RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT THE FINNTROLL / MOONSORROW / SWALLOW THE SUN SHOW IN NYC

The MetalSucks-sponsored Finnish Metal Tour 2010 is currently winding its way across North America, having stopped at New York City’s Gramercy Theater last Thursday on the third night of the tour. You pretty much know what you’re gonna get with bands like Finntroll, Moonsorrow and Swallow the Sun — epic fucking metal. And epic it was.

My chronological but otherwise disorganized thoughts on the concert:

• Swallow the Sun’s keyboard player is so serious. That guy rules.
• How do Swallow the Sun afford to tour the States so often?
• Holy shit… Swallow the Sun’s keyboard player rules so hard. Most metal stage faces I’ve ever seen.
• Is that dude in the audience wearing a loincloth? Yes… yes, he is.
• This is the best I’ve heard Swallow the Sun sound in the three times I’ve seen them.
• So when can we meet and hang out with Swallow the Sun’s keyboard player? I wanna shoot heroin and talk about the meaninglessness of life with this dude.
• Moonsorrow sound pretty good, but they were better at Paganfest II last year (where they blew every other band away).

• This concert has a very high dork to non-dork ratio.
• Moonsorrow are one of the few bands that aren’t Iron Maiden who are allowed to wear their own t-shirts on stage.
• I wish the keyboard player from Swallow the Sun was in Moonsorrow too.
• Dudes who don’t have chiseled abs but play with their shirts off anyway rule.
• Are those dudes in the pit holding on to each other and headbanging in unison? Yes… yes, they are.
• Are those dudes in the pit skipping in a circle? Yes… yes, they are.
• Was that the keyboard player of Swallow the Sun who just walked by? He looks grim.
• I’m surprised this many people are still around for Finntroll so late on a school night.
• Wow, people LOVE Finntroll.
• Finntroll are pretty good. Kinda sucks for them that they’ve been swept under the whole pagan/folk metal rug when they pre-dated most of those bands by a number of years.
• Finntroll have pretty cool face/body paint. Where are the elf ears?
• I wish the keyboard player from Swallow the Sun was in Finntroll too.

There you have it. I interviewed Finntroll guitarist Routa before the show, so we’ll be posting that transcript soon enough.

Remaining tour dates are as follows:

Apr. 14 – Detroit, MI @ Blondie’s
Apr. 15 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
Apr. 16 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
Apr. 17 – St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
Apr. 19 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird
Apr. 21 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Apr. 22 – Vancouver, BC @ Red Room
Apr. 23 – Portland, OR @ Peters Room
Apr. 24 – San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside
Apr. 25 – West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues
Apr. 26 – Mesa, AZ @ U.B.’s
Apr. 27 – Tucson, AZ @ The Rock
Apr. 29 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
Apr. 30 – Houston, TX @ Meridian
May 01 – Ft. Worth, TX @ Ridglea Theater

-VN