With some delay-here is my review about the "Paganfest" in Bremen.
[glow=red,2,300]Paganfest,2.4.08,Bremen,Tivoli
Ensiferum,Korpiklaani,Moonsorrow,Eluveitie,Týr,Ctulu[/glow]
The arriving in Bremen was chaotic.First I had to find out if I can take my bag out of the lockbox also in the night.It was something like 2 people (one of them was barefaced) asked and 3 answer got.Then I was searching for a ticktedmachine for the tram just to find out there are no in Bremen (really strange).So I lost at least 30 minutes.After I have arrived at the stopp I went completely in the wrong direction and to make it perfect it started to rain.
When I finally arrived at the Tivoli you had to wait at least 30 minutes and the consequence was that the first band had finished their gig before I was in the club.I was a bit annoyed cause I wanted to see also the supportact.How the hell can you put door-opening and beginning at the same time??
At most 10 minutes after I came in Týr already entered the stage.I was not really in party-mood yet and was standing in the last rows near the bar but luckily it was not too full so I could go to the front rows very easily.Týr started with a song from the new album and it seemed to be very good.But in my opinion it was not very clever to play 2 unknown songs if play only 3 songs altogether.In this circumstances gig was rather okay for me but a really good mood didn`t came up-I mean in general,not my personal mood. I was rather surprised when they left the stage after 3 songs...A funny thing happened during Týr`s gig when Jonne and Cane came to the front rows to see them.They almost stole them the show cause some fans came to them totally enthusiasticly and ignored Týr for a moment.One guy even bowed down to them-it was really funny.
I mean it in a positive way,I don`t make fun of them.And it was good for me cause after I said hello to Jonne and Cane and bought a beer I could even stand in the first row cause some fans left their places there.
I stood next to a (I guess really drunken but also) very funny guy who wanted to embrace everone and everything (including me and the monitorbox(!) )and who made party even to the soundcheck.I didn`t know Eluveitie`s music before but I enjoyed their gig.They are really good,the music and also their live-performance,they make party!
Stupidly I left my place in the first row after their gig.When Moonsorrow started I was still downstairs,a little bit planless if I should watch Moonsorrow or take a break for drinking something,going to the toilet etc. Finally a watched circa the second half of their gig from a rather good place at the side of the club but I was not really concentrated in their music anymore-but still enough to realize that they are really good! (I didn`t know them before as well) So gig was rather okay.
I was in very good mood before Korpiklaani-and audience was also.Already during the soundcheck Jonne cheered for the fans with making a gesture which means "Make some noise". So typical Korpiklaani and so damn great!But the gig itself was very disapointing-not because of the band but of the other fans and the fact that it was really full.Although you stood very close to each other the fans tried to dance rather hard with the result that you had some kind of "mass-moving" were you got pushed back and forth even without control about your own feed in some moments.I`m for sure no fan who comes to a metal gig,stands in the front rows and complains about beeing hustled or even falling to the ground sometimes,getting beer on the clothes etc. No,that`s okay but at some point it is not funny anymore.And I don`t see any sense in behaving like this.What I don`t understand more than ever is how you can "dance" like this even to the slower songs like "Korpiklaani" or "Tuli Kokko".That`s crazy!I tried not to get annoyed too much,I went to the side,drank my beer and smoked a cigarette during "Pellonpekko".I wanted to wait a moment and see if it will become better.Then they played with "Kipumylly" one of my favourite songs and so I went back to the middle but it was as bad as before-and again during a slower song.I was really annoyed and my concert was over for me personal.Rest of the gig I spend with a beer and a cigarrette in a corner of the club.It was shitty to see that the others had their fun-this was my worst Korpiklaani-gig ever.
But after the event I don`t want to complain about it.I had many great concerts,I met the band a few times and I have the luck that one of my favourite bands come on tour so often.I think every fan has a bad gig anytime-it can happen.
The band was in good mood as always.But it was the first gig I saw where classics of songs like "Happy little boozer","Hunting Song" and especially "Beer,Beer" were missing.But this fit to the whole atmosphere of -at least the Bremen-Paganfest.All seemed to be rather hectic,beginning with door-opening and first band at same time and ending with beeing "kicked out" of the hall almost directly after Ensiferum left the stage.And also during the performances you could see it;as I said typical songs were missing,no time for an encore (except Ensiferum but even they just one),not much words to the fans.I don`t blame the bands for it,in my opinion this concert was not very well organized.It may be always the problem when you have about 6 bands on one evening but in Berlin it was better-at least some things.
Luckily I kicked myself in the ass to come in good mood again when Ensiferum entered the stage.They were absolutly great.But I have the feeling that Korpiklaani were a bit the "secret headliner".A few fans left at least the front rows(which was good cause so it was not too full anymore) and some of the fans who stayed there seemd to be a bit tired.I was a bit strange and also funny to see that people stood almost still during songs like "Ahti" and "One more magic portion" (a great drinking and party song) and go absolutely crazy to the slower Korpiklaani-songs.So the first songs were not perfect for me but I made party on my own and after a few songs I went more to the middle and then it was just GREAT! (I just say "LAI LAI HEI")Ensiferum saved my evening!
I took the last tram to the station and then I had to wait 4 hours for my train back to Hamburg.Thanks to Burger King for selling vegetarian burgers cause 5 hours Folk/Viking-Metal makes hungry.I was a funny view in the restaurant cause most of the guests were long-haired,sweaty guys in metalshirts. ;D I could sleep about one hour at the station and spend some of the remaining time with helping a foreigner with his german exercises.Greetings to fuckin` BIFFF,they shall never say again that pagans were xenophobic.
Altogether I have good memories about this Paganfest and I`m happy that I was there although not everything went fine.I`m already looking forward to the next concerts of these bands-I hope I won`t take too much time.