Bodom After Midnight: Good Chemistry!
Oct 25, 2020 Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland
Tavastia is one of the few clubs in Helsinki, or in Finland or all over Europe/the world which still hosts live shows on a regular basis… hence the club follows strict security rules that deserve some praise. At the entrance ticket and mask-check, plus ID registration in case there needs to be a contact tracing after the event. Inside – as we know from airports – a maze of ribbons makes sure that people keep a safe distance and only 12 fans can stand next to each other in a row. Finns are quite disciplined and don’t really mind to follow rules in general, and we are talking of a nation where social distancing has been part of the local culture for ages anyway.
Here on the photo you can spot that people can have fun while keeping a certain distance…
The seats and tables at the walls, in the back and on the balcony are fewer and further apart and – of course – you find hand sanitizer dispensers at every corner for free & frequent use. My only criticism would be the photo pit that did not seem much bigger than usual – yet we were barely a handful of (mostly masked) photographers, therefore it did not really matter. The club capacity is now limited to 300 people max – which means, a show like this is quickly sold out, even when they play 2 gigs …
The second show in Helsinki for Bodom After Midnight came at quite short notice due to the high demand. Anybody really wondering why? The new band masterminded by Alexi Laiho gathers COB colleague Daniel Freyberg, Waltteri Väyrynen (Drums, also Paradise Lost and session drummer of e.g. Wolfheart) and Mitja Toivonen (Bass, also Santa Cruz), plus Live-Keyboarder Lauri Salomaa. And it seems because of Corona (not the beer… this other thing .. ) musicians cannot do much more but sitting at home & rehearse, this new act seemed like a well established team that had been playing and touring together for a long time. But this second Tavastia show was only the third of this band that celebrated the world premiere on Oct 23 at Rytmikorjaamo in Seinäjoki … Good chemistry and a tight set! Plus, Mr. Laiho seemed much healthier and well-rested in comparison to last times with COB …
Naturally, there is a difference to COB, e.g. the keyboarder doesn’t send text messages during a song and no crazy speeches… not much of speeches at all this time. And I wondered whether the set list might contain other (cover) material too, as Alexi does play in other acts, yet the focus was Best-Of-COB, from start to encores. The Children of Bodom fans can be looking forward to hearing all their favorite hits live once again – however, outside Finland most likely as a virtual show only in the near & further future – and I bet this new BAM formation will soon be adding some new songs too.
A final remark about the new curfew regulations – as bars have to close much earlier, gigs begin early too – even in a nation that usually doesn’t have a headliner on stage before midnight. Well, I rather enjoy the fact I can easily use ordinary public transport to get home …
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