19.12.2009 Leipzig (Saturday)

Guten tag Leipzig! So, this is the final show on this tour. This thought feels at the same time very good but also very odd. You kind of get used to touring lifestyle where you don’t have to take care of your everyday business, such as doing laundry, preparing dinner, or going to the supermarket. You just search the backstage, eat something, drink something, load in, put together your stuff, check if the venue has a wlan and then just kill the time. That’s it. Every day same routine (unless the venue happens to be located near the center of the city). But that’s life on tour folks! Today the catering is better than normally. However, I don’t feel hungry at all. Same thing happens with dinner. I feel quite hollow and tired and just lay on the couch until the show. As this is the last show on the tour it will include some practical jokes during the gigs. During Omnium’s set Niilo goes and does some guest vocals on one song. Also, during the last song we start to unpack the drum kit. Kaitsu takes first one cymbal off and in the end the Jorkka has only on cymbal left to play with. We get also our fair share. At some point other band members come and tie our hair to ponytales. Markus Vanhala (from OG) comes also visit during the Killjoy and delivers a killer solo! During the piano intro of Gale Mikko from StS sings “Kiisselii, nyt maistuu kiisselii” through FOH talkback mic. It sounds really hilarious and we all burst laughing! Poor crowd. During the StS gig stakes get higher. We steal Mikko’s vocal mic during the intro. He does not even recognize it himself until Matti (bass player) notices it. We give him his mic back and everything goes on smoothly. During the second song someone wraps giant dildo on Aleksi’s keyboard stand. Poor crowd. At some point the dildo gets wrapped on Mikko’s mic. Niilo does some guest vocals on “Don’t’ fall asleep” with new, Finnish lyrical content: “Jämylle alkaa maistumaan, Kaitsulle alkaa masitumaan, Hipille alkaa maistumaan, Raiviolle ei milloinkaan”! During the Descending winter we go to each member and sprinkle snow on top of everyone’s head. And the list goes on. Poor crowd. In the end we all just end up head banging on the stage and end the final show in fury!

That’s it. People leave; we sign few posters and pack our gear. This is it. It’s good to go home and know that you gave it all. Left it all on the stage. You really need the rest and sleep. You ache for civilization, your own bed and your own toilet. You long for routine. At the same time, you want to keep on going. Travel places where you still haven’t been before. Spend one more drinking night with your buddies and never grow old. This is life on tour kids. You hate to admit that you love it, no matter what.

Ville Friman/INSOMNIUM