Hail to statistics!

Another boring day for me, so here's another spectacular blog entry for you! ;-)

I noticed three general things when going through that long agenda:
1. My taste has changed very much over the years. Not that I think that would be anything unusual…
2. I visited an awful lot of Fiddler’s Green gigs. Looking back I sometimes can’t imagine why I needed to go to 6 concerts in 3 weeks. Well, I was young… :)
3. Spending my money for concerts has always been more important and satisfying for me than buying material things. Enjoying music that is played live can be such a great experience for mind, body and soul. I would miss it so much if I wouldn’t be able to visit at least a few concerts now and then.

…on the other hand there were also events I didn’t enjoy, so I haven’t listed them.

Long story short, here are the concerts I visited during the last years:


2008:

9. 2. Diary of Dreams, Leipzig
7. 3. Coppelius, Bad Salzungen
12. 3. Chamber, Berlin
14. 3. Fetisch: Mensch, Berlin
5. 4. Coppelius, Erfurt
23. 4. Letzte Instanz, Jena
1. 5. Eric Fish, Erfurt
29.-20. 7. Amphi-Festival, Köln (Welle:Erdball, Covenant, Deine Lakaien, Spiritual Front, Letzte Instanz, Das Ich, Soko Friedhof, Suicide Commando, Project Pitchfork, Diary of Dreams)

2007:

26. 1. Fiddler’s Green, Magdeburg
27. 1. Fiddler’s Green, Dresden
10. 2. Fiddler’s Green, Berlin
21. 2. Deine Lakaien & Neue Philharmoniker Frankfurt, Leipzig
3. 3. Coppelius, Bad Salzungen
17. 3. Faun, Glauchau
23. 3. VNV Nation, Erfurt
21. 4. Subway To Sally, Erfurt
27. 4. Fiddler’s Green, Glauchau
30. 4. Fiddler’s Green, Zella-Mehlis
25.-28. 5. Wave Gotik Treffen, Leipzig (Absurd Minds, Adorned Brood, Beloved Enemy, Coppelius, Dornenreich, Dunkelschön, Faun, Fetisch: Mensch, Haggard, Merlons Lichter, Subway to Sally)
8. 6. Fiddler’s Green, Bayreuth
16.-17. 6. Woodstage Festival, Glauchau (Fiddler’s Green, Project Pitchfork, Marilyn Manson, Agonoize, Welle:Erdball, Lacrimas Profundere, And One)
3. 8. Fiddler’s Green & Coppelius, Gößnitz
18. 8. Schlosshof-Festival, Höchstadt/Aisch (Fiddler’s Green, Eric Fish, Merlons Lichter)
31. 8. Folklorum-Festival, Görlitz
8. 9. Zwischenwelten-Festival, Koblenz (Neun Welten, Spiritual Front, Tenhi, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Dornenreich)
14. 9. Goethes Erben, Berlin (What a sad and happy day…)
15. 9. Fiddler’s Green, Machern
26. 10. Fiddler’s Green, Jena
30. 10. Dornenreich & Neun Welten, Jena
1. 11. Fiddler’s Green, Dublin, Ireland
2. 11. Fiddler’s Green, Tralee, Ireland
3. 11. Fiddler’s Green, Killarney, Ireland
4. 11. Fiddler’s Green, Kenmare, Ireland
8. 11. Subway To Sally & Coppelius, Magdeburg
10. 11. Coppelius, Erfurt
23. 11. Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Bad Salzungen
8. 12. Fiddler’s Green, Erfurt
15. 12. Subway To Sally & Deep Trip, Glauchau
23. 12. Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Jena
25. 12. Darkstorm Festival, Chemnitz (Das Ich, Project Pitchfork, VNV Nation)
29. 12. Subway To Sally & Deep Trip, Bad Salzungen

2006:

13. 1. Fiddler’s Green, Magdeburg
20. 1. Fiddler’s Green, Erlangen
11. 3. Mutabor, Jena
18. 3. Babylon Circus, Jena
31. 3. Fiddler’s Green, Glauchau
1. 4. Fiddler’s Green, Erfurt
15. 4. Subway To Sally, Gotha
19. 4. Chamber, Erfurt
28. 4. Zombie Joe, Gotha (last Zombie Joe concert for me before the split)
29. 4. Mutabor, Bad Salzungen (last Mutabor concert for me before the split)
30. 4. Fiddler’s Green, Hettenrodt (last concert with Peter :(
2.-5. 6. Wave Gotik Treffen, Leipzig (Beborn Beton, Clan of Xymox, Deathstars, Deine Lakaien, Dunkelschön, Omnia, VNV Nation)
14. 7. Subway To Sally, Jena
31. 7. Fiddler’s Green, Kulmbach Plassenburg
12. 10. Placebo, Erfurt
3. 11. Fiddler’s Green, Affalter
4. 11. Fiddler’s Green, Jena
25. 12. Darkstorm Festival, Chemnitz (Welle:Erdball, Diary of Dreams, Covenant)
27. 12. Coppelius, Erfurt
29. 12. Subway To Sally, Bad Salzungen

2005:

28. 1. Chamber, Zapfendorf
4. 2. Diary of Dreams, Zapfendorf
6. 2. Diary of Dreams, München
3. 3. Diary of Dreams, Erfurt
11. 3. Coppelius, Erfurt
1. 4. Fiddler’s Green, Mühldorf/Inn
2. 4. Fiddler’s Green, Ulm
8. 4. Fiddler’s Green, Regensburg
15. 4. Fiddler’s Green, Glauchau
16. 4. Fiddler’s Green, Schweinfurt
23. 4. Fiddler’s Green, Mühlhausen
13.-16. 5. Wave Gotik Treffen, Leipzig (Apoptygma Berzerk, Chamber, Diary of Dreams, Faun, Fiddler’s Green, Hocico, Merlons Lichter, Omnia, Spetsnaz, Subway to Sally, Zeromancer)
20. 5. Fiddler’s Green, Remscheid
23. 7. Burgfolk Festival, Mülheim (44 Leningrad, Faun, Fiddler’s Green)
30. 7. Fiddler’s Green, Münchaurach
22. 10. Fiddler’s Green, Bad Salzungen
28. 10. Subway To Sally, Erfurt
29. 10. Mutabor, Hoyerswerda
4. 11. Fiddler’s Green, Affalter
5. 11. Fiddler’s Green, Jena
26. 11. Zombie Joe, Wittenberg
2. 12. Mutabor, Erfurt
9. 12. Fiddler’s Green, Weißenfels
10. 12. Fiddler’s Green, Neustadt/Orla
16. 12. Letzte Instanz, Gera
25. 12. Darkstorm Festival, Chemnitz (Letzte Instanz, Zeraphine, Goethes Erben, VNV Nation)
29. 12. Subway To Sally, Bad Salzungen

2004:

4. 1. Lacuna Coil, Moonspell & Passenger, Nürnberg
30. 1. Fiddler’s Green, Zeitz
31. 1. Fiddler’s Green, Glauchau
6. 3. Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Glauchau
15. 4. Goethes Erben (Musiktheater „Schattendenken“), München
23. 4. Fiddler’s Green, Erfurt
1. 5. Fiddler’s Green, Ingolstadt
8. 5. Tanzwut, München
28.-31. 5. Wave Gotik Treffen, Leipzig (Chamber, Elis, Faun, Haggard, Mila Mar, Persephone, Salonorchester Weimar, The Crüxshadows, Untoten)
5. 6. Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Erfurt
18. 6. Fiddler’s Green, Gera
3. 7. Castle Rock Festival, Mülheim (Chamber, Diary of Dreams, Haggard)
10. 7. Fiddler’s Green, Solingen
24. 7. 1000th Fiddler’s Green concert, Burg Hoheneck (+ Merlons & Eric Fish)
31. 7. Fiddler’s Green, Blacksheep & The Transylvanians, Nürnberg Bardentreffen
12. 9. Wolfram Huschke, Erfurt
23. 10. Fiddler’s Green & Coppelius, Bad Salzungen
20. 11. Fiddler’s Green, Abensberg
27. 11. Fiddler’s Green, Wermsdorf
10. 12. Fiddler’s Green, Jena
30. 12. Fiddler’s Green, München

2003:

28. 2. Apocalyptica, Nürnberg
7. 3. Fiddler’s Green, Sondershausen
21. 3. Project Pitchfork, Gotha
17. 4. Fiddler’s Green, Nürnberg
19. 4. Fiddler’s Green, Abensberg
30. 4. Faun, Zella-Mehlis
17. 5. Tanzwut, Bad Salzungen
23. 5. Fiddler’s Green, Pölling
5. 7. Fiddler’s Green, Erlangen
19. 7. Woodstage Festival, Glauchau (Letzte Instanz, Oomph!, 18 Summers, Phillip Boa, Covenant, Wolfsheim)
25. 7. Fiddler’s Green, Münchaurach
15.-17. 8. Highfield Festival, Erfurt (Knorkator, The 69 Eyes, Paradise Lost, Letzte Instanz, Apocalyptica, Blumfeld, Beck, Placebo)
19. 9. Eric Fish, Suhl
17. 10. Letzte Instanz, Glauchau
18. 10. Tanzwut, Gera
24. 10. Fiddler’s Green, Affalter
25. 10. Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, Leipzig
28. 10. Wolfram Huschke, Bamberg
31. 10. Letzte Instanz, Erfurt
1. 11. Subway To Sally, Nürnberg
7. 11. Fiddler’s Green, Gera
15. 11. Fiddler’s Green, Bad Salzungen
13. 12. Zeraphine, Bad Salzungen
19. 12. Wolfram Huschke, Erlangen

2002:

8. 3. Fiddler’s Green, Erlangen
9. 3. Fiddler’s Green, Bayreuth
23. 3. Fiddler’s Green & Merlons, Erfurt
30. 3. Subway To Sally, Sondershausen
8. 5. Faun, Zella-Mehlis
24. 5. Fiddler’s Green, Bad Salzungen
15. 6. Fiddler’s Green, Erlangen
3. 8. Fiddler’s Green, Herzogenaurach
8. 9. Lecker Sachen, Zella-Mehlis
12. 10. Fiddler’s Green, Erlangen
24. 10. In Flames & Pain, Nürnberg
25. 10. Fiddler’s Green, Jena
30. 11. Fiddler’s Green, Affalter
2. 12. Alice Cooper, Erfurt
13. 12. Schattentantz, Bad Salzungen
28. 12. Subway To Sally, Bad Salzungen

2001:

26. 10. Fiddler's Green & Merlons, Jena
24. 11. Fiddler’s Green & Merlons, Affalter
8. 12. Fiddler’s Green, Gera
29. 12. Subway to Sally, Bad Salzungen

Germany
Letzte Instanz
Welle:Erdball
:wumpscut:
Rotersand
And One
Rammstein
Reaper
In Strict Confidence
Wir sind Helden
Lola Angst
Samsas Traum
Subway to Sally
[:SITD:]
Agonoize
Janus
De/Vision
November Process
Feindflug
Funker Vogt
Noisuf-X
C-Drone-Defect

U.S.A.
System of a Down
KoЯn
Psyclon Nine
Evanescence
Disturbed
Rasputina
The Crüxshadows
Rob Zombie
Linkin Park

England and Ireland
Faithless
VNV Nation
The Prodigy
Ladytron
Placebo
Dido
Portishead

Norway
Combichrist
Apoptygma Berzerk
Theatre of Tragedy

Canada
Front Line Assembly
Zombie Girl

Netherlands
Grendel
Angels & Agony

Sweden
Covenant
Alice in Videoland

Belgium
Suicide Commando

Finland
Ruoska

Italy
Kirlian Camera

Mexico
Hocico



Ich wusst garnich, dass da so viele deutsche Bands dabei sind.^^
Naja eigentlich kann mans sich denken, da Deutschland eines der Zentren der dunklen Musik war und immer noch ist.
England und Irland hab ich zusammengefasst, da VNV Nation laut der deutschen Wikipedia aus beiden Ländern kommt.

So much for Amphi Festival 2008.

...well, it was not only that, but that headline pretty much sums up what this year's Amphi was like. So let me get a bit more detailed.

The main reasons for me to go there were Covenant, Deine Lakaien and Rotersand. So far the time schedule wasn't as good for me as it could've been since Rotersand (on the second stage) started playing immediately after Covenant and then overlapped with Deine Lakaien. If that person responsible for this plan ever crosses my sight I'll shoot him to the moon. :P No, just kidding of course.

exothermal (who accompanied me and organised our stay at the youth hostel, thanks again :) ) and I arrived a bit late on Saturday because we could only check in at the youth hostel after noon. So we arrived when Zeromancer were already halfway done. As we didn't yet want to dive right into the already massive crowd we went shopping a bit. The volume was loud enough anyway. ^^

As we both hadn't heard much of Welle:Erdball up to now we decided to give them a try and weren't disappointed. Their show was great (even though I still don't know what sense the graffiti they developed during their show made) and I'll definitely give them another listen.

Next were Zeraphine even though Haujobb were also about to start at the second stage. But as that stage was inside the theatre we decided to just stay at the main stage - the queue in front of the theatre was already huge. Zeraphine weren't disappointing us - their singer Sven Friedrich always amazes me with his voice.

Covenant - as already said - were a must. Curiously Joakim hopped on stage with crutches. He'd broken his leg at the football match (Amphi Cup) on friday before the festival. Haujobb's Daniel Myer was a great replacement for Clas who left Covenant. Daniel added some live drums giving them an extra kick. I especially liked that version of Figurehead they played. Even though I felt that maybe Eskil's microphone could've been a bit louder their show was great - even more than on their In Transit DVD.

Then we rushed over to the theatre stage to see at least the rest of Rotersand - it took us about 15 minutes to get in there so we only catched the last 20 minutes or so. But at least we were in time to hear a great acoustic version of I Am With You and a new version of I Cry. They finished their set with my favourite track Undone of which the first verse was also sung only with piano accompaniment. Absolutely fabulous (although it wouldn't have hurt to make an all-acoustic version of that tune ;) ).

Thanks to that time schedule we also missed half of Deine Lakaien and the crowd right at the main stage was already that huge that we decided to see their performance from a bit further away - namely the merchandise booth whilst buying Rotersand-t-shirts XD
But what we've seen was great - as no less could've been expected by them.

After that we luckily had enough time to get back into the theatre for Combichrist - the queue must've been twice as long now but we surely didn't wait as long as for Rotersand. Yeah, what to say about Combichrist? Loud, hard, insane - absolutely great. XD

On Sunday we had additional company by our youth hostel roommate - a quite nice guy from Poland. Whilst I stood in the crazily long queue to get my Puppenspiel limited edition signed by Unheilig's Der Graf the other two went either relaxing at the beach club or taking photos.

After standing in line for like 50 minutes and having moved forward like only one tenth of the whole length of the queue I gave it up and joined the other two to see The LoveCrave who all three of us didn't know yet. But they were great - very good gothic rock and quite a nice show. Their album is definitely on my list of CDs to buy.

After that we went to the theatre (which was amazingly empty) were our friend from Poland wanted to see Spectra*Paris. I didn't quite like them that much. I found their music to be a bit too depressive sounding - I have to be in the mood for such stuff. And since I wanted to have some fun I definitely wasn't ;)
Apart from that they had a silver screen hanging behind them on which seemingly random video scenes were being projected. I didn't quite get the meaning of that.

Out on the mainstage we catched most of the gig of Letzte Instanz which was absolutely great. Although it was still quite early in the afternoon they got the audience jumping and waving their hands quite a lot. Our polish friend who didn't know them up to now was quite surprised how good they were. (I think he was a bit careful about exothermal and me being enthusiastic about them as we were more into the more electronic sounding acts at the festival ;) )

And on we went with switchting back and forth between the theatre and the main stage: Lacrimas Profundere delivered a solid show but did not impress me that much that I'd really need to buy some of their albums. L'Âme Immortelle out on the main stage were really disappointing. I like their music but their performance didn't really impress me.

The rain that started during their gig reliefed us of the decision whether to stay outside for Suicide Commando or go into the theatre to see Clan of Xymox - we went inside. ;) That definitely was not a wrong decision, Clan of Xymox delivered a solid gig. Let's see whether I'll look for some of their stuff or not - I'm not yet sure about it. ;)

Outside Project Pitchfork were already rocking the crowd. The show they delivered was really great - but their sound engineer was definitely not. The lead singer was drowned by the guitar and the keyboard was also hard to make out. All in all it was pretty much just loud noise. But at least the show was great.

The last gig we went to see was that by Diary of Dreams back in the theatre. So another round of waiting... not. As soon as we lined up at the end of the quite long queue somebody must have opened the flood gates or something like that because the whole queue was almost being sucked into the theatre.

So, DOD were absolutely great! I only knew a few tracks by them up to now but that gig made me a real fan. exothermal was a bit torn apart - he obvsiously wanted to stay and see the rest of the show but then he would've missed getting his Kaskade limited edition signed by Project Pitchfork. He definitely missed out on a great gig. DOD had to return twice to the stage playing the very last song as an acoustic version. So yeah, they were fucking fabulous. (Which I repeated a lot to make exothermal envious :P)

On the downside are the high prices for food and drinks but as I heard the organisers can't be blamed, it was the Tanzbrunnen (the location the festival took place) who wanted to accept only the suppliers they chose.

So - what a weekend. I'd really like to repeat that. Next chance might be the M'era Luna in August. We'll see. ;) So yeah, even though it was very crowded and despite the prices for drinks and food the Amphi was absolutely worth the money.

Bands I've seen live:
1 After Forever
2 Angelzoom
3 Anna Katharina
4 Apocalyptica
5 Apoptygma Berzerk (2x)
6 ASP & Chamber
7 ASP (5x)
8 Cinderella Effect
9 Cinema Strange
10 Combichrist (2x)
11 Corvus Corax (2x)
12 Cultus Ferox (3x)
13 Das Ich (3x)
14 De/Vision
15 Deadfly Ensemble
16 Deine Lakaien (2x)
17 Diary of Dreams
18 Eisbrecher
19 Emilie Autumn
20 Eric Fish (2 1/2x)
21 Estampie (2x)
22 Exilia
23 Faun (3x)
24 fetisch:MENSCH
25 Front 242
26 Frozen Plasma
27 Grendel
28 Haggard
29 Heimataerde
30 HIM
31 Hocico
32 In Extremo
33 Katzenjammer Kabarett
34 L’Âme Immortelle
35 Lacrimosa
36 Leandra
37 Letzte Instanz (2x)
38 Mina Harker
39 Nightwish
40 northborne
41 Obscenity Trial
42 Potentia Animi
43 Qntal
44 Rapalje
45 Reaper
46 Remember Twilight
47 Saltatio Mortis (42958241735872 mal ... gefühlt)
48 Samsas Traum (2x)
49 Schandmaul (2x)
50 Soman
51 Spiritual Front (2x)
52 Staubkind
53 Subway to Sally (2x)
54 Suicide Commando (2x)
55 Tanzwut
56 The Crüxshadows (3x ?)
57 Unheilig
58 Unter Null
59 VNV Nation
60 Welle:Erdball (2x)
61 weto
62 Wir sind Helden
63 xotox
64 Zeraphine (2x)
65 Zeromancer

1. Wenn es sein muss - dann aber sofort (0:37)
2. Trash Groove Girls - Trash Beat (5:57)
3. Stern Meissen - Also Was Soll Aus Mir Werden (6:10)
4. The KLF - All You Need Is Love (Original Version) (5:02)
5. Neon - Runnin' (5:19)
6. Koto - Star Trek (4:45)
7. Sin With Sebastian - Shut Up (And Sleep With Me) (Airplay Mix) (3:46)
8. White China - Smiles And Jokes (3:55)
9. Thermostatic - Close Your Eyes (4:16)
10. Heiter bis Wolkig - Auferstanden Aus Ruinen (4:33)
11. Twilight Ritual - Black Track (2:34)
12. Spliff - Radio (4:24)
13. Trisomie 21 - There's A Strange Way This Morning? (5:16)
14. The Sisters of Mercy - Fix (3:41)
15. Twice a Man - Still In The Air (5:02)
16. Digital Factor - T.A.E. (4:51)
17. Michael Cretu - Data-Alpha-4 (3:26)
18. T.A.N.K. - Busstation (2:54)
19. The Cassandra Complex - Tell Me (5:12)
20. slagsmaalsklubben - Borg Of Hate (5:47)
21. The Klinik - Walking With Shadows (5:02)
22. Vulgar Tongues - King Kong On The Roof (3:37)
23. Laibach - Der Zivilisation (4:50)
24. Plastic Noise Experience - No Return (2:52)
25. WIZO - Kein Gerede (2:49)
26. Suicide Commando - Save Me (5:43)
27. Westbam - Disco Deutschland (Bomb The House Mix) (5:51)
28. The Weathermen - Let Them Remix It In Berlin (4:51)
29. zsa zsa la boum - Tu Veux Ou Tu Veux Pas? (Nem Vem Que Nao Lem Mix) (5:26)
30. The Maxx - Cocaine (Other Mix) (4:56)
31. ZK - Zieht Euch Warm An! (1:24)
32. Kirlian Camera - Heldenplatz (Original) (3:17)
33. Da Davo - My Wild Love (3:55)
34. Time To Time - Im Wald Der Träume (7:46)
35. Yello - Oh Yeah (Dance Mix) (6:26)
36. Ton Steine Scherben - Die Letzte Schlacht Gewinnen Wir (4:18)
37. Die Synthetische Republik - Der Böse Osten (5:07)
38. Autumn - Synthesize (3:27)
39. Tragic Error - Klatsche In Die Hände (Hungrily Version) (4:38)
40. The Osmonds - Crazy Horses (2:28)
41. Speed Tribe - A.W.I.A.T.C. (4:24)
42. Puissance - Global Deathrape (5:12)
43. Edwards & Armani - Sex (3:23)
44. Freunde Der Italienischen Oper - Neighbourly Scoretaking (2:35)
45. Ice Ages - I Come For You (5:30)
46. The Cure Vs Peter Gabriel - Lullaby In Your Eyes (6:16)
47. MC Flittchen - Hänschen Tanzt (ADW-Mix) (4:44)
48. Metropolis - Die Zeit Ist Ab (6:06)
49. Mighty Dub Katz - Magic Carpet Ride (No Comprende Edit) (3:55)
50. Aimless Device - No Friend of Mine (5:32)
51. Click Click - Red (4:41)
52. Snowy Red - Don't Loose Control (3:02)
53. Zyon - No Fate (Brainfood Mix) (5:20)
54. T-Bone Castro - I Want Cha (Women Here Part 1) (4:28)

Quite interesting to find out, what country you listen most... As expected it was Germany for me, a lot of nice Goth, Metal 'n Rock music over there!
For Mexico I miss Dulce Liquido. xD
Uuhh and I'm really ashamed because it seems that I don't support my homecountry. Well, cnnot explain why... Actually I listen to a few Swiss bands, but they're not in my Top 50 unfortunately. Next time maybe. ;)

08.07.2008

Germany: Die Toten Hosen, ASP, Zeraphine, Rammstein, Adversus, Goethes Erben, Subway to Sally, Blutengel, 4Lyn, Unheilig, Heimataerde, Terminal Choice, Eisregen, Deine Lakaien, Welle:Erdball, Wolfsheim, Lacrimas Profundere, Das Ich, Heaven Shall Burn, Letzte Instanz, In Extremo, Böhse Onkelz, L'Âme Immortelle, All:My:Faults
Total: 24
First Appearance: # 4

USA: Marilyn Manson, The Crüxshadows, Dropkick Murphys, Evanescence, System of a Down, Flogging Molly, Linkin Park, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem
Total: 9
First Appearance: # 2

Finland: Apocalyptica, HIM, Nightwish, Negative
Total: 4
First Appearance: # 1

Mexico: Hocico, Amduscia, Rabia Sorda
Total: 3
First Appearance: # 3

Sweden: In Flames, Deathstars, Colony 5
Total: 3
First Appearance: # 8

England: Muse, Placebo (too complicated in a way), VNV Nation
Total: 3
First Appearance: # 10

Switzerland: Metallspürhunde
Total: 1
First Appearance: # 20

Italy: Graveworm
Total: 1
First Appearance: # 31

France: Manu Chao
Total: 1
First Appearance: # 37

Belgium: Suicide Commando
Total: 1
First Appearance: # 48

So I went to one of Swedens largest music festivals. Arvika is supposed to be a Mekka for electronic music but we got a little bit of this and that to top it off. Not complaining one bit! :)

Started of with Timo Räisänen - Awesome act to kick off this weekend of good music. Timo turned out to be a really good sport in private aswell. Greetings from mom!
Universal Poplab - kicked ass! They still got it! Those new tunes sounded great guys!.
Efterklang - Wow, this is pure art! The band used their brush of music to paint a beautiful picture of sounds, visions and atmosphere to send the audience to heaven and back.
The Kooks - You really can't go wrong with them, they can make anyone smile and dance.
Robyn - I'm not really a fan, but this girl can perform! I found myself singing along with almost every song, jumping up and down with the chorus. She owned that stage I tell you!
Slayer - I tried, I relly did. I used to enjoy a little bit of Slayer every now and then, but now it just sounds... old. IMO, this type of metal is on the downfall. Nice light effects though, but too much hype.
El Perro del Mar - Aw, this girl breaks my heart! The way she lives the music (one of Arvika's slogans btw) is adorable. It's like she doesn't even know we're there... great music, great atmosphere and excellent musicians all and all!
Owl Vision - Great beats, nice smile and an obvious dedication to what he's doing. I see great things in this guy's future. He hits the spot right on. You just have to dance to it!
Adam Tensta - Hip-Hop's got a new beat, it's nice to see someone taking the genre to a new level. And he's swedish too :) The act was fun and entertaining, and even though I'm not a fan, I couldn't help myself but raising my hand and join the chorus in "I'm an 80's baby baby". Well, I was born in the 70's but hey that's a minor detail. I hope you straighten things up with your record company, Adam.
Assemblage 23 - Yes, yes, YES! One of the resons I came to Arvika! Really made my day. Excellent performance, a good mix of old and new stuff so that everyone could walk away happy. He could have gone on for another hour though, there are just too many good songs... hihi
The Hellacopters - Sweden's most beloved trucker hats. Rock that never goes out of style, and these guys surely never gets boring. Unfortunately I could only stay for a few songs, but I could hear them all over the area :)
Soilwork - The reason I had to leave The Hellacopters, but I got my priorities :) Saw this lovely bunch @ Metaltown just recently and just had to relive that moment. Sadly enough I felt that the audience was either tired or not happy with the material, because they never really got into it. Sure, we had the whole "horns-in-the-air" & headbanging thing going, but where was the love? Maybe a few more "sing-along-songs" would have done the trick? Still love them to death though <3
The Crüxshadows - Just to see Rogue's incredible hairdo is reason enough to show up at stage Andromeda :) Jokes aside, these guys with their unique sound really got the crowd going.
Kent - Perfect. Just perfect. For some reason they managed to play all of my favourite tunes, old aswell as new ones. This is my third Kent concert, and this one owned everything else. I could have died happy right there on the spot. You're simply the best. Case closed. Too bad I missed
Suicide Commando though, a bit of re-arrangement in the schedule would have made alot of people happy.
Interpol - Yes they might seem arrogant, and yes, their songs might not be obvious live material, but still, no one can deny the fact that Interpol makes beautiful, atmospheric and sometimes eerie music. The set was perfect, sun had set, red lighting on stage and then the mystery began. Excellent!
And One - Just found out that Rotersands performance had been moved, and that we just missed it (grrr), so that gave us the opportunity to watch the whole And One concert. And what a concert it was! Steve was really out there with his dance and provocative small talk, and we loved it! And thanks for playing Timekiller (And One remix), one of my all-time favourite tunes. A perfect ending to a perfect day @ Arvika!
In Strict Confidence - Surely an act I never will forget. Yes the music was great, and the band did everything they could to light the audience's fire. But, several days of extreme heat and loads of concerts takes it's toll on people. We were tired. And hot. Then, suddenly, it happened. The rain came. And the wind blew small drops of cold water onto our steaming bodies, and POWWOW! The crowd went wild! Totally turned the gig into a massive tribe worshipping the rain. And, of course, ISC :)
Alice in Videoland - Due to an almost collapsed stage tent because of heavy rain, the gig was postponed until further notice. So while me and my daughter were trying to save what was left of our tent, AiV went on stage :( At least we caught the last 20 minutes or so, and I'm just gonna say, hell yeah! Sexy, catchy and just fucking awesome! The new album kicks ass, and so does Toril.
Combichrist - Does it get any harder than this? I was totally blown away - give me more of this! Pain and agony mixed with attitude and rude lyrics. Ah, yes!
Lola Angst - This was just weird... but I kinda liked it? Got a good laugh out of his small talk though, kept asking "are you doing ok Afrika? Are you with me Afrika?" I guess he read the name of the festival wrong... (A-r-v-i-k-a)
Death Cab for Cutie - Sweet, mellow and easy on the ear. Yeah that pretty much summons it up. I wasn't too impressed, but i did a few dancing moves and I could actually sing along to a few songs. Great tunes for rainy days like these :)
S.P.O.C.K - Live long and prosper! Oh my god what a finish for this festival! The crowd wouldn't go away after the gig, we just wanted more, and more, and... well, I don't think this is the last we've seen of the spacemen in tights, being booked 9 times to Arvika must mean there's going to be a 10th... ? More party oi oi!
Hot Chip - No, no, no, I don't get the hype with these guys. Yes there's a few hit songs that I can tap my foot to, but too much of this and my ears will start to bleed. I'm a huge fan of electronic music but there's just something about Hot Chip that makes my skin crawl. Sorry! I tried! Went back to the tent and fell asleep to blip-blop-choo-choo-doop-doop.

To summon it up: Great festival, awesome bookings! The crew worked hard and long for us to have a memorable weekend and they did an amazing job, kudos to the Arvika Staff 2008!
Now I will need a few days to recover from aching muscles, blisters and burns, anxiety over gigs I missed and euphoria over gigs I loved. Thanks Arvika for this experience, and see you again in 2009!
//Diadara
p.s. Do NOT eat the Teriyaki, it sucked big time! d.s.

01. Manowar
First Song: Warriors Of The World United
Song that made me fall in love: The Fight For Freedom
Current favourite: Hymn Of The Immortal Warriors
Favourite album: Battle Hymns

02. Böhse Onkelz
First Song: Wenn wir einmal Engel sind
Song that made me fall in love: Wenn wir einmal Engel sind
Current favourite: Deutschland
Favourite album: Buch der Erinnerung

03. Rammstein
First Song: Stripped
Song that made me fall in love: Sonne
Current favourite: Seemann
Favourite album: Reise, Reise

04. Metallica
First Song: Nothing Else Matters
Song that made me fall in love: Nothing Else Matters
Current favourite: So What
Favourite album: Garage Inc.

05. Anthrax
First Song: Deathrider
Song that made me fall in love: Metal Thrashing Mad
Current favourite: I'm Eighteen
Favourite album: The Greater Of Two Evils

06. Feindflug
First Song: Stromtod
Song that made me fall in love: Stromtod
Current favourite: Truppenschau
Favourite album: Volk und Armee

07. Varg
First Song: Windzeit
Song that made me fall in love: Heldentod
Current favourite: Wolfszeit
Favourite album: Wolfszeit

08. Motörhead
First Song: Die You Bastard
Song that made me fall in love: Liar
Current favourite: Life's A Bitch
Favourite album: Bastards

09. In Extremo
First Song: Küss Mich
Song that made me fall in love: Erdbeermund
Current favourite: Vollmond
Favourite album: Raue Spree

10. Iron Maiden
First Song: Run To The Hills
Song that made me fall in love: Fear Of The Dark (live)
Current favourite: Fear Of The Dark (live)
Favourite album: The Number Of The Beast

11. King Orgasmus One
First Song: Liebe is schön
Song that made me fall in love: Lasst uns chillen Schlampen 2
Current favourite: Shake dein AEH
Favourite album: Fick mich... und halt dein Maul

12. Bloodhound Gang
First Song: Fire Water Burn
Song that made me fall in love: The Ballad Of Chasey Lain
Current favourite: Ralph Wiggum
Favourite album: Hoorai For Boobies

13. Eisregen
First Song: 1000 tote Nutten
Song that made me fall in love: Elektrohexe
Current favourite: Eisenkreuzkrieger, Sie blutete nur einen Sommer lang
Favourite album: Blutbahnen

14. Suicide Commando
First Song: Acid Bath
Song that made me fall in love: Acid Bath
Current favourite: Love Breeds Suicide
Favourite album: Blind Torture Kill

15. AC/DC
First Song: Highway To Hell
Song that made me fall in love: Hells Bells
Current favourite: The Razors Edge
Favourite album: Back In Black

16. Die Apokalyptischen Reiter
First Song: Seemann (?)
Song that made me fall in love: Die Sonne Scheint
Current favourite: Der Adler, Wenn Ich Träume
Favourite album: Samurai

17. Subway to Sally
First Song: Wenn Engel hassen
Song that made me fall in love: S.O.S.
Current favourite: Eisblumen
Favourite album: Nord Nord Ost

18. Hanzel und Gretyl
First Song: Ubermensch Uberfrau
Song that made me fall in love: Lederhozen macht frei
Current favourite: Lederhozen macht frei
Favourite album: 2012 Zwanzig Zwölf

19. Marilyn Manson
First Song: Tainted Love
Song that made me fall in love: Tainted Love
Current favourite: In The Shadow Of The Valley Of The Death
Favourite album: Holy Wood

20. Equilibrium
First Song: Met
Song that made me fall in love: Widars Hallen
Current favourite: Wingthors Hammer
Favourite album: Turis Fratyr