First up, the “Redneck Vikings” of Æther Realm took over the stage to get us warmed up for the metal circus that was coming later. With these guys you didn’t get much of a spectacle really, but they really put some proper amount of energy into their performance! In a sense, their show was nothing too special, but the music and performance was solid enough to at least get us primed and ready to go more wild later. Though, looking at the amount of people that already showed up for the support act, it was clear there were plenty of people highly anticipating these guys from the US getting to Finland for the first time ever. And going on the amount of cheering that went on during and after the show, they more than fulfilled the anticipation. Personally, I was hoping to maybe hear ‘Redneck Vikings from Hell’ live, since I’ve always appreciated that track. But hey, maybe a next time when they drop by Finland for a proper length show!

Having seen Avatar a couple of times already at different festivals, once as good as closing a stage, once basically opening the whole festival, I knew I was in for a good time no matter what. Even without all the theatrics they are known for, they always manage to convince and simply kill live. But getting to see their show at full force, is something that was still on my bucketlist. With a pretty cool looking drum platform that had plenty of room for the others to stand on, and interesting mic setups for the guitarists, it was already an immediate step up from the usually relatively bare festival stages.

As soon as the band took over the stage, the crowd went wild, and it felt like that energy was never let go for a single second. They immediately kicked off with ‘Dance Devil Dance’, the title track of their latest album and an absolute banger, quickly followed by ‘The Eagle Has Landed’ and ‘Valley of Disease’. But not without Johannes applying his usual charm onto the crowd. This man is something special. Every time I see him on stage, he manages to get the crowd to eat from his hands and dance to his every command, by silly jokes, some sexual innuendo and at times even some vulnerability. He is by for one of the best frontmen around! And well, fronting a band that is as solid as Avatar, must be quite the pleasure regardless.

They still hit us with ‘Chimp Mosh Pit’ (which has quickly become a fan favorite live) and the offbeat ‘The Dirt I’m Buried In’ from their latest release, and further served up a really nice selection of their by now extensive discography. Songs like ‘Bloody Angel’, ‘Black Waltz’, ‘Let It Burn’, ‘A Statue of the King’ or ‘Hail the Apocalypse’ are just something you expect at an Avatar show and whatever else made it to the setlist is simply extra. And with almost 20 songs long, we got a lot of extra! And on top of that we got things like their mic stands that swung up when they were needed and went back down when not, a piano being brought on stage for Johannes to create a more intimate moment, Johannes diving/moving into the crowd with a trombone, “The King” in full cape and crown on stage,… a truly spectacular night! I’m really hoping that Avatar gets to drop by Finland a bit more frequently with their full production shows, maybe next time an even bigger venue?