Live Music Hall, Cologne, Germany20th November 2017
The Rasmus, KLOGR & The Weyers
THE RASMUS, one of Finland’s biggest music exports ever, are back on tour with a new album after a five-year hiatus. It was fourteen years ago when we first heard their “Oho oho” on the radio, or saw the crows flapping across the screen in the ‘In the Shadows’ video on MTV. Their loyal fans gathered to celebrate their return on a sold-out evening at the Live Music Hall in Cologne with not just one but two guest bands to warm up the stage: The power duo THE WEYERS and the Italian alternative metal from KLOGR.
The Weyers
THE WEYERS is a power duo from Switzerland made of brothers Adi (guitar and vocals) and Luke Weyermann (drums and vocals). Two rock musicians who differ greatly as individuals, but can’t do without one another. History repeats itself again, as powerful music emerges from a tiny, but vital core. [Extract from their Facebook fan page]. THE WEYERS came on stage at 19:00 and surprised the arriving public with seven rhythmic and melodic rock songs. The brothers provoked immediate empathy in the audience, which reacted with enthusiasm to the remarkable sound they make with just drums, guitar and voices. http://www.the-weyers.com / https://www.facebook.com/theweyers
Setlist
01. Big mouth
02. Time waits
03. O. O. O. heads
04. Bout love
05. Think of you
06. Wires
07. Beep beep beep
Rating
Music: 6
Performance: 7
Sound: 8
Light: 7
Total: 7 / 10
KLOGR
KLOGR (pronounced Kay - log - are) is an Italian alternative rock / metal band formed in 2011 as a project-band. They passed through several line-up changes until 2014 when they left behind its status of “project band” to become a band with a steady line-up consisting of Rusty on vocals and guitars, Pietro on guitars, Joba on bass and Rob on drums. They released two LPs focusing their lyrics and communication on environmental-conscious topics so as wildlife protection. The band came on stage at 20:00 while the rhythmic mood from the previous band was still echoing. But unfortunately they couldn’t keep the energy at that level. It took at least three songs for the public to get adjusted to their alternative metal sound and singer’s obvious devotion to METALLICA’s front man James Hetfield.
It was thanks to Rusty (vocals) and his funny way to communicate with the public, behaving as if they were playing in a 60,000 people stadium, what capture the attention of the public. “How you doing there on the back?!” on full Axl Rose like fake voice… http://www.klogr.net / https://www.facebook.com/klogr
Setlist
01. King of unknown
02. Pride before the Fall
03. Prison of light
04. Technocracy
05. Sleeping Through the Seasons
06. Make your stand
07. Guinea pigs
Rating
Music: 5
Performance: 5
Sound: 6
Light: 7
Total: 5.8 / 10
The Rasmus
The story begins in 1994 in a garage. While still in high school Lauri Ylönen (vocals), Eero Heinonen (bass), Pauli Rantasalmi (guitar) and Jarno Lahti (drums) formed the band RASMUS. The guys were haunted since their inception in '94 - the first album to be recorded as a student band (with their authentic first gig at the local school auditorium) was in Finland right at No. 1 in the charts. And that was not enough. More successful albums, numerous awards and sold-out tours awaited the four musicians. 2003 was the worldwide breakthrough with the mega-single ‘In the Shadows’. From then on, the aforementioned garage had to serve as a storeroom for gold and platinum records and other awards, instead of serving as a rehearsal room. And the pressure continued with worldwide tours and large concerts. Since you can get out of breath - singer and songwriter Lauri remembers: “It was a great time. We hunted penguins in Cape Town and played a radio acoustic set in front of 98,000 people in Mexico City. I've collected great stories and impressions that I do not want to miss, but we paid that with a creeping burnout.” So it came to an extended break - from 2012 to 2017, it was quiet around THE RASMUS.
The band just longed for recovery. Lauri moved to Los Angeles in time, an experience that is reflected in many of the songs of the new album. ‘Paradise’, the first single, gives a great taste of the new record. http://www.therasmus.com / https://www.facebook.com/therasmusofficial
Music & Performance
THE RASMUS came on stage at short past 21:00 and delighted the fans from the first song at a sold-out Live Music Hall in Cologne. They presented both the new album ‘Dark Matters’ as well as the best songs of the last four albums. The crowd received the new songs with enthusiasm and rewarded the band with thunderous applause. Lauri rarely stood in one place during the concert but the mood got intimate at the ‘Funeral Song’ when it was only him with the fans and violins in the background. Guitarist Pauli Antero Rantasalmi and bassist Eero Aleksi Heinonen also moved freely across the stage and enjoyed some solo parts. In Finland, the rockers released three albums and a best-off after the band's founding in 1994 and their first official appearance in their school in Helsinki, toured the country as a support band to GARBAGE, DOG EAT DOG or the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS and were awarded Golden Plates and the Finnish version of the Grammy award.
After this success drummer Janne Heiskanen left the band and Aki Markus Hakala took his place. In addition, the band changed its name from RASMUS to THE RASMUS, so as not to be confused with the DJ Rasmus. In Germany, the band first appeared in 2001 with their album ‘Into’ on the scene. The breakthrough, however, they succeeded only with the following album ‘Dead Letters’ and the single ‘In the Shadows’, which stormed the charts worldwide. No wonder that this first internationally known single was extensively celebrated by the fans at the concert. But other older songs were also included in the stage program, such as the single ‘Livin’ in a world without you’ or ‘No fear’. As an encore, Eero Aleksi Heinonen surprisingly performed a German song and said he had heard the song at the Christmas market in Cologne and wanted to play it and so the whole room sings with guitar ‘Silent Night, Holy Night’. After that, there is also a song from the new and two older songs at the end.
Setlist
01. F-F-F-Falling
02. Guilty
03. No fear
04. Empire
05. Silver night
06. Time to burn
07. Immortal
10. Justify
11. Nothing
12. Funeral song
13. Paradise
14. First Day of My Life
15. Livin' in a World Without You
16. In the Shadows
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17. Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht (German Xmas song)
18. Wonderman
19. In my life
20. Sail away
Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 8
Sound: 8
Light: 8
Total: 8 / 10
All pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)
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