Heaven Shall Burn & Ólafur Arnalds

It's been a good week.
Not only was it the last week of my long injury-period but I also got to see 2 concerts which I had been anticipating for quite some time.
First off there was this show with Suicide Silence, Heaven Shall Burn and As I Lay Dying.
I hadn't heard anything from the first band so we didn't leave early to see their whole set. We did manage to catch their last 2 songs. Wasn't all that bad but I just wasn't interested.
We met up with Ephraim as we searched a good spot to see HSB and after 20 mins the show kicked off with a nice intro to Counterweight. I haven't missed a HSB-show in Belgium since I first saw them in 2006 so thought I knew what to expect. But this time around they brought a bunch of footage with them to be projected on the background. Old images from the war, the hindenburg and even parts of their videoclip for "Combat". It all fitted very well and it was nice to see a different show than usual. The sound was ok, but I've heard them better before. The same could be said for their performance, but merely by a fraction. They're always convincing when you go see them live.
As I Lay Dying was the last band that evening and for me it wasn't the main act. But for Sofie it was the band she had been waiting for. They brought a good set. I recognized a lot of the songs even though I don't really know their albums very well. They played for a good hour; full of energy (more than the crowd) and with a very cool lightshow (I loved the deep red).
After the show we waited around in the venue for most of the people to leave so we could easily check out the merchandise and go home.
Once we made our way to the merchandise-booth we passed everybody from HSB. I had spoken to Alexander Dietz in the past and he recognized Sofie from previous gigs so when she started to talk to him I joined in and said hello. We had a little conversation, and Jonas got the man a beer. It was pretty cool. After having bought some shirts we went homewards and on to the next show.
That same evening I was surfing the web and I noticed that Ólafur Arnalds was playing in Roeselare on friday. I hadn't bought my ticket yet, but in a sudden rush I just did it. What did I have to lose? It was only 16€ and I would get to see Efterklang as well.
A long dull thursday passed slowly by and then came friday. The day that I would finally see Ólafur live for the first time. The drive to there was going pretty well until it started to snow quite heavily. But it wouldn't stop me in my tracks. I was determined to get there in time and see the concert with the music which I had known for over 3 years.
It's a big room to fill in a small town.
With those words olafur began his show at CC De Spil. Which actually
was filled pretty nicely.
The show itself was more breathtaking than I imagined. I had seen a
lot of footage online. But it doesn't quite live up to actually seeing
it live. The use of lighting and projection of video were a perfect
addition to the music and created a very special atmosphere. The music
and effects of it all really sounded well throughout the room. And the
crowd seemed to hold their breath during the whole show.
I noticed I almost continuously had goosebumps during the show.
It all fitted together perfectly, and the crowd who mostly came down to Roeselare for Efterklang were charmed with what they experienced.
After a set which I wished would last forever Ólafur Arnalds left us with 30:55 and said he would be out with his merchandise so everyone would have the chance to say hello and/or kill him. Which was a bit typical for him. He looks shy and timid but funny at the same time.
And so I went to buy a hoodie after the show. He had some really nice merchandise avaiable. I might just have bought it all. But I can't just spend all my cash like that when I'm renovating my house...
I enjoyed to have a little talk with him. Even though I had the idea he was a little bit uncomfortable. But I hope he'll forgive me for it. I just couldn't grasp the fact that I had the opportunity to talk with him. I asked him a couple of questions about his work and how he got to know HSB and so on.
To everybody who doesn't know Ólafur Arnalds got to his Website and check it out.
And if you ever have the chance to see him live, just go and see. It will be like nothing you have ever seen. Go and listen with an open mind and enjoy every moment of it. It really is something special.
After the show I then had to travel back home through a small Belgian snowstorm. But I got home safely with some great memories. I'm looking forward to the next show of his that I can attend...