I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: November 25, 2018] Korpiklaani

I’m not even sure now what inspired me to go see Korpiklaani.  I know I’d never heard of them before this month.  But I somehow saw their name and t heir genre and heard that their shows were just inspired lunacy.  The fact that they were from Finland made it even more interesting and exotic.  I watched a video or two and decided I’d like to see them.  And then, lo and behold they were playing in Philly in like two weeks.

So I rearranged my schedule and got a ticket.

The crowd at TLA was relatively small, but it was incredibly intense.  Nearly everyone there knew the band really well.  Some were in kilts, there were lots of beards.  And that small crowd even got a raging mosh pit going.

Some people feel that they are not really heavy metal, and I can see that.  Even singer Jonne Järvelä, said “Korpiklaani’s music would be seen as “old people’s music with heavy metal guitars” in Finland.

I really had no idea what to expect, so I was delighted when the band came out as a kind of Nordic Folk Village People.  

Tuomas Rounakari on violin was dressed head to toe in white including a white top hat.
Sami Perttula on accordion (yes this is a heavy metal band) had one incredibly long dreadlock out of the back of his otherwise shaved head as well as a small goatee with a braided longer part.
Jarkko Aaltonen on bass had a huge beard, bare feet and was wearing a kilt.
Kalle “Cane” Savijärvi on guitar was dressed more or less like a cowboy, with a cowboy hat and a very Western-looking shirt.
Matti “Matson” Johansson on drums was pretty much invisible for most of the show but he had on shorts and tanktop, like a drummer should.
And then there was lead singer Jonne Järvelä–long dreadlocks, a leather jacket and nothing but smiles.

This was a band looking to have a good time.

They opened with Neito, a heavy song that showcases how important the accordion is for their overall sound.  And from there they ran through 12 of the 14 songs on their new album Kulkija.

And throughout the show, every musician was unbound by their position on the stage.  Each guy moved around, standing in front of us and then moving to the other side.  It was so much fun to not watch the same person for the whole show.  Even if Tuomas was a ton of fun.  Because it was awesome watching how fast Sami’s fingers were.

I was also really impressed by bassist Jarkko.  He didn’t do anything fancy but his bass was so low and powerful, it was a like an unstoppable train.

In addition to having fun singing, they also had fun messing around a bit, like when Jonne bowed Tuomas’ violin.

What’s so interesting to be about this whole genre is that for the most part the guitar is a rhythm instrument and all of the solos are performed by violin of accordion of (not in this band, but in others) wind instruments.  So, there was a time when both Sami and Tuomas exchanged solos like a double lead guitar attack.  And some of Tuomas’ solos were really intense.

They played new songs throughout the show, although most were in the early section of the concert.  By the middle, they were playing a few older songs, which seemed to get the crowd really going.

Many of the songs were in Finnish, indeed, since 2011 most lyrics were written by poet Tuomas Keskimäki, who writes lyrics in the old Finnish “kalevalametre”.  But that’s not to say that Jonne is unfamiliar with English.  Earlier songs were in English and of course he spoke to us in English throughout the night, mostly trying to get us roused up.  Although I enjoyed when he introduced a couple of songs like the ass-kicking Sillanrakentaja with it’s great heavy metal riff.

His voice was pretty rough, and I don’t know if that’s how he sings or if he was a little worn down by the tour.  Either way it sounded cool, even in the pretty ballad.

They played one instrumental and it was awesome.  A great metal riff with some excellent jamming from the whole band.  But for the most part I loved the way the folk and the metal shared a stage.  In some ways it reminded me of Gogol Bordello as well.

The highlight of the night for me was when the band pulled a fan on stage to sing “Wooden Pints.”  The guys was excited, the crowd went nuts and it was so much fun seeing them run all around the stage in drunken revelry.

So yes even though many songs were in Finnish, there were a few older ones in English.  Like the encore, Beer beer, in which he showered the audience with love.  But beer wasn’t hard enough for them so they needed to play “Vodka” as well. And man, the crowd went berserk for both of these songs.  And why not, the chant of “vodka! vodka!” was a lot of fun.

The ended with “Crows Bring the Spring” and when they started it, the guy behind me went out of his mind.  He couldn’t believe they were playing this song.  And that made it all the more fun.

The band left the stage and it seemed like it was all over but the Tuomas and drummer Matti came out and did a little post-show celebration for us.

My goodness this show was a lot of fun.

 

SETLIST (This setlist is taken from another show, but I noticed that the setlists were laminated and roadies weren’t allowed to hand them out, so it seem like that our show was the same.

1. Neito ℜ
2. Korpikuusen kyynel ℜ
3. Aallon Alla ℜ
4. Erämaan Ärjyt ⊗
5. A Man With A Plan √
6. Juomamaa ℜ
7. Kallon malja ℜ
8. Pellervoinen ℜ
9. Harmaja ℜ
10. Ievan Polkka Ψ
11. Sahti ℵ
12. Sillanrakentaja ℜ
13. Kotikonnut ℜ
14. Henkselipoika ℜ
15. Petoeläimen kuola Ψ
16. Ruumiinmultaa Ψ
17. Korppikalliota ℜ
18. Kuin korpi nukkuva ℜ
19. Metsämies ℑ
20. Lempo ℵ
21. Kultanainen ⊗
22. Pilli on pajusta tehty ℵ
23. Wooden Pints §
24. encore
25. Beer Beer ∇
26. Vodka ⊗
27. Crows Bring the Spring §

ℜ = Kulkija (2018)
√ = Live Masters of Rock (2017)
ℵ = Noita (2015)
Ψ = Manela (2012)
⊗ = Karkelo (2009)
ℑ = Korven Kuningas (2008)
∇ = Voice of Wilderness (2005)
§ = Spirit of the Forest (2003)