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PART FOUR: Tuska Open Air, Helsinki, Finland 1-3/7 2016

Posted in Concerts, Finland, Travels, Uncategorized with tags avantasia, helsinki, tuska on July 25, 2016 by Sara Hammerzmith

So, right after the show the French people decided to leave for the hotel as Marianne wasn’t feeling very well, and Nathan and I took the opportunity to look at the merchstand, only to realize that Lordi did in fact not have any merch with them to this show. Oh well then. After this we headed back to the city to meet up with Sophie and Marianne at McDonalds.

It was a nice rejoice – Marianne was feeling better and we sat down and had a proper meal and chat about the amazingness we had really just witnessed back at the festival. We left fairly quickly after finishing like half the meal as I wanted to head back to festival ground to catch Avantasia live, but not before we had gotten changed.

And you know.. I always have a hard time deciding what to chose, and I’m very positive that this ultimately became the reason we got a little bit late for Avantasia. I was seriously beating myself up all the way back to Suvilahti, because the song “Avantasia” was the song I really, really wanted to see and seeing it was pretty early in the set, I felt pretty screwed. I remember how I even sat and checked to see how long the songs before it was, just to try to calculate, sitting and saying to Nathan “And then again Tobias talks so much so perhaps…” and Nathan seriously did the most amazing job calming me down.

The thing is, we made it to Suvilathi/Sörnäinen exactly when they started playing, but then we had to get to the festival and inside the gates as well. I kept saying to Nathan “I swear to God, they are going to the last ‘Avantasiaaaa’ when we get in”. I was so stressed, Nathan telling me it will be fine, me stressing a little bit more… and finally we made it in and we heard Tobias say “This is ‘Ghostlights'”.

“Ghostlights” was the song ahead of “Avantasia” in the set, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt as relieved as I did in that very moment. And then.. it was time for the big moment… “Avantasia”.

And like.. I fell in love with this song the moment I heard it. You know how you sometimes have these songs, that as soon as you hear them everything simply makes sense, when you get chills all over your body and you enter this euphoric state where it’s just you and the music? Yes. That’s it. That’s what is going on with this song.

And it was just as perfect as I imagine it would be. Yes, I did see Avantasia at Sweden Rock, but I wasn’t a fan then you know.

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The show continued on, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I’m not going to go in depth, but seriously, I sure as hell enjoyed myself! Which is sort of fun – At Sweden Rock I got bored very quickly, but I guess we can all agree on that being because of the cold rather than the show. They put on one hell of a show, Thank you Avantasia!

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After the show we headed back to the hotel. We contemplated for a moment to go to Bäkkäri for some shows as a part of an afterparty, but decided against it when we both were really tired. So instead, we went to a store, bought goodies and went home, put on some music on the speakers and laid in bed talking about everything and nothing and planning for tomorrow.

Quite a pleasant night, don’t you think?

// Sara

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PART THREE: Tuska Open Air, Helsinki, Finland 1-3/7 2016

Posted in Concerts, Finland, Uncategorized with tags lordi, the arockalypse, tuska open air on July 23, 2016 by Sara Hammerzmith

It was a surreal and almost dreamlike moment when the castle started to make its way onto RadioRock stage. It was… I had a hard time grasping that what was to come next was indeed Lordi and not some other band with a huge set up. That is how long it’s been since Lordi used a stage like this, this big. Nostalgia is really just the first name on the feeling on this.

As we watched the poor crew set up the stage (poor crew as in having every ones eyes on them) we talked and chatted and were just you know, basically getting ourselves excited for the gig. Discussed the castle layout. Discussing how the hell Lordi was even going to fit on stage… and then we noticed it. Awa’s and Kita’s masks on the drumset and keyboard. It was… a bittersweet? Would that be the right word? It was a strange and emotional feeling seeing the masks of the ex-members, the Arockalypse masks, on top of that, from the ex members on stage. Jesus Christ, this show was really about to become an emotional rollercoaster.

And then… before we knew it… Ralph Ruiz gets on stage, lipsynching to “SCG3”. Hearing them open with “SCG3” instead of “ETA” was the weirdest and most surreal thing ever… and when the drums started, pyro starting and everything launches us into “Bringing Back The Balls To Rock”… I can’t even. I can’t even describe how surreal and odd it was. And then when this chanting starts… “Get Heavy… Get Heavy...” It’s like, is this real? Is this fanta-sea? Who knows. “The Kids Who Wanna Play With The Dead” was next on the list, followed by mine… well, not my favorite I guess, “Biomechanic Man”.

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And it’s after this Nathan grabs my arm and looks at me with big eyes. I’m just staring at him like “what the fuck man?” and he just looks at me and goes “Do you hear it?!” and I’m just there like “No???” and he’s like “THE CHAINS; THE CHAINS!!!” And I’m still confused before it hits me.

“Pet The Destroyer”.

You see, all the day, all up to the showstart, we had talked about how “Pet The Destroyer” would probably be cut from the setlist because of lack of Kita, which was really sad, seeing I had gotten soooo pumped for this song, and in all honesty, it’s really one of Lordi’s best songs. So, with that said, we were all very very convinced that “Pet The Destroyer” wouldn’t in any sort of way happening.

Until it actually did.

I… I’m trying to find the words. The words when the realization hit that they are indeed playing that song. All I can say for sure is that it was the best moment of the show, and that I am forever grateful they played it, after all.

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“Rock The Hell Outta You” was the next song on the list, followed by OX’s repeating the old trick on beating up the poor person with the baby before “Blood Red Sandman”. I’m pretty sure it’s about here some time where OX’s fires off his bazooka and are, well, basically an inch or so away from blowing Amen’s head off.

“It Snows In Hell” was the next song and for the first time ever Sophie has joined in to do the upside down thing. Just as hilarious as always, really.

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“Who’s Your Daddy?” was up next, followed by “They Only Come Out at Night” before they left the stage and Amen came back, and this time through the castle doors. How majestic isn’t that! He came out, did his thing, and “Devil is a Loser” was a go. They followed up by “Would You Love A Monsterman?” and wrapped up the whole set with “Hard Rock Hallelujah”.

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First of all. Can we all appreciate the sound of silence? Now my heart awakes to the sound of silence…. and what I mean with this is, Mr Lordi not talking between the songs. I love the sound of silence. More songs got to be played that way. And you know what was even better? Did you hear that? The sound of NO “Sincerely With Love”! That silence I enjoy even more than the talking thing.

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But aside that… reliving this set… this stage setup… It was magical. And the most magical moment was in “Hard Rock Hallelujah” when Nathan puts his arms around me and we have Sophie in front of us jumping together in a clan. Because one thing is clear – Without “Hard Rock Halleujah”, us three would not be here together. We wouldn’t even know each other. It’s hard to grasp sometimes.

After this amazing show we tried to collect ourselves and headed back into the central of Helsinki.

TO BE CONTINUED

// Sara

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PART TWO: Tuska Open Air, Helsinki, Finland 1-3/7

Posted in Finland, Travels, Uncategorized on July 21, 2016 by Sara Hammerzmith

So, I came to the hotel. And tried the code. It didn’t work. Why? Because I’m stupid, you know. I repeatedly entered the wrong code, so I had to call Nathan to come down and pick me up. However, while I was waiting this adorable couple came and let me in, so I called the elevator and when the doors open… A wild Nathan appears!

Firstly, he had a HEARTATTACK seeing me already inside. And then, it was hugging party. Like, I felt like I was about to squeeze the life out of him, that is exactly how much I’ve missed this guy! And DAMN! GUY’S GOT A BEARD NOW! I was like WHOA, Nathan just aged a lot!

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We also took the moment to alert Sophie on Snap that we had found each other and we were alive and safe and sound.

So, we went back up to the hotel where I took a shower and started getting ready for the show, while Nathan and I were catching up. I had a hard time deciding on what to wear, since the weather was you know, pretty nice so my long sleeved bodysuit sort of wouldn’t do it. I eventually settled and also brought my Korpiklaani tank in case of heat or something.

After that, we headed over to the legendary McDonalds we always eat at while in Helsinki, or well, it was Nathan’s first time really, but you get the point. We caught up even more and you know… sitting there. With someone you see so rarely, but you love so much, being able to really TALK about Lordi… that is something else. With someone who also knows like everything, if not more than you do, who knows about every single little person so you don’t have to explain anything… just talk. That was beyond nice.

So, after this began the long ride to try to get to Tuska. At first we were a bit unsure where to go, what subway to take, but eventually we worked it all out. I was starting to get a wee bit stressed – I really wanted to catch Delain, or at least most of it, so yeah, hurry hurry!

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Once we got to Suvilahti we were like “and now what?” but as always when you’re at a gig at an unfamiliar place – FOLLOW THE METALHEADS! We found one in particular we started stalking, joking a bit about how creepy we must be. But thanks to that, we made it to the festival. And of course, right when Delain was playing my favorite song “Here Come the Vultures”. I was hoping that maybe we’d get in before the song is over, but I tell you this shit:

The moment we were on the other side of the gates, Charlotte did the last “I’m in it for the beat” and done. And I was like “Of fucking course. Why not”. So, instead, we headed immediately for Lordi’s stage, securing some front row spots on Amen’s side of the stage, very much on the side, but we figured it’d work out later. Nathan stayed put to watch the spot, and I did my little tour to say hello to some of my friends – starting with Marianne from France and Saana from Turku. After catching up with them, I went to Delain’s stage, after all, looking for Sophie and the rest of the French people.

At first I found Lea, Nicolas and Nicolas, and once I had found them I also found Sophie a few rows ahead of them and… again, HUGPARTY DELUXE. Like, squeezing the life out of someone deluxe. We enjoyed the last one or two songs together of Delain before heading back to Lordi’s stage. Sophie decided to remain with us on Amen’s side while Lea and the Nicolaus’s went to Marianne.

So, this led up to the amazing moment where I got to introduce Nathan to Sophie. It was majestic, and naturally, the first thing we start bonding over is Lordi. And catching up on everything. Literally everything. Soon enough, Swallow the Sun started, the band performing before Lordi and…

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It was a snoozefest. The first thing Nathan said after the show was “Wasn’t that just the longest thing ever? And the songs… were soo long?” and yes, yes they freaking were. I’m usually not bored with bands, but I’m sorry, I really could not enjoy this. What I could, however enjoy, was what was about to get on stage next.

TO BE CONTINUED

// Sara

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PART ONE: Tuska Open Air, Helsinki, Finland 1-3/7 2016

Posted in Finland, Travels, Uncategorized on July 19, 2016 by Sara Hammerzmith

Oh wow. This has had a long time coming, I’m sorry about that! The reasons are 1) I forgot my powerchord to the computer at home, and 2) I’ve been working 12 hours a day, I haven’t really had the chance to properly sit down, and it will probably take some time before I actually get this done as well. But we take it day by day, alright?

So. Sick as a hell, it was finally time for me to head back to Suomiland, and for me to attend a new festival for the first time – Tuska Open Air. However, my travelplan looked a bit different this time around. As you know, I usually fly, but I figured this time it was time to try something new – and hence booked a ferry with a cabin in it where I could stay. Said and done. Around 14 o clock I left my home in Karlstad for what would probably become the longest trip of my life. Or well you know.. I guess going to Australia was technically longer, but it didn’t feel that way.

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First, I got to Örebro where I had a train change to keep on onwards Stockholm. Once in Stockholm, I managed to get to the docks after a few ifs and buts and a few rages later. And it was so weird. To see the big ship, you know. And going through and boarding it was the weirdest thing I have ever done, seriously. But I liked it. I really did. I had a very very cheap cabin (The point was to make it as cheap as possible) so I had no poweroutlet or anything, which was interseting.

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I went on top deck for departure and I must admit, I was feeling like a little child on Christmas when the ship left coast and we took off toward Turku. Like, I’M ON A SHIP!

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After a while, when it started to get late, I headed down a few floors to reconnect with Nathan who had just landed in Helsinki trying to find our hotel, and once that was done I took a shower and went to bed, probably a bit later than I would have wished.

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At 6 am sharp the alarm I ordered from the boat rang and it was.. well, heavy to get up really. I don’t like going up early, especially not after not sleeping properly. But yeah. I got up, packed my stuff and much to my happiness, there were barely any people at all in the lobby, which made getting off the cruise fairly easy. Once in Turku, I made it to the busstop and then to the busstation. I was sitting at Turku’s busstation snapping Sophie being like “I’m almost there!”. Seriously. This is by far the longest it has ever taken me to get to Helsinki.

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So… My bus arrived. I got on it. I tried to sleep, and I guess I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up it was about 20 or 30 minutes left ’til Kamppi busstop and you know… You all know how much I love Helsinki, right? So stepping out of the bus in Kamppi.. I’m home. I’m just home.

And then, I walked toward Lonnrotinkatu (Yrjonkatu was sold out this time) to attend the reunion of the century.

TO BE CONTINUED

// Sara

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LORDI NEW COSTUMES AND ALBUM

Posted in Uncategorized on July 13, 2016 by Sara Hammerzmith

I’ve been supposed to write about Tuska for ages, but it HAS TO FUCKING WAIT A MOMENT BECAUSE OF THIS.

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LORDIS. NEW. FUCKING. COSTUMES

Alright, so me and my dearest Sophie have been freaking out the past hour or so when we saw the new costumes. Like, Sophie said it best “We were so ready, and when they showed them we were not ready anymore”. Yes, this is the exact feeling. Oh my god.

Lordi releasing new costumes, any era, is the best. The build up, the hype, what will it look like, and once they are released, you are kind of dying because of how awesome or horrible they are. The build is intense, and you are left there hating this band so much because you love them so much that when things like this happens, everything simply explodes.

And about the costumes, they are so awesome. I can’t even… I won’t get into too much detail for now, I’ll await the single shots to get into it deeper, but I love it. I was always uncertain about the split parts, but it got better than I ever expected it to be!

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The album cover! “Monstereophonic (Theaterror vs Demonarchy)” shortly referred to “Demonarchy”, “Monstereo” or “AWCA” (Album without a cool acronym). The first thing I think of when I hear the name is the old webshop Lordi used to have, Monstereo. Amazing. Aside that… I like the cover. I mean… It’s… bland I guess in a way.. But it’s so simple. So scaled down. It’s just. “Here we are”. I sort of like that. And the tracklisting are as follow:

01. SCG8 : One Message Waiting
02. Let’s Go Slaughter He-Man (I Wanna Be The Beast-Man In The Masters Of The Universe) AKA SoWCA
03. Hug You Hardcore
04. Down With The Devil
05. Mary Is Dead
06. Sick Flick
07. None For One
08. SCG VIII : Opening Scene
09. Demonarchy
10. The Unholy Gathering
11. Heaven Sent Hell On Earth
12. And The Zombie Says
13. Break Of Dawn
14. The Night The Monsters Died

At first I got a bit scared at the amount of songs, but then I remembered it’s a half concept album. Well, let’s just say already now that Track number two is referred to as SoWCA – Song without a cool acronym, because I can promise you I will never be bothered to write all of that, not even as an acronym. But aside that, it looks promising! As a “Deadache” fan, I’m obviously a lot more interested in “Demonarchy” part rather than the “Theaterror”, so well.. yeah I’m so hyped!

I can’t fucking wait.

// Sara

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Farewell

Posted in Uncategorized on June 27, 2016 by Sara Hammerzmith

Today has been a… calm day? I really don’t know how to put it. I started a new job today, which was awesome. I guess it’s waay too early to say that I love it, but let me put it this way: This is the kind of job I really like.

Other than that I’ve been trying to mentally prepare for this weekends festival. It’s sort of hard to look forward to, in all honesty, but I guess, and hope, it’s just my usual travel fever. I’ve tried to pack all the essentials, and now battling with what the hell to wear. That is always the biggest issue when packing – what clothes to pack. And it’s always the same story. Hopefully I figure something out.

I went over to IKEA today to pick up some new stuff for my room. I honestly do not know the english, and not even the Swedish word for what it is, but it’s those kind of things where you sort your mail anyway. And while I was at it, I got a few more magazine holders in the same color. I still can’t decide if I should get another pair or not. It’s hard, because I really really like the color and the material, and they will soon disappear from IKEA So… Damn damn. In the midst of Tuska planning and everything!

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But now, my (current) favorite song with Avantasia came on, so I really gotta run because I can’t sit still when this is playing.

NP: Avantasia – Avantasia

// Sara

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Sweden Rock: The Aftermaths

Posted in Concerts, Music, Uncategorized with tags amaranthe, lordi, Sweden Rock on June 26, 2016 by Sara Hammerzmith

Wow. So I’ve fallen out of shape of blogging quite a lot. It’s been three weeks now. I’m quite frankly sorry for that, and I don’t really have a good excuse for any of it. I’ll just hope I’ll be able to pick it up a notch starting from here.

So basically, this is going to be a short and quick little blog about Sweden Rock. It’s been a few weeks since the fest really, and I… haven’t had any inspiration to write anything, so this will become what it will become really.

Todays fest has been… a big mixture of emotions, I guess you could say. It’s been by far the weirdest festival I’ve ever been to on many levels and because of everything that happened, but it’s also been euphoric.

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I’ve been up earlier than I have ever been on Sweden Rock because of Epica and Lordi’s early play times, I’ve always been up longer than ever because of Avantasia. I have never in my life spent so much time on the campgrounds as I did on Sweden Rock this year, and for the first of possibly ever I got to practice my intense engineering skills when rebuilding a dying party tent about ten times before letting it die.

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We’ve for the first time ever been down to the beach in Norje and chased each other around with seaweed. It’s been a time for new friendship and old, it’s been the time for mishaps such as missing out on Sabaton’s signing session (gladly, I was actually watching Lita Ford and then Foreigner, so at least I was doing something important!) or forgetting your camera in the camp for Epica, but I also got to meet Lita Ford which is… I can’t even put words to it. I’ve gotten to meet one of my biggest role models and heroes in life, and I don’t even know how to put words to it. Lita Ford, what a woman.

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I’ve seen so many good things. Amaranthe as the opener of the fest for me… I witnessed Queen together with good friends I only see when they tour with their band, I’ve seen Sabaton perform “The Lost Battalion” for the first time, I got to witness our fanclub’s logo as the backdrop for “Karolinens Bön”. I’ve screamed my heart out to songs like “I wanna know what love is” and “Jukebox Hero”. I’ve witnessed the epicness that is Avantasia – which also holds the discovery of the festival. I’ve witnessed my friend participate in championships in air-guitar, I’ve seen Twisted Sister say goodbye… I saw Sixx AM tear things apart… I’ve witnessed Finntroll… I don’t even know where to start or end anymore. Epica… I can’t even tell you, not even begin to tell you how much I love this band. Simone, what a godess. I also beat my own record – this year I came home with 22 albums and five vinyls, what a record!

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And Lordi… First and foremost, seeing Lordi again on Swedish soil was extremely…. odd. It was weird. As someone who’s seen them more abroad and made it a bit of a sport and see how many countries I can see them in, it was weird seeing them at home. And at Sweden Rock. I can honestly admit, I never thought I’d see Lordi at Sweden Rock. But here it was. And… what makes it even more special is the fact that they played “My Heaven is Your Hell”. That particular song was my first ever favorite Lordi song (before “Deadache” and “Hate at First Sight” came along.) And… it was… At first, I couldn’t even connect what song they were playing because I’ve only heard it once live before, but then… I just stood there. It was like the world disappeared under my feet.

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We’re here. At the best festival in the world. With the best band in the world. And they are playing the best song they ever made.

What could possibly be better?

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// Sara

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Where were you last night?

Posted in Uncategorized on June 2, 2016 by Sara Hammerzmith

Or more like, where the heck have I been these past couple of days?

Well, everywhere and nowhere. This past Monday I head over to Stockholm to catch Hollywood Vampires live. It was quite an experience… you could say. We had a good day at Gröna Lund – ran into Sofia, Robert and Malin as well as riding some of the ride. What made it a bit… disappointing, wasn’t the band themselves. It was all the Johnny Depp fan-girls who couldn’t be bothered to stay the entire show, but only came to get a glimpse of him and then leave, ruining the rest of the show for us. We spent most of the time in songs like “Whole Lotta Love” moving out of the way for people leaving, and it just sets me off. It’s absolutely okay if you want to go and see him now that he’s in Sweden, but perhaps you should a) stay the whole show or b) consider to stand a bit in the back to begin with, because some of us are actually here for the BAND, and not a specific person. I mean, sure, I’m not gonna lie. The major reason I was there was for Alleysan, but in the end – I stayed the whole thing.

BUT. The band was really good. Entertaining. And as I already said before – nothing makes me happier than hearing those little words: “Play the part of Alice Cooper tonight is – ME!”. Seriously. I love this man so much.

Aside this, I’ve been mostly busy preparing for Sweden Rock. For once, I’m not going to disappoint myself by packing last minute, but actually you know be out in good time. Which is why I’ve already packed up most of the things that I need to bring. It was a warm and nice day outside, so I took the opportunity to pack outside. So, music, bags, clothes. Fantastic. I can’t even wait to get down there. I also need to remove the bagtag from last years Graspop. Damn. Time flies.

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But now. A work weekend and last packing. But it sure as hell will be good to get down there.

// Sara

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What Color is Your Life?

Posted in Uncategorized on May 26, 2016 by Sara Hammerzmith

Well.. During the Eurovision week, you could say my life were screaming glitter and pink. If you haven’t already figured it: The “major television production” I’ve been working on is no other production but Eurovision Song Contest itself. And it has truly been a magical experience really.

I have postponed this entry for some time, because I really don’t know where to begin to tell you all about this. First and foremost, I’m so grateful to EBU and City of Stockholm for taking me and offering me this truly magical experience.

I was one of the lucky few who got to work with the commentators – for those of you who don’t know what this is, it’s basically the people who sit and comment the show, in between the songs and such. I’ve been blessed to work with the most amazing co workers, and we have had a lot of fun.

Truth is, I’ve been trying to write this blog entry for so many days now, even weeks, and I still don’t know what to actually say, so I’ll just post a few pictures to sum up my experience, instead of constipating this blog.

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If Love Was A Crime

Posted in Uncategorized on May 17, 2016 by Sara Hammerzmith

I haven’t written in ages. I fooled myself into thinking I’d have the energy to do so while away working, but in reality I didn’t. I just wanted to leave this here right now, because I plan to write about it all – about my entire experience, but I’m still messed up and sleep deprived from the week in Stockholm. So, while I get everything into place again, please enjoy these masterpieces of Eurovision entires.