We are Thunderstone from Finland and You Must Be the US of A!!!
Notes from ProgPower VII and more…
Hello folks! As promised, here are some peeks into the short but unforgettable American trip we did between 14th and 21st September. Remember, with this band it is always R material.
So, all you minors STOP READING NOW! =).
We took off from the Helsinki airport at 6 am Thursday morning and were looking forward to a fifteen-hour flight via Amsterdam to Atlanta, where the famous ProgPower festival is held. We were also looking forward to play in front of a North American audience for the first time, so the expectations were really high.
The trip went fine, all of our gear came all the way to Atlanta and most of us were already quite happily drunk by the time our limo driver came to pick us up. Well, to be honest, it was a big van of sorts, but we were treated like stars anyhow. Despite the fact that we had already been drinking for more than twelve hours, it was early afternoon when we arrived at the hotel. Not good… even more hours to drink…
On Thursday night we decided to check out the venue and the pre-party bands. The great atmosphere of the place was noticeable right from the start. Although some of us passed out while one of the bands was playing, the night was a good start. At least we kept up the Finnish reputation. And there was more of that to come. A lot more…
Friday we had a signing session, which was great. A lot of people came to greet us and IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO SEE YOU ALL! THANKS FOR COMING! It was nice to see people from the US, but also from Canada and Mexico − not to mention Finland! With a lot of the bands on the festival bill hailing from the Nordic countries there was no shortage of fellow Scandinavians. Atlanta felt much more like home than we had ever imagined…
 
But all of this was of course just warm-up for Saturday’s show. We had been awfully busy in Helsinki, recording our new album, and didn’t have too many rehearsals before the show. But it was actually nice to have a little bit of that feeling of tension that you often lose after doing enough shows. Anyway, the actual show was great! We got into a good mood right from the start, and the Finnish Metal Machine just started rolling after just a few beats. Of course, this would have been impossible without the incredible feedback we got from the audience. ProgPower VII kicked some serious ass! The audience did really well in the Finnish lesson, where we taught them the ultimate Finnish praise: ‘vitun kova!’ (that’s ‘fucking great’ in English). Also, one of the highlights was promoter Glenn Harveston’s guest appearance on “Forth into the Black.” After we were done, Pasi still had a gig with Jorn on the all-star version of the legendary song ‘Stars.’
What happened after the show is somewhat hazy, but we heard (and saw some pictures!!!) that it involved a lot of booze and balls − and we don’t mean basketballs… The legend of the Eskimo’s Kiss is alive and well!
After Atlanta we headed out to New York City just to chill out and check out the place. Some of us went to see Epica and Kamelot at the legendary BB King’s on Times Square, but other than that and some cool pose shots in famous places, the metal part of the trip was over. Then, after a week of boozing and chilling we headed back, Titus to Amsterdam and the rest of the guys to Helsinki where the recordings of the fourth Thunderstone album continue.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip and one that we are looking forward to do again as soon as possible. Just keep up the support and we’ll find a way to do a full tour one day! Lastly, a big thank you to Glenn Harveston, the excellent ProgPower crew, our sponsors, the bands, our friends and new acquaintances, and most of all: a huuuuge thank you to everyone who came to see us play.
You rule! See you soon! VITUN KOVA!
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