I arrive at Nokia Arena at about 17:15. To my surprise there’s a few security people and a couple of fans, but no lines. I double-check the schedule. Is it possible that I’m early? No, the schedule says five o’clock doors. Maybe they told the press an early time? No, the info on Facebook is the same. Well, it’s Friday, and it’s kinda early, maybe people are still getting home from work, surely they start arriving soon. By the time I’m inside and got my jacket in the cloakroom, it’s about half an hour after doors. I casually walk up to the front row and still easily find a spot there. There’s roughly 50 people here so far, which in Nokia Arena looks like basically nothing. It’s still a long wait before the gig is supposed to start, so I sit down. For the next hour or so, pretty much nothing happens. Occasionally there’s an Apulanta related advertisement playing, but most of the time the screens are just black. The girls next to me suggest that they should have brought some card games. A few more people arrive, but it’s still rather empty.

About 20 minutes before the show it finally starts getting full and excitement is starting to build up. A couple of minutes before the set starting time the orchestra arrives on the stage and about 3 minutes early they start with a medley of Apulanta‘s most famous songs. The band itself arrives pretty much exactly at seven. There’s no big boom or scream or anything over the top, they are just there and so are the fans. The band and Orchestra play and the fans exist. Everything is surprisingly, but pleasantly easy going and chill, you barely feel how big of a show this is. The first time it becomes apparent that this show is in fact played in front of thousands of fans, is when after a couple of songs I abandon my spot in the front to try to find another good spot with a different angle for more interesting pictures. By now it is in fact absolutely packed on the floor. It’s nearly impossible to move to anywhere else than towards the exit. I knew the show sold out, but until now I hadn’t realized how many people that actually meant. For now, I decide to go up to the balcony. This turns out to be a great idea, because from up here I can fully enjoy the very well-thought-out light show and I can now also see much more of the orchestra. The view from up here just does the whole arrangement a lot more justice.

The show itself consists of a lot of less frequently live played songs, or so I heard, as I don’t have too much experience with Apulantas live sets yet. It also included a still unreleased song, that has only been played once before on the day prior. The orchestral arrangements and the mix between them and the band work really well and create a feeling of grandness. Apulanta have in my opinion created yet another unforgettable experience for their fans with this. I really have nothing to complain about, well maybe that I don’t know enough of their songs well enough to sing along, but that’s not on them.

After about one hour it’s time for a break, which is appreciated. It’s nice not to need to choose between going to the bathroom and missing parts of the gig. And with half an hour the time is generous. I use this moment to try to get back close to the front. But while it was easily possible to get there it becomes clear very fast after the music continues that there’s far to little space left to get any pictures. Maybe this is a small complaint from my point of view as photographer: not having a photo pit at a sold out show at Nokia Arena (or any other similar big venues for that matter) is a little bit annoying as it becomes quite challenging to get good pictures. I soon give up trying to capture anything from there and go back up to the balcony. I feel like this show is anyway better enjoyed from a higher point of view. It’s sweaty and hot either way. From up here you can at least see everything in its full glory. Somehow everything on this gig feels simultaneously simplistic and very grand. The length of the concert is also affected by a similar effect. While the gig in no way felt too short I was just as surprised as vocalist Toni Wirtanen about how the time has flown by when he says “This is already one of our last songs, but it feels like we just started playing”. The two and a half hours were over in a heartbeat. But before the show is really over we still get to hear a piece entirely by Lahtis Sinfonia Orchestra, then my favourite ‘Valot pimeyksien reunoilla‘ and then the final ‘Anna mulle piiskaa‘.

On the way out we all are given an envelope with seeds to plant some trees. It was a great evening and while I’m writing this I still have ‘Pahempi toistaan‘ running in my head.