The 69 Eyes / Mister Misery @ Z7 Pratteln

10.03.2023 Z7 Konzertfabrik Pratteln, Switzerland

A busy concert weekend in Pratteln, three days of metal variety: gothic rock, heavy, progressive – something for everyone. As always, when you need your camera the most… lens  broken, so I have to deal with an old slightly flawed camera. But I still managed to get a few good photos of every band.

Three days of music and your favorite bands, what could be better. And I’m definitely not the only one taking advantage of this offer, because the Ibis next to the Z7 is fully booked. Fortunately, my home base is not far away; sleeping in your own bed is still the best.

CONCERT PHOTOS HERE
The Finnish goth rockers The 69 Eyes kick off the concert marathon. They will be celebrating their 35th anniversary next year and the new album “Death of Darkness” is coming out next month (21 April) – absolutely worth listening to, and the published singles “Death of Darkness” and “Drive” will of course be part of the set list tonight.

But first the support act Mister Misery is on duty to warm up the 800-900 visitors. Horror Metal from Sweden. Who doesn’t get a cold shiver down the spine? Well, I rather think of a metal version of Abba songs or Loreen, because Harley Vendetta also has a squeaky high voice. It reminds me a bit of Cradle of Filth in certain passages, but they have their own style and not a bad one.  You have to hand it to them that they put a lot of thought into make-up and outfits and that everything looks harmonious on stage. Those guys pose perfectly for every photographer in the pit and the fans in the front rows, some might think that’s great, but maybe a little less would do. The tour with the 69 Eyes should bring the boys a few more fans. At tonight’s show, they seem to win over a large part of the audience and are cheerfully celebrated. A good start.

After a short break, it’s back to the “old goth rockers”, The 69 Eyes. To my delight, Jyrki has again grown his beautiful long hair, just like he had back in the days of “Gothic Girl”, “Brandon Lee” and “The Chair”. Such beautiful hair that some of the ladies in the audience may feel envious. It also makes me very happy to see how much the gentlemen enjoy the show. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen Jyrki prance across the stage like that, putting so much energy into the show. It’s insanely great and so it’s just fun to watch the band. In general, it seems like the whole band is in a great mood and just happy to be touring again. But maybe also because Pratteln is only the fourth show of a month-long tour through Europe, their home country Finland and then through the USA, bringing them back on stage for some festivals in the summer.

The setlist is very well chosen, a nice mix of old classics that simply can’t be missed, like “Gothic Girl”, “The Chair”, newer hits like “Devils” and “Cheyenna”, the new songs from the upcoming album “Drive”, “Death of Darkness” and to crown it all, “Lost Boys”. During the last song Jyrki even takes a bath in the crowd, climbs over the barrier to the people, which of course makes them very happy. He lingers there for a good moment and continues to sing part of the song into the crowd, until he goes back on stage to thank them for their support. In general, he speaks more this evening than at all the gigs I’ve seen so far put together. After the last note and a short farewell, Jyrki jumps back over the barrier, into the crowd and goes from there directly to the merch stand, where he patiently signs autographs, takes photos and takes time for the fans. Also something new, in the past he would never have done something like that. Respect for that and it seems as if he is in the best shape of his life and as if he has really missed the fans in the long time without concerts.

A super concert evening, the tour is still running for a while through Germany, Austria etc.. If you have the chance, go to the show, it’s worth it, you won’t be disappointed.