Ruisrock 2006
Once again the time had come – Ruisrock 2006. Over three days 65,000 people came to the festival site on the island Ruissalo offshore of Turku with Saturday and Sunday being completely sold out. The mood was awesome and the weather encouraged sunbathing, swimming and chilling – there was hardly a cloud in the sky. Therefore, flower necklaces available in all colors of the rainbow, were the biggest sellers. The only downer was that the final of the World Cup was played at the same weekend and so some music- and football fans had to decide for one. The decision, however, was made easier because the games could be watched at a video screen on the festival site. Apart from the four stages there was once again the Hevi Karaoke stage and a Tribuuttiteltta, in which bands paid homage to their favorite bands live; amongst others Black Sabbath, The Doors, Iron Maiden and Alice in Chains were musically courted. (kg)
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SATURDAY
SUBURBAN TRIBE – Niittylava (= Wiesenbühne)
As the first band of the festival Saturday SUBURBAN TRIBE entered the Niittylava (Grass stage) at noon. At this early hour some people had already gathered in front of the stage to rock with the guys. Many people, however, were still stuck in the queue in front of the main gate to be granted to enter the site, partly up to one hour in sweltering heat or partied with the Finnish Gentleman version Jukka Poika & Jenkkarekka who, with their reggae on the Rantalava (Beach Stage), put the masses into summer party mood. Because we were a little late we only saw the last minutes of Suburban tribe´s set, which included „Frozen Ashes“, „Untameable“ and „Silent Rain“. The mood was good and there were even some restrained „We want more“shouts. (kg)
STAM1NA – Paviljonkilava (= Pavillionbühne)
As with Tuska, STAM1NA once again have the thankless task of heating up the crowd in the early afternoon. Here it works a little better: with a hard slab of heavy metal in Finnish and relaxed slogans like “What the hell is going on here” or “Mummy, put the coffee on”, they get the noses in front of the stage moshing and dancing. As is always the case here, the Finnish humor comes through from time to time and the whole thing becomes quite poppy. Plus the question “Can you still do it?” But they always do! (mk)
APOCALYPTICA – Niittylava
Still not much later in the day, but still on a much bigger stage, the gentlemen of APOCALYPTICA then almost literally saw their cellos to pieces. Even though the setlist is pretty similar to last summer’s, this mix never gets boring. Atmospheric fog, atmospheric light and absolute energy from the band make this a very successful gig. Among other things, there was One, the new single Repressed and of course Life Burns and Bittersweet. Unfortunately without Lauri and Ville… (mk)
THE 69 EYES – Niittylava
And here we go again – The 69 eyes once again! Announced as „the world´s sexiest band“ there was at first a lot of smoke from which the poser kings slowly emerged. As usual with their skeleton outfits they went through their „Best of“ set with songs like „Devils“, „Gothic Girl“, „Betty Blue“, „The Chair“ and „ Lost boys“. Although this time around Jyrki 69 would have had a really good reason to wear his sunglasses because the sun blazed down mercilessly he took them off many a time! The set was as usual, clothes as usual, nothing special but apparently it was Jussis birthday. Alright then! (kg)
DANKO JONES – Puistolava (Parkbühne)
The next act on the puistolava (Park Stage) were Danko Jones. Up till now I had only heard their name but I couldn´t associate neither songs nor faces with that band! Quite a shame because they are a really good live band and entertaining in two different ways. Danko Jones is also the (alleged) name of the singer and guitarist of the band and he has a second leg to stand on as a „spoken word“ performer, which is a big advantage at concerts of the band to furthermore captivate the audience. The medically prescribed eye patch was one of the topics at this afternoon and so Danko claimed that the reason for it was too much „handwork“ which, as is generally known, leads to blindness. But because he didn´t want to bear his fate alone he invited the crowd to a „circle jerk off“ with „Who wants to go blind with Danko Jones“? Someone in the audience also had a pirate flag with him, of course with an eye patch, and so Danko had it given to him and swayed it proudly. But, of course, not only Danko´s ocular misfortune was the center of attention but also the music, which rocked the crowd. Danko kicked some serious ass with songs like „Sticky Situation“, „Invisible“ and „First date“ which you could and had to sing along after only a few seconds without even having known the song before. Excellent! (kg)
DISCO ENSEMBLE – Niittylava
Back to the Niittylava where Disco Ensemble gave their all. Here is once again a Finnish band who can make it also outside the Finnish borders and thus they were already enjoying success for example in the UK. I think I even heard a little proudness of those home-grown heroes in the crowd reactions that day. Their success is not without reason because singer Miikka Koivisto reminds a little of a young Adam Lazzara from Taking Back Sunday when he rompily runs over the stage and does his best. For the first time I feel that the ground under my feet starts to shake when the masses jump along. Musically the show is already quite professional but the announcings between the songs have to be practiced a little more. (kg)
OPETH – Rantalava (= Strandbühne)
The Swedish dark metallers have brought a lot of fans with them. In any case, I hardly see anyone in front of the stage without an OPETH fan shirt. Singer Mikael Åkerfeldt seems to be in top form and once again delivers his notorious dry humor: “Who are we?” Crowd: “OPETH!” “That’s right. You’re at the right concert! I’m a little bit sick. But we’ve never canceled a concert because of illness. Only when there wasn’t enough money.”
The setlist was peppered with delicacies across the rather long list of the gentlemen’s albums.
Shortly before the concert, Mikael gave a short interview, which was broadcast on the screen at the festival: “Where do you prefer to play, at festivals or in clubs?”
M: “Festivals are always a cool party, but in terms of music we prefer to play in clubs. It’s our “own” crowd and we can play for longer. You can’t do that at festivals. But we can meet other bands, or even our idols. Invite us back to Tuska, we loved it there!” (mk)
GOGOL BORDELLO – Puistolava
„Gypsy punk“ that´s what I had heard about them before and I didn´t really know what to expect here. Can this combination really work and if so, how? First six musicians took to the stage with such unusual instruments like accordion, violin but also guitar and bass and kicked off the show as is right and proper for rocking gypsies. The band actually hails from New York but some of the musicians are immigrants from East-European countries; thus charismatic singer and boss of the band Eugene Hütz comes from the Ukraine. He´s also the main focus point of the show and knows how to delight the crowd with his dancing and Ukrainian vitality. As if there wouldn´t be already enough action onstage Eugene soon asks two dancers to the stage who, in the course of the show, resort to kettledrums and cymbals to animate the masses even more. What´s offered here is good mood music with heavy guitars and gypsy flair and so it´s no surprise that soon a conga line forms in front of the stage, which unstoppably breaks its way through the crowd. People dance, are in high spirits and Eugene even mingles with the people close to the stage. A band made for a festival stage like this! (kg)
NEGATIVE – Paviljonkilava
The whole band seems to have had an appointment with a stylist: Jonne has got a short haircut and a new tattoo on his forearm (a music band), Sir Christus looks like a double of the young Billy Idol, and Antti has become the Reaper with a hooded cape. But that hasn’t changed the mood of the guys. And so the opener is once again the groovy L.A. Feeding Fire, followed by the cover Hey Hey, My My. To list all the hits would go beyond the scope of this page, but of course The Moment Of Our Love and Frozen To Lose it all were included, as well as the brand new single The Planet of The Sun, which is in the starting blocks and has the typical NEGATIVE sound. The energy of the lanky Jonne is once again infecting the girls (yes, it’s mostly girls again, are you surprised?), who have bravely secured the front rows again in good time and, despite the scorching heat, have packed themselves into countless sheaths of glittering clothes. Some of them stick to the fence to the backstage area of the festival after the gig, and their perseverance is rewarded again this time: Jonne comes with a bunch of roses, which he throws over the fence for the girls. Incidentally, a new album will be released in September. (mk)
TIMO RAUTIAINEN
Yes, Timo. This time without his neck-crusher trio (translation from Niskalaukaus). But not much different in sound, maybe a touch slower and more melancholic, and more acoustic guitars. But in my opinion, the wheel is definitely not being reinvented here. My seal of approval for this: for fans and aficionados. No offense Timo! (mk)
NEW YORK DOLLS – Rantalava
I’ll try to put it into words. Glam rock of the first hour from the early 70s, which was and is the model for Hanoi Rocks and many other representatives of this genre, a singer who looks like a slightly pink version of Mick Jagger crossed with Mike Monroe, with lots of lipstick, glitter and glamor, and a pinch of travesty, if I may say so. They rock like hell, and I’m amazed at how many fans seem to have travelled here especially for this. I spot Mike Monroe at the edge of the stage, which doesn’t surprise me at all. I recognize a cover of Janice Joplin’s Another Little Piece Of My Heart. Even if the band itself hasn’t been able to collect that many laurels, the Dolls have set a ball rolling that has led to an avalanche of other glam bands. Even if I don’t know any of the band’s own songs, the atmosphere is good. (mk)
THE RASMUS – Niittylava
Like every year The Rasmus once again played on Finnish festival stages. Of course, there are the usual scream-teens in the first row and I feel the earth shake under my feet even more dangerously then before. I´m not a Rasmus expert but I was a little puzzled that Mister Ylönen now performs in Army-green clothes and not clad in black like I remembered it and also the often-mocked feather in his hair was gone which considerably improved the overall impression. All songs known to me were played like „ Falling“, „In My Life“, „Shot“, „Guilty“ and of course the „whoohoo whoohoo song“. The mood was especially good for the known songs but somehow not as fanatic as you always read from German concert reviews! (kg)
FLOGGING MOLLY – Paviljonkilava
The last band of the evening was for me Flogging Molly but at this point I was already so done that my mental capacity was possibly a little impaired. But what you could easily see was that the people loved Flogging Molly! The mood was awesome, people danced in front of the stage, in the beer areas and even in trees that were clambered for a better view because the band had to play on the quite small Paviljonkilava (Pavillion Stage) which apparently wasn´t big enough for the onrush of the party-loving fans. With their mix of Irish folk and rock they exactly met the taste of the masses. On this evening we all were a little bit Irish! (kg)
HANOI ROCKS – Rantalava
Just an hour later, the Dolls’ “pupils”, so to speak, are on exactly the same stage. As always, Hanoi Rocks put on a full-speed concert without pausing to catch their breath. These gentlemen don’t have a new album in the stores at the moment either, the setlist is pretty much the same as last year’s, with a focus on the 2005 album “Another Hostile Takeover”. Of course, old hits are not missing either. (mk)
SUNDAY
TERÄSBETONI – Niittylava
In contrast to many of the other bands here on Ruisrock, the gentlemen from “steel concrete”, still with their chicken breasts on display, have a new album out, which is served up here. “Älä Mennä Metsään” (Don’t go into the woods) and “Metallitottuus” are a few of the delicacies on the menu. Of course, there are also the hits “Taivas Lyö Tulta” (The Sky Spits Fire) and “Orjatar” (Slave) in good old Teräsbetoni macho style, with lots of posturing and moshing. Neck-damaging perilous with a good mood – a must at any good festival. (mk)
MORRISSEY – Niittylava
Good old Morrissey has (thank God) still not become a bit quieter. Critical themes, rebellious lyrics, and deeeep-black, dripping British humor. That’s how we know the man, and that’s how we like him. So there are a few sarcastic words about the World Cup finals that are going on at the same time. The place in front of the stage is packed, which surprises me a little. After all, there’s no hard rock here, but rather softer sounds for such a festival. During the concert, Morrissey changes his shirt several times, from blue to red to yellow. “As you can see, I’m a bit fat in real life. But so are you,” he comments on the first change. Songs from the current “Ringleader of the Tormentors” album include You Have Killed Me and Ganglord. (mk)
AMORPHIS – Puistolava
Now back to the somewhat heavier sounds. Melancholic metal with growls and soft clean vocals, catchy melodies: Yes, Amorphis! With new (and in my opinion much better) vocalist Tomi Joutsen (Joutsen means swan, by the way), Amorphis are stronger and better than ever, and of course should not be missing on Ruisrock. I like the partly new interpretations of the old songs, and the versatility of the new songs from Eclipse. Brother Moon, Two Moons, The Smoke and of course the hit House of Sleep can be heard alongside older songs like Against Widows. Unfortunately, once again not A Black Winter’s Day. Too bad, but both thumbs up for Amorphis! (mk)
Four ears – 2 opinions:
When I went to the media pit for Amorphis the security said „without ear plugs you can´t go there“ and then you weren´t even allowed to go too close to the stage because of all the pyro- and fire effects. Those precautionary measures forshadow big things to come. Ear plugs – it gets loud; distance – there´s also something for the eyes and the fire extinguisher was also already on hand, just in case! The last time I have seen Amorphis was with their old singer Pasi Koskinen and so I wondered how the new man on the mic, Tomi Joutsen, would fit into the band. He did it pretty well and gave the band a whole new character. Besides clean vocals he´s also master of growls and you ask yourself where the guy with the Rasta hair takes it from. Classics and especially the singles „House Of Sleep“ and „The Smoke“ from their latest album were particularly well received by the crowd. The use of the flame throwers was well done, the pyro, however, was not so fitting. (kg)
BACKYARD BABIES – Niittylava
The Backyard Babies then had the difficult task to play their set at the same time as the World Cup final was broadcasted. It seemed that most of the people were rather interested in football than in the Swedes because the space in front of the Niittylava was only sparsely filled. But of course also the Babies have their teen die-hard fans who lapsed into Rasmus-like scream attacks when the band took to the stage. The band itself gave their all and especially Dregen played once again with body and soul but the show didn´t really ignite. Although Nicke and Dregen more than once tried to animate the crowd with shouts like „Are we in Sweden? You guys are supposed to be loud!“ the people pogoed only to hit songs like „Brand New Hate“ and of course „Minus Celsius“. What a shame! (kg)
TOOL – Niittylava
The crowning finish of the festival should then be the performance of Tool. The expectations were high; I had read several concert reviews about them and some scribes were enthusiastic, others thought the show was too impersonal. First of all you have to say that the volume was turned up to 11! Maynard James Keenan was standing in the background on a platform in front of one of the three giant screens, which showed video sequences in typical Tool style. To the songs the Tool singer staged free dance like movements while the other band members stood on their spots and performed their musical day resp. night work. The video screens go, of course, perfectly with the overall concept of Tool but in between the songs nothing really happens, neither on the screens nor on the stage, and the guys look a bit lost here. Maynard himself only deigned to quite monosyllabic comments like the usual „thank yous“ and „new album, new songs, huge in Belgium“. You had a little bit the impression that he would rather be in his vineyard in Arizona than to play at Ruisrock! Nevertheless a fascinating performance with songs like „Schism“, „Lateralus“ as well as „The Pot“, „Vicarious“ from the new album „10,000 Days“. (kg)
Conclusion: Altogether a peaceful, very sunny-hot weekend with a lot of good music. (kg)
text & photos: Melanie Kircher, Kathleen Gransalke
