Amorphis close the John Smith Rock Frozen – report from the second day 29.11

It’s a chilly Saturday in Jyväskylä, and yet the mood is buzzing with anticipation because the second and last day of John Smith Rock Frozen is packed with great bands and events. As usual, let’s start at the very beginning… The doors of the Paviljonki open punctually at 16:30, and after checking my coat, I’m greeted by another round of bingo, which obviously I can’t wait to take part in! And mind you, my friend’s mum won the big prize of the ticket for next year’s summer edition, which was. super amazing! After that, I basically make a run to the main stage for the first band.

Crownshift

I’ve had the privilege of capturing with my lenses Crownshift the day before my birthday this year, and I was so excited to see them again here at John Smith Rock Frozen. Honestly, this show was even better than the one I saw in Switzerland! The group was super tight, energetic and enthusiastic. Perhaps playing in their home country gave an additional boost to their stage presence! They played all the tracks from their self-titled debut album, their cover of “Black Velvet” and “Paint the Sky with Blood“. I loved every minute of it, I can’t get enough of them!

Tuomi & Liekkala Duo

The second band of the day performs on the acoustic stage, and it’s one I’m not familiar yet. Tuomi & Liekkala Duo is composed by Ville Tuomi on vocals and Teemu Liekkala on guitar. So far, it’s the least numbered act to perform at the festival! Tuomi has one of the most charming and sensual voices I’ve heard in my entire life, and Liekkala mans the guitar like a professional. They perform quite some covers of different artists, including Red Hot Chili Peppers (“Aeroplane“, “Breaking the Girl”), Alice in Chains, Robbie Williams (“Angels“), and more. I forgot to mention that the set actually started a few minutes earlier than scheduled time! This was one of my favorite sets of the festival.

Mustasch

Returning to the main stage, it’s time for the Swedish stoner band Mustasch to perform. And while the previoius set started earlier, this one started slightly delayed, but it wasn’t a problem. The band was bringing everything they had on stage, their passion and commitment were tangible. Lead singer Ralf at a certain point made a funny speech where he said “boy” in Finnish (which is “poika”) and forgot the word for “girl” (which is “tyttö”). Overall the band played a very amazing show, and while I wasn’t aware of them before, I’m a fan now!

T.Jarva & The Dark Place

Dear reader, how many times have you seen your favorite band in your lifetime? For me this was just the second time, when T.Jarva & The Dark Place” stepped on the acoustic stage at the John Smith Rock Frozen festival. Despite some slightly audio problems in the beginnig of their set, their performance was absolutely superb. As they promised, they played both new singles released (“Hades Children“, “Pompeii Dog“), some covers too (“Dagger Moon“, “Henry Lee“) as well as most of the tracks from their debut album “Post Festum”. This band is the living embodiment of the statement “everything is better acoustic”. Sami and Taneli have created something that trascends the human life, and just transports the listener into their world, which is safe and comfortable.

LC Cowboys & Harlem Angels

Hear me out: when this band stepped on stage, I thought we were going to get a performance from Santa Claus’s elves. And instead, they’re called LC Cowboys & Harlem Angels. Perhaps that’s a fitting name, since their shows are an absolute crazy party! It wasn’t on my bingo card to hear “Delilah” by Lou Reed played at a heavy metal festival, but everyone was singing along so I definitely cannot complain. I was partially proven right by my initial idea of them because they performed a rendition of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town“, with a real Santa Claus on stage. Then, the audience started a conga line during “Rockin’ in the Free World“, and that was the time I understood why they’re such a big deal of a band. Then, I went to the signing session too and they were super kind and funny. Long live the LC Cowboys!

Michael Monroe

One of the reasons that I’m suspecting about the fact that the audience was more numerous yesterday rather than on Friday it’s that these two last artists performing have quite a history and a following. The first one being Michael Monroe, widely known as the lead singer of Hanoi Rocks. His acoustic show gathered the biggest crowd I’ve seen at the Paviljonki, and for a good reason. He played not only guitar, but harmonica too and he played also quite some covers. The one that particularly stuck with me was “Everybody Knows” by Leonard Cohen, because I found it very meaningful especially in these times.

Amorphis

The clock strikes a few minutes after 00:15 and one by one, Amorphis take the main stage by storm. They have a very impressive scenography, but that isn’t even the most interesting thing about them. They could be performing on an empty stage and still get the loudest cheers from the crowd. After all, we’re here for the music! And the band knows exactly that, never disappointing the huge audience that gathered for their set. I also had the privilege of seeing them live last year for the first time at the Tuska festival, and they have gotten even better this time around too. They’re evolving with each release, getting more and more feelings and passion delivered to the fans. The setlist focused on “Borderland” without forgetting the classic songs that shaped their identity, thus pleasing even the most skeptical ones. I’m grateful to John Smith Rock Frozen festival for bringing such a fantastic event together, with a solid lineup, great venue, and most importantly of all, heavy metall in all its shapes.