Poets of the Fall – Viking Line, Vogue Club, Turku-Stockholm November 19th, 2022
- Where are you going? – they hailed, as I ran passed them.
- I am going on an adventure! – I shouted back and waved at whomever yelled the question – obviously, this was happening in my head 😅.
You never know when the time is ripe for you to experience something new. Life has taught me that when you are ready, your actions to make new experiences happen speak volumes about you and your state of mind at that moment. 
I work hard in that sense even though I often take long breaks in-between great milestones, I still work hard. Nothing worth gaining comes easy and I don’t know any other way. Head on high, my steps took me onboard a ship towards Turku, Finland and back. The main event would take place on the way back: Poets of the Fall playing on the rocking stage of the Viking Grace’s Vogue Club.
The cruise itself was a blast as I was lucky enough to share it with my beautiful friend from India, Pranita. I’d just introduced her to Poets of the Fall‘s music (literally a few days back) and she came to the show with me, how lucky am I? Her first experience, a bit like mine, front row if you please 🥰. I got to introduce her to my friends too, and now she has new friends… how more perfect could that cruise have gone? Well, wait until I tell you about the gig…
Poets of the Fall fanbase is amazing… and I learnt that one of you, now part of the gang that my friends are, Emelie leaves just about an hour drive or so from me… I mean, seriously, how cool is that! So small a world, and we have to travel around the world to freakin’ meet… oh, alright, I am exaggerating but still, you get what I mean right?! The gang that we are though, it makes me so happy to think about you all: Pranita (yeah part of the gang too now), Emelie, Charlie, Ana, Stef, Tuija, Rod, Kirsi, Katja, Johanna and all of you who were there I did not get to say hello to or forgot to name here… ❤️❤️❤️ Bless you all!
First time for everything
It was my first time on such a cruise. First time in a venue that does not give me hot flashes. First time the venue fills so slowly. First time so many over-zealous drinkers hit on my friends 😂. First time very few noticed that the intro music was not to be danced on, but was the announcement of the show about to start… First time for so many happy memories to be renewed in such circumstances. First time for this darn railing blocking my view, but bless it, first time for… No, no, I won’t give that away just yet. I am always excited for a Poets of the Fall concert, but for some reasons, this one had an ambiance, an atmosphere I had never experienced before. The spark of magic I thought had gone in hiding, got into my face and made a face 🙃, like Peeves, shouting “HA! You thought I’d gone for good huh!” then floated away like a crazy poltergeist.
Pumped with adrenaline, when the show started I almost cried for joy.
Magestic Requiem!
Requiem for my Harlequin opens the ball once again and as if it was the very first time again, I felt light on my feet as though invisible strings were gently lifting me up to take in the entire stage’s energy and love in an embrace. I can recall shouting and singing along louder than I usually do, I felt it the next day when my voice sounded as though I’d smoked and drank like a crooner… The live intro for Requiem is majestic… It keeps you enthralled building the expectancy for what it is to come. Every single time, I enter another world where there are no boundaries to how joyful I should feel… a world where magic never dies.
I don’t remember… I just know I sang my lungs out along on Dreaming Wide Awake. In the zone I cannot tell you what it sounded like, but I’ve always been partial to the live version as it has so much spunk. How do you describe energy? 😁.
“I dream you, I dream you, I dream you wide awake…”
When the song ends I’m boosted for what’s coming… slow Temple of Thought… not! Now I wanna dance. Poets of the Fall‘s gigs are such an incredible experience and I’ll keep on saying it.
“Chills, chills come racing down my spine like a storm on my skin”
This verse could not be more fitting. It is the way I feel at Poets’ concerts, they make me forget who or where I am. They make me forget the hurts, when I need; the chaos in my head just quiets down to let me, myself and I be in the here and now. This is truly the only moment I feel the moment I am in. Nothing else gets me there… my nephews, the rest of my family, my friends get me pretty darn close; Poets… all the way.
Rogue
There is something about Rogue that puts me in some kind of a trance, euphoric sensation… Jaska at one end of the stage, Olli at the other; they are facing each other and smiling brighter than the lightshow while Jani warms up the crowd. Jaska says something I cannot hear to Olli and he laughs. When Jani joins in on the fun, the trio stands its ground on a land we cannot see. This song is is so great, I always clap my hands like a kid so happy because I know what’s coming.
Beautiful in its simplicity
I could not say if it was before or after Rogue. So, either on Temple of Thought or Firedancer, but suddenly, when I least expected it, Marko – for a fleeting second, mind you – paused as he was facing me a few steps away, looked at me intently nodded ever so slightly with a faint yet genuine smile. It was only a moment, but it was real and as if “doubts” had never ever occurred to me, he knew me. Of course, my mind was playing tricks on me 😅, yet at that moment it felt like he’d read my words from Paris and made a point in proving me wrong… it was beautiful in it simplicity though I had no idea that the show would prove even more precious for every second that passed. I was truly experiencing the music with him… with them all, in a way I never had before. Again, the Poets of the Fall effect stroke…
Rockin’ rollin’ under our feet
I am never alone at Poets of the Fall concerts, but Charlie was in the same buzz as I. We’d look at each other now and then, singing and gesturing… that was new to me and it felt awesome. Sorry Em’ we were kinda invading your space a little then 🙃.
As I said before, Poets of the Fall is about the incredible music and live performance, but not only. It is a beautiful human communion. For one and a half hour, you are transported into a world where inner beauty is queen and compassion is king. At least, this is how I felt on Saturday evening. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that we were on a ship. It is easy to forget that fact at a Poets gig until some rockin’ rollin’ comes from under your feet… how fitting… and just like me and Charlie, you’d look kinda weirded out… so you’d look at the stage and the guys, meh! They were still playing completely unphased 😂 I know this was not their first rodeo, and I was trying to keep it cool between Charlie and Pranita, no no, I’m not freaked out at all… you know 😂.
This made it rather spicy for…
Firedancer… yes, again!
Firedancer… Yes! It is the first song on Ghostlight; yes! Many say it is not the best of the album and I would agree to one degree – only because Ghostlight is a masterpiece in its entirety and that choosing a favorite is heart-breaking; Firedancer is my favorite, but so is Ghostlight. Firedancer feels like a first kiss. Can’t forget it, won’t either nor would you want to (in most cases). I remember how amazed I was when I first listened to it, I could actually feel my pupil dilating and constricting – if there’s ever such a thing. Live, it puts me completely upside down and back again, push me in a labyrinth of mirrors where torches of fire dance around on their own, teasing me to follow… a roller-coaster ride of almost 7 minutes.
Great energy for a cruise gig
Although I’d forgotten about this at the time, I was told that cruise’s shows are usually about an hour long… I remembered that after the concert and realized, hold on a sec’, they played the regular set… I was obviously thrilled, but I wondered how they managed to pull that off 😁. It is more exposure of their music to people who might not really know it, I suppose. I’m all for it. But regular shows, often attract a specific crowd made of fans, old and new, music lovers and also probably curious people for a specific music genre… ok maybe other type of people too. Jeez! Get off my back already!
All in all, it was a packed venue with a great feedback. It seemed that the Finnish audience was rather shy to engage during the show – tough crowd – though not so shy to ask my friend to dance before the gig started 😂. The ambiance was different, but Poets of the Fall were brilliantly received for a cruise gig, so much better than I ever expected which makes me very happy indeed.
© Photos below by my beautiful friend Charlie Farlie Le Clercq. Thank you, love!
Marko broke the string
We all know how goofy Marko can be on stage. I believe he does that on most of the shows, and so he did now… he messed around with Jaska’s guitar, and whoops! String broken. I actually don’t know if it was Marko’s doing, but Jaska’s guitar looked kinda funny with the string standing to attention while the others were played on. Poor string… hanging by the guitar’s neck on its own. Did that bother Jaska? Not for one penny 😁! Don’t remember what song it was, but it was fairly early in the show and I remember laughing a lot.
More magic
Before the magic happened, I was minding my own business down memory lane and something amusing just hit me. My Dark Disquiet has become this sort of anthem, singing it along almost feels like a reflex… uncontrollable, embedded in my body… kind of remind me of the game’s theme, Control, which I still haven’t played to the end, ’cause I get scared 😅 What a strange discovery!
Sounds of Yesterday took me years back when Marko sang to me expecting me to sing back at him… it’s this beautiful thing he does, you know. My memory is like me trying to sing the words and instead I looked like a fish out of water… but not this time, no sirree! No, this time I had the words embedded on my tongue and they flew without a fluke as I engraved these few seconds in my mind and heart. Does not take much to make this gal happy 😊! The thing with Sounds of Yesterday is that it takes you by surprise at best in the studio version… then it sounds nearly unreal live. It is a beautiful ballad, sad and yet hopeful. Olli’s solo on this song brought tears to my eyes but I never let them out. His playing is so pure but the solo is so short 😭 Come on Olli, couln’t you add a little more impro there?
Talking about Olli…
For every show I’ve been to, Olli recognizes me, smiles and pauses for photos whenever he can while playing, obviously. This time though, there were a few extra special moments when he either gave me a thumbs up for a photo (though it came out blurry, sorry) and from his side of the stage, opposite to where I stood, a nod of recognition and a smile that would melt your heart. Olli was enjoying himself, and seriously I am in awe at how he can jump like that on Choice Millionaire for so long… He is the man and I think I am out of praise for him. Everything he plays looks effortless and if I remember correctly, he did say that he likes to throw a bit of impro here and there in his solos.
One look à la Jani
The show becomes a blur when I am so much in it that all I can truly remember are the feelings, emotions and the sheer joy invading me. I must admit, however, that this gig became extra special to me. Chasing Echoes, followed by Stay Forever… Marko counting on his fingers while singing:
“It’s the little things, the little things, the little things…”
Then comes Jani… getting entangled in the cable from his bass, as he is coming over the railing to sit on it… right in front of me, so much so that I need to take a little step back not to get his foot in my face. He did let us help him get untangled from the cable 😁, thanks Emelie. The Sweet Escape starts, and I have my favorite bass player, feeling and talking to his instrument… making it sing along with Marko on The Sweet Escape. One look à la Jani 😂 and he continues; another look and a wriggling of his fingers to say hello; as his look turns away, the smile on his face is priceless. All the while, I’m afraid I barely heard the song, only the bass resonating in my chest. Thank you Jani ❤️!
After this, Daze transports my heart to other heights and Lift… screaming at the right time, with my right arm towards the stage, as tradition dictates… not enough unison there, but I don’t care. I continue in my trip and am ready for another round.
Carnival of Rust
I hate this song… got you there, right… well, the song means The End, the show’s over… so yeah, I hate it and I absolutely adore it. It has the right energy to end a show but Stay Forever, lyrics-wise would be more fitting, but what do I know. Poets of the Fall concert on Viking Grace was so different. The lightning was different, not so much red or blue… alleluia 😁 and in place of a back-drop, there was a giant screen with different Poets back-drops. It made them look like kings. Gorgeous! I loved that.
The show ended with hand-shakes with the audience from almost all the guys. The gig on the Viking Grace was powerful, some “complicity” with the band here and there, my gorgeous friends there with me… how I have missed you … and all the fleeting moments that enshrined this memory in pure gold forever. Thank you all, I love you! ❤️
“Don’t walk away when the heart is yearning”
See you next year I hope Poets of the Fall.
It is not too late! You want to go to a Poets of the Fall concert, there are two left this year:
- 16.12.2022 – Tampereen Tullikamari (Pakkahuone & Klubi) – Tampere, Finland
- 17.12.2022 – M/S Baltic Princess – Turun Satama, Finland
3 Comments
Erika Bryan
I’m at a loss for words, how your story telling, gets better with every post 💪💪
You and your friends new and old are so incredibly lucky!!
I thank you for sharing
Poets of the Fall forever 🎶🎶❤️❤️❤️🙏🙏
Charlie Le Clercq
Once again, by your thoughtful words, I am transported right back there!
It truly is a unique experience going to the gig on the ship! It rocked in more ways than one! I remember, like you described, a few moments where I could feel we had hit a larger wave (perhaps it’s the nature of the sea? Perhaps its the lure of our lads having an affect on everything!) and it worried me a bit. Not that it should! It’s only a wave…. if anything, it should excite me! But as you mentioned, I think we both looked to the guys on stage and felt reasured… yep, they’re still going! No rough seas will end this cabaret!
The part when Jani clambers over the railing to plant his butt there and he got tangled up in the wire. The way we were all frantically trying to tell him, I tapped him on the leg and was like ‘Janiiiii!!!!’ I don’t know how much they can hear with those headphones in. Whether our voices are simply a muffled mess or what. Maybe they can’t hear a damn thing from us and they’re just lost in their own sound (wouldn’t mind a pair of headphones like that for myself actually!).
There was one point.. Rogue I think where Jani gets the spotlight with his introduction, inviting the audience in to clap along to the beat. I could actually hear the raw bass strings and it sounded incredible.
I LOVED the drum beat Jari produced towards the end of Choice Millionaire. I’m not surprised Jaska and Olli felt compelled to jump around!
The digital backdrop was amazing. My spirit was lifted to new heights when I saw their old logo… the giant Morpho with the stylistic font, reminding me of where this all began. OG Poets of the Fall. The reason we were even there to begin with. Whoever compiled the collection of images for the backdrop (I assume Kapu) thank you! It’s the little things, little things, little things that.. add to the experience!
You are so right about Carnival of Rust being bittersweet. We come to that part of the show and… no… it can’t end… I know the guys are all sweaty and tired after giving their all, but please don’t end yet…. please don’t ever end :'(
I am so thrilled to have met you all again. Copenhagen seems a lifetime ago now. And I was delighted to be introduced to Pranita (who is absolutely one of the gang now, and is going to become a die hard Poets fanatic before we can scream ‘don’t walk away!’ haha
Thank you Claire for allowing me to relive this precious evening again. <3 Here's to many more to come!
Pranita Singh
I love your writing voice. Reading it today brought back the fun memories and i relived the moments. The show was awesome and the band was incredible.
You are a wordsmith! 🙂