no return. This energetic song was immediately followed by one
of their best songs "The King Is Dead", which was played without the intro - just straight into the ultrafast verse! Sound was
kinda bad during these first two songs, but then the guys behind the mixer table woke up and it got a lot better. The band was filled with
energy and they seemed to be having fun! I always wondered if they can pull those 3X vocals live, but they did - at least most of them.
"Hey these guys here know all the words..." said Nuno (vocalist) and pointed towards us. 2nd guitarist Chris was also screaming the lyrics with us
constantly. Drummer was awesome and on fire - he was SOAKING wet and he even had to get rid of his glasses. Sometimes it seemed, like his set
was going to lift off the ground! The crowd was already starting to warm up, although most of the people were clearly waiting for
Lagwagon, who were already in the backstage and throwing all kinds of junk to the stage - probably
some kind of "last gig of the tour"-joke. AWS played most of their best songs and the best of the best was their last one. Everything
got even more out of hand during "The Rip". In the outro I was moshing so hard that my head almost fell off! After 30 minutes I was already
more than pleased. And sweaty, thirsty and my neck was hurting bad. Our plan was to get a glass of water after AWS, but as soon as
they left the stage people started gathering to the front and we couldn't escape. Even if we could, our places in the front row would be gone.
Luckily Nuno came back to the stage and gave us a bottle of water! And then we just stayed and waited. And waited...
A Wilhelm Scream set list (not 100% sure of the right order):
Killing It
The King Is Dead
Famous Friends and Fashion Drunks
The Soft Sell
Me vs. Morrissey in the Pretentiousness Contest (The Ladder Match)
Congratulations
Anchor End
William Blake Overdrive
The Kids Can Eat a Bag of Dicks
When I Was Alive: Walden III
Less Bright Eyes, More Deicide
The Rip
Joey walked to the stage and crowd started screaming immediately. "Hello Wiesbaden, here we go!" said Joey and Dave beated his toms resulting an
explosion that we define as "Heartbraking Music". And just "Automatic" straight after that. The best songs of their new album. And goddamn they were rocking!
Luckily Joey could sing most of the parts, although he was singing lower sometimes saving his voice. Flip and Leon sang some of the high pitched parts and
we - the crowd - sang every fucking word! Sounds were perfect (not too loud either!) and Dave Raun was phenomenal! The crowd was one big living and moving mass.
People flying over our heads in to the warm embrace of the
bouncers that had a really rough night. However, some got past them to the stage and I probably don't have to tell you what these guys did when they got there.
One guy took a long run-up, but somehow failed to jump from the edge and just fell straight on the steel fence with his elbow hitting my arm.
I was thrown several meters backwards, but managed to get back to the front row. Some damage is expected (and even desirable) when attending a punkrock show.
Joey sung intro of "Runs in the Family" through an amplifier and it sounded just like on the album. The rest of the song was rocking too. Other highlights
between all the highlights were "Falling Apart, "Island of Shame", "May 16", "Sick", "Mr. Coffee" and suberb surprise "Smile". Leon lost his guitar sound during "Angry Days" just
before the solo (which Joey sang!) and couldn't get it working until the end of "Rager". He just spread his arms, while the crew members tried to work on it.
Luckily he could get it all together before "Coconut". During this funny piece Joey sat in the front of the drums with Jesse playing incredible bass fills
while sitting on Joey's lap. Overall, Jesse was on FIRE the whole gig - he was running across the stage and screaming his guts out.
At some point between the songs somebody in the crowd just behind me
was screaming to Joey that they should play Alien 8. Joey just couldn't get it: "What... I can't hear you... Angry Days? We played it already...?" Finally Joey
gave the microphone to this guy and the language barrier caused by the german dialect was crossed. "Ok! We'll keep that in mind" and so they played it in the
encore (I suppose they would have pulled it anyway). BTW, their encore was so awesome that I'll just have to write about it separately...
---Encore!
Alien 8 is a song that is made for live shows. "My voice is fucked, so it's your turn to sing" said Joey when the band got back on the stage. "Would it make you
feel much better..." and so on... The whole band was smiling when Schlachthof was acting as a one big choir. "You are so much better than me... a WAY better than me" said Joey and
opened the fast part: "And you will...". The whole place got totally crazy. I thought the fence in front of me was going to fall! And after this magnificent song they pulled
another pearl from the past: "Rifle" - the first song I heard from this band sometime around 1996. And, I have to say it once again, OH MAN what kind of drummer Lagwagon has.
Dave Raun is a living legend!
When the intro of "Rifle" began and he was in the spotlight you just COULDN'T see his hands. He was so f-u-c-k-i-n-g fast. And those fills! - just unbelievable...
The best part of the whole gig was in the astonishing bridge of "Rifle". Jesse opening the part with his bass, then Flip joining with light chords from his guitar and then
- explosion again: I remember screaming my guts out face to face with Jesse "Rifle, Rifle, RIFLE ME"... I was half-dead after that one. But "Back One Out" didn't give
us any time to breath either. It was played with twice the rhythm and Flip was singing like a maniac. And then the last song "Razor Burn", which is also
like designed for live-acts (one of the best on their live-album too!). "Come all ya faithful..." we were all singing. And AWS was in the stage too playing
'un-plugged' with funny looking wigs on their heads. Thank you guys and good night... I was so sweaty that even the bills in my wallet were soaking wet... now where's that WATER??
There it was. Am I happy for spending +200 euros for this? All our friends thought that we we're crazy.
But it was worth it - every cent!! I'll never forget...
Lagwagon set list (not 100% sure of the right order):
Heartbreaking Music
Automatic
After You My Friend
Falling Apart
Move The Car
Sleep
Making Friends
Resolve
Island Of Shame
Runs In The Family
Smile
Angry Days
Never Stops
Rager
Give It Back
Coconut
May 16
Know It All
Sick
Violins
Mr. Coffee
---encore
Alien 8
Rifle
Back One Out
Razor Burn
Millencolin 4.3.2006 Nosturi, Helsinki, Finland
Kemp
Fox
Man or Mouse
Farewell My Hell
Botanic Mistress
Cash or Clash
Duckpond
Ray
The Ballad
Bullion
Penquins & Polarbears
Black Eye
Lozin' Must*
Shut You Out*
Olympic*
Battery Check*
No Cigar
---encore
Mr. Clean
Mooseman's Jukebox
Leona
Pepper
Disco Ensemble 1.4.2006 Klubi, Tampere, Finland
Disco Ensemble 27.11.2006 Kaapelitehdas, Helsinki, Finland
Lagwagon 23.4.2007 Nosturi, Helsinki, Finland
hug
smokes
another hug
one guy jumping
beard
13 yrs
Dischords
Choke
Lullaby
Shaving Your Head
Black Eyes*
Messengers*
The Worst*
One Thing to Live*
Wind in Your Sail*
Randal Gets Drunk (Joey solo - forgot the words)*
Laymens Terms*
Never Stops*
Alien 8*
Give It Back*
Stokin the Neighbors*
No One*
Sleep*
Heartbreaking Music*
Automatic*
Dividers*
After you My Friend*
Falling Apart*
Razor Burn
---encore
Kids don't like to Share
Violins
May 16
Lag Wagon
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