Having learned already at the start of January about LAKE OF TEARS coming to moscow, I could not believe it for a long time. But then the long-awaited day arrived — 6 March. The Tochka club. What can one say — it is too small for a band of this scale. The crowd that packed in was shoulder to shoulder, not a breath of space. Some people who had not bought tickets in advance were unable to get into the concert and stood outside searching for a spare pass.
First to warm up the audience were FORGIVE-ME-NOT. The guys performed with considerable spirit — many people left the bar counters, the pool table, and went to jump around for this "unforgettable" collective. Having played their material professionally, the guys ceded the stage to another of our bands — MELANCHOLY. These in turn stoked the crowd still further. Having performed several songs, the guys departed, and a pause ensued. To some it felt like an eternity... And then a familiar melody rang out — "To Die Is To Wake" from the album A Crimson Cosmos, which is instrumental. One must note the effective entrance of Daniel Brennare wearing a hat shaped like a fly agaric mushroom cap, which greatly delighted the fans. He ran around the stage in it, somewhat portraying a mushroom come to life. Having bounced around like this for a few songs, he threw it to the floor.
I would never have thought one could stage-dive to LAKE OF TEARS, but this was already happening from the composition "Cosmic Weed". And with each song the jumping became considerably more frequent, which greatly irritated the security and amused the musicians, who were giving absolutely everything. Such a warm reception in the "land of frosts" they had clearly not anticipated. The crowd sang along to all the songs — regardless of whether they were from the latest album or from the older discs that had already become classics. It reached the point where Mr. Brennare deliberately fell silent and listened to the crowd. Mikael Larsson ran around the stage with his bass like a madman, tried to shake the hands stretched out toward him and even signed CDs that were handed to him. The musicianship of all the musicians was at the highest level! The keyboard parts were played in recorded form. Daniel Brennare spoke at length about how much he had enjoyed being with us. He made particular mention of our national beverage — vodka — then, after a moment's thought, added that our beer was also not bad.
The main emphasis was on three albums — Headstones, Forever Autumn, and Black Brick Road.
After several compositions the guys left for literally two minutes and returned to the stage in cheerful multicoloured feathered waistcoats. This costume change was met by the audience with thunderous applause. The band came out for encores twice — the audience simply would not let them rest. Coming out the first time, they began playing "Sweetwater", but the crowd was chanting "Headstones". Having broken off the song at its first chords and exchanging a few words among themselves, the musicians nonetheless played it through, after which, to whistling and roaring from the crowd, followed the long-anticipated composition. During the second encore the band gifted their fans "Burn Fire Burn" — again from the epochal Headstones. Symbolically, they did not come out a third time. The organisers switched on the lights and the recorded music.
At the exit a bottleneck formed that dissipated very slowly. The concert organisers should devote greater attention to this aspect in future!
This concert is, in my view, one of the best to have taken place in moscow in recent times. LAKE OF TEARS gave absolutely everything — they played their finest material and managed to fire up the crowd. People left with a single feeling — bitterness at the small amount of time spent with their idols (the set lasted around 90 minutes). Everyone wanted it to continue, and it did not. We sincerely hope for a second coming of the Swedes.
Report by Autumn
Setlist:
To Die Is To Wake Boogie Bouble Cosmic Weed Hold On Tight A Foreign Road So Fell Autumn Rain Raven Land Pagan Wish The Greymen When My Sun Goes Down A Trip With The Moon The Organ Devils Diner Making Evenings
— encore — Sweetwater Headstones
— encore — Burn Fire Burn