So, even though it was a wee bit earlier than previous night, it was still fairly late for my liking. So I got up around noon, or something like that and started out with a slow breakfast and slow preparations for Alestorm. Seriously, some days I’m really fast, some days I’m really slow. Not sure why.
Went down around 1pm in order to check out some shopping tents, and also did I round in the 4sound tent to check out various guitars. I love all these little exhibitions Sweden Rock have all over their festival area. It’s like an amusement park – there is always something to do.
ALESTORM
So, around 2 or a little after I headed over to Sweden Stage to catch the first show of the day – Alestorm. They opened up spot on time with “Walk The Plank”, and the audience was well-recieving. It makes me glad when the audience is great to the band. They continued with “The Sunk’n Norwegian” and the show was pretty much a fact.
Like I’ve said previously, I’ll keep it rather short. But it was an energetic set, despite the heat (where did that come from?!) and good audience response kicked off this first day pretty perfectly. However, the backdrop still sticks needles in my eyes…
ROCK GODESS
Directly after Alestorm, seeing I had gotten rather hungry, I head over to one of the food trucks to pick up some quick food before running over to 4Sound stage to catch Rock Godess live. I’m not too familiar with this band from before, but the little I had heard I liked, so I figured it’d be fun to catch them.
And I don’t regret I did! They delivered a good set with good energy, perfect lunchdate, if I may say so.
After Rock Godess I had my first major break during the day, and with that I headed over to MailMetalOrder to pick up “.5: The Gray Chapter” on vinyl (double) as well as Korpiklaani’s new “Noita” and then heading over to Rock Stage where one of the highlights for me this year would soon enter: DOKKEN
DOKKEN
It’s interesting. About a year ago I waited at this exact spot for another group of big heroes of mine to play, TNT, with Tony Harnell. Why is it that most of the most important concerts in my life, happens to be at Sweden Rock? Is it because Sweden Rock is legendary? Probably. It was almost like a deja vu feeling, you know, standing there waiting for a band (or in TNT’s case, a line up) you’d thought you’d never see, and yet, here we are.
The band entered the stage and fired off the gig with “Kiss of Death” and continued on with “The Hunter”. After here, is where THAT happened.
Don started to talk a lot on stage and the drummer started to play slowly. For a split second, I actually thought they were gonna play my personal favorite, which is “Dream Warriors”. But I shoved the thought away – Why would they EVER actually play this song live? Bahahaha. Since I’m so wrapped up in my own thoughts I don’t really listen to what Don is saying. I heard him saying something about nightmares, but then he said two words that caught my attention.
Elm. Street.
You see, “Dream Warriors” is one of the many songs of the soundtrack to “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors” and because of this, I figured they’d never play it.
But then he announced, that the next song was indeed “Dream Warriors”. And this, my friends, is what cause a CD enthusiast like me to drop my newely purchased .5 and Noita to the ground with a big gasp. And wide eyes. Like… what. On. Earth. Just. Happened.
BEST MOMENT OF THE DAY, I’m telling you.
They continued on with a fresh set and a lot of… bad jokes if you ask me, but the gig was decent! But seriously, Dream Warriors… can’t get over it.
After Dokken I had yet another break in which I took the oppurtunity to get some of my stuff down to the car to make it easier for me once I was on my way home. The next gig of the day for me wasn’t until 22.15, when Mötley Crüe would enter the stage, so I had quite some time. Of course, this wasn’t the only thing I did. I spent some time at Hot Shot’s as well. Where else?
MÖTLEY CRÜE
But sooner than later it was time for the guys in Mötley to take over the festival, and the stage setting was pretty massive, for being Mötley, I have to say. What especially caught my eye was Nikki’s microphone, which hung from the roof of the stage down in this big steel work with a Shout at the Devil kind of star on it.
They opened up the whole gig with one of my own personal favorites – “Saints of Los Angeles” which set off a good start… and then it kinda fell. Counting roughly on my hands, I’ve seen Mötley Crüe live about four times before, making this my fifth time. In 2007, they were really good. 2009 and 2010, they were decent. In 2012 they were horrible. Like, maybe it’s because I stood far away munching on popcorns due to my cold, but seriously… Vince didn’t sing half of the words or anything, but the band was pretty good. It can’t be worse, can it?
Apparently I was wrong. Apparently, it could be worse. I didn’t get any vibes from this, any energy whatsoever, and there were occasions I barely recognized the songs at first because they were literally all over the place. I don’t mean to sit here and dog and talk shit about Mötley, I know I have a lot of people who loves them, and so do I, but seriously… It’s like the Lordi gig in Brighton. Now I know what a bad gig are. Difference is just that Mr L actually sang.
But yeah, I guess I should give them some kudos for going on stage and all. At least they are doing more, and better, than I am at the moment. But to give some creds – Love the setlist. It was perfect. And the pyro show was mindblowing. Especially the last piece where a big piece of fireworks went on a line straight over the audience. Loved it, and it helped keeping warm in the night. Thank you!
And I will see you again, in November. No worries. Not abandoning you now.
H.E.A.T
Towards the end of Mötley I started slowly moving backwards, as I wanted to have some good spots for H.E.A.T, partly for the show and the band, and partly because I had to warm up. Got there right in time for it to start, and they opened the set strongly with “Point of no Return”.
And here’s the deal ladies and gentlemen. You can say what you want about Alestorm, about Sabaton, Mötley Crüe, Toto, HammerFall or even Dokken. But no one, comes close to be a frontman like Erik Grönwall. Ones first instinct is to ask what drugs he’s on, but on the same time, I could totally see him really being like this.
But what I’m meaning to say is that Erik, never, ever fails to entertain. I have yet to see a gig where he is bad. I doubt it will ever happen. He’s the kind of frontman that gets the crowd going without any effort, he’s the kind of frontman who makes a duracell rabbit look slow. He’s the kind of frontman who makes like laugh, like when he was going to do a sing a long in “Beg Beg Beg” and instead belts out our Midsummer-drinking song (Helan Går). I’m glad I’m seeing these boys on Midsummer, will be PERFECT.
So what can I say. This was the perfect pick up after Mötley’s low-energy gig and I just want to say that I love H.E.A.T with all my heart. I know that wasn’t the case about seven years ago, but amends have been made.
And them ending with my favorite song off “Tearing Down The Walls”, “Laughing at Tomorrow” made it just perfect.
And around 3 am, later than normal again, I knocked out in the tent, preparing for the last day of the festival.
// Sara
Sara Hammerzmith 