Hello to all Salem's Finnish fans! If you live anywhere near where the Vaasa Rockfestival is taking place, then you will have a rare and very welcome opportunity to see him and the band playing at the festival tomorrow afternoon.
The guys will be on stage at 16:45 Finnish time. If you are going to the festival, remember to leave your comments here after the show.
Salem will also be playing at another festival outside Sweden this summer - you can see him at the Periferifestivalen in Bergen, Norway on Saturday, 27th August (thanks to Madelene via Salem's Facebook page for the tip!)
And then, of course, it's only three weeks until Dalhalla....
Showing posts with label live 2011 (Finland). Show all posts
Showing posts with label live 2011 (Finland). Show all posts
Friday, 15 July 2011
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Salem in Finland (or not)
A few months ago I mentioned on this post that Salem would be playing the Popkalaset festival in Tammisaari, Finland this coming weekend - that information came from Ticnet, which is still advertising this on their website when you search for Salem Al Fakir.
However I checked the official Popkalaset site at http://www.popkalaset.com/ which does not list Salem among this year's artists which include Petter, September, Von Benzo (featuring Jay Smith) and Lisa Miskovsky.
All you Salem fans in Finland won't have too long to wait though, as he's playing the Vaasa Rockfestival on Saturday 16th July.
However I checked the official Popkalaset site at http://www.popkalaset.com/ which does not list Salem among this year's artists which include Petter, September, Von Benzo (featuring Jay Smith) and Lisa Miskovsky.
All you Salem fans in Finland won't have too long to wait though, as he's playing the Vaasa Rockfestival on Saturday 16th July.
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Salem returns to Finland in July
According to Finnish ticket booking site Tiketti, Salem will be playing the Vaasa Rockfestival (in western Finland); the festival will take place on 15th and 16th July this year. Weekend tickets go on sale this Friday, 18th March and day tickets will go on sale in April. More info at http://www.tiketti.fi/news/6062
The Ark will also be making their final Finnish appearance at this festival, so if you live in Finland it's definitely not to be missed.
I don't have any more information at the moment regarding which day and time Salem will be on stage, but will bring you this info as soon as I get it.
The Ark will also be making their final Finnish appearance at this festival, so if you live in Finland it's definitely not to be missed.
I don't have any more information at the moment regarding which day and time Salem will be on stage, but will bring you this info as soon as I get it.
Thursday, 3 February 2011
Helsinki: watch the gig all over again!
Good news!! Last night's Korjaamo show is available to watch again for the next 7 days at http://arenan.yle.fi/video/1665001
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
Salem's gig in Korjaamo, Helsinki: review
Did you all hear it??? What a fabulous show!
The gig began at 8.00pm UK time - 10.00pm in Finland. The band were all on stage, but one important member was missing :) After an enthusiastic introduction by the presenters, the band launched into the familiar intro of "Part Of It" which appears to have replaced "Red Rock" as the opening number. Eventually Salem entered the stage to a very warm reception from the audience, who appeared to be a mixture of the devoted, the enthusiastic and the curious.
As befits his now-official status as Sweden's best dressed man, Salem was as stylish and handsome as ever, dressed in a dark suit, dark tie and white shirt with of course his usual braces. His hair has also grown a little since his recent haircut too, and I'm quite happy about that. The guys were also as well dressed as ever - they really are a smart looking crew, aren't they!
Anyway enough talk about the very appealing visual aspects of the show...let's talk about the music which is the most important thing!
As I said earlier, "Part Of It" kicked off the show, with pre-recorded backing vocals in addition to the live band, although I thought this worked very well in a live context. I liked Salem's hand gesture when he sang that famous line "tell your friends how big....", however he appeared pretty restrained during this song, putting extra concentration into his vocal performance. The electronic loop running through the song then cleverly segued into a new version of the ever-popular and anthemic "It's True" (which I guess he played during his recent club tour). Mixing rock and dance influences, I thought this was a particularly impressive version of the song. Of course, Salem being Salem, he mixed up the first and second verses of the song. Aah, he never disappoints ;) Anyway what did surprise me was its inclusion at such an early stage in the set, as we're probably more used to hearing it towards the end.
Next came the return of "Twelve Fingers" of course one of my favourite Salem songs and always a welcome addition in the live set. Again slightly reworked with a new keyboard line running through it: a good version - but being completely honest here, it's probably not my favourite version of the song. Of course that's just my own personal taste and I'm sure many of you will disagree! Again he got the first and second verses of the song mixed up but we expect that by now!!
A more traditional version of "It's Only You (Part II)" came next, which immediately was recognised by many in the audience, right from the opening notes onwards. I particularly liked Salem and Adam's joint vocals on the "if you ever will be mine" part of the song.
Then Salem removed his tie! He told the audience about the last time he tried to get to Helsinki for a gig, and of course we all know how that turned out :( however we're so happy that he's here, he is here, it makes us happy! Which is a cue for a song....the new version of "I'm So Happy" to be precise, which is built around a rolling guitar riff and Adam is certainly the star of this song. The new version brings a further contrast to a song which always had a strong contrast to start with: the original's bitter lyrics against the happy singalong melody, but as I said in a previous post on here, there is now a sad, regretful feel to the new version. Nevertheless it doesn't stop the crowd singing along.
Tonight I was paying particular attention to the band's performance as a whole. On the two occasions I've been to see Salem live, the first time was his previous band line-up, then the second time was the current line-up but with the orchestra, so I just realised tonight that I'd never actually watched a Salem concert with his current band line-up, playing a 'band gig' I guess! Of course it goes without saying that they are an extremely tight, well-rehearsed and accomplished group of musicians, who provide a consistently reliable musical backing to the main man himself.
One song added to the live set in the recent club tour was "This Is For" which again relied strongly on pre-recorded vocal backing tracks however worked very well with live instrumentation. (In a similar vein, I had hoped to hear "Bloody Breakfast" tonight, which was featured in the club tour. Oh well, maybe some other time). Anyway Salem removed his glasses, and the band launched into the album version of current single "Split My Personality". I thought the song might have been reworked slightly in the style of the highly acclaimed Bassflow remix, but it still worked very well particularly in this band-version.
Salem put his glasses back on...however later on in the set he removed his glasses again and also removed his jacket, to reveal the very familiar braces - Salem's trademark style!
"Astronaut" was also very well-received - I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Finnish fans were so familiar with his pre-"Ignore This" material. Not really much to say about this song except that it was brilliant as usual.
Followed by "Good Song" which as if you need reminding, is my favourite of all Salem songs. I tend to be a little more critical of my favourite songs if the live versions are anything less than perfect: no need for criticism here though, as Salem's vocals were jazzy and soulful as ever, I liked the vocal harmonies on the chorus, and musically it was just spot-on, with a dazzling synth solo by Salem. He may be more restrained now in his live performances, but there were still the occasional moments tonight when he went into "mad-professor" mode, throwing himself over the keyboard or staring upwards into the air, or headbanging.
One of the main highlights for me tonight was "4 O'Clock", which was based on the Adrian Lux remix of the song, which is probably my favourite version of it. Again the crowd loved this one too.
By this point the crowd were completely eating out of Salem's hand and they welcomed "Roxy" like an old friend. . Even this song got a little dance-makeover with new little keyboard lines running through it.
And finally....what else but "Keep On Walking" to close the show, which was rapturously received by everyone at Korjaamo. He's bound to be sick of singing this song by now, but you wouldn't know it as he still puts his heart and soul into every single performance of it, making it sound as fresh as it was when we first heard it in full, some 362 days ago if I remember correctly :)
Salem, Nisse, Jakob and Adam then took their bows and left the stage, but the very appreciative audience wanted more, as we all did! I think the presenter said something like "scream if you want him back" and boy, did they scream. The band came back on stage for one more number, an energetic "Virgin Mary" which was a foot-tapping and fabulous end to the evening.
Unfortunately that really was the end, no more encores. Still I guess that Salem and the band could play for four hours, but we'd still be sad when it ended; however you also have that exhilarated feeling at the end of a Salem show, with the realisation that you've been part of a truly special experience.
Salem Al Fakir remains a charismatic and outstandingly talented artist and this terrific show just proved, yet again, that he is the very best, backed by an excellent band who just get better and better at everything they do. Thank you all for a wonderful night, and thanks to YLE for webcasting the show worldwide so that we were all able to see it :))
The gig began at 8.00pm UK time - 10.00pm in Finland. The band were all on stage, but one important member was missing :) After an enthusiastic introduction by the presenters, the band launched into the familiar intro of "Part Of It" which appears to have replaced "Red Rock" as the opening number. Eventually Salem entered the stage to a very warm reception from the audience, who appeared to be a mixture of the devoted, the enthusiastic and the curious.
As befits his now-official status as Sweden's best dressed man, Salem was as stylish and handsome as ever, dressed in a dark suit, dark tie and white shirt with of course his usual braces. His hair has also grown a little since his recent haircut too, and I'm quite happy about that. The guys were also as well dressed as ever - they really are a smart looking crew, aren't they!
Anyway enough talk about the very appealing visual aspects of the show...let's talk about the music which is the most important thing!
As I said earlier, "Part Of It" kicked off the show, with pre-recorded backing vocals in addition to the live band, although I thought this worked very well in a live context. I liked Salem's hand gesture when he sang that famous line "tell your friends how big....", however he appeared pretty restrained during this song, putting extra concentration into his vocal performance. The electronic loop running through the song then cleverly segued into a new version of the ever-popular and anthemic "It's True" (which I guess he played during his recent club tour). Mixing rock and dance influences, I thought this was a particularly impressive version of the song. Of course, Salem being Salem, he mixed up the first and second verses of the song. Aah, he never disappoints ;) Anyway what did surprise me was its inclusion at such an early stage in the set, as we're probably more used to hearing it towards the end.
Next came the return of "Twelve Fingers" of course one of my favourite Salem songs and always a welcome addition in the live set. Again slightly reworked with a new keyboard line running through it: a good version - but being completely honest here, it's probably not my favourite version of the song. Of course that's just my own personal taste and I'm sure many of you will disagree! Again he got the first and second verses of the song mixed up but we expect that by now!!
A more traditional version of "It's Only You (Part II)" came next, which immediately was recognised by many in the audience, right from the opening notes onwards. I particularly liked Salem and Adam's joint vocals on the "if you ever will be mine" part of the song.
Then Salem removed his tie! He told the audience about the last time he tried to get to Helsinki for a gig, and of course we all know how that turned out :( however we're so happy that he's here, he is here, it makes us happy! Which is a cue for a song....the new version of "I'm So Happy" to be precise, which is built around a rolling guitar riff and Adam is certainly the star of this song. The new version brings a further contrast to a song which always had a strong contrast to start with: the original's bitter lyrics against the happy singalong melody, but as I said in a previous post on here, there is now a sad, regretful feel to the new version. Nevertheless it doesn't stop the crowd singing along.
Tonight I was paying particular attention to the band's performance as a whole. On the two occasions I've been to see Salem live, the first time was his previous band line-up, then the second time was the current line-up but with the orchestra, so I just realised tonight that I'd never actually watched a Salem concert with his current band line-up, playing a 'band gig' I guess! Of course it goes without saying that they are an extremely tight, well-rehearsed and accomplished group of musicians, who provide a consistently reliable musical backing to the main man himself.
One song added to the live set in the recent club tour was "This Is For" which again relied strongly on pre-recorded vocal backing tracks however worked very well with live instrumentation. (In a similar vein, I had hoped to hear "Bloody Breakfast" tonight, which was featured in the club tour. Oh well, maybe some other time). Anyway Salem removed his glasses, and the band launched into the album version of current single "Split My Personality". I thought the song might have been reworked slightly in the style of the highly acclaimed Bassflow remix, but it still worked very well particularly in this band-version.
Salem put his glasses back on...however later on in the set he removed his glasses again and also removed his jacket, to reveal the very familiar braces - Salem's trademark style!
"Astronaut" was also very well-received - I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Finnish fans were so familiar with his pre-"Ignore This" material. Not really much to say about this song except that it was brilliant as usual.
Followed by "Good Song" which as if you need reminding, is my favourite of all Salem songs. I tend to be a little more critical of my favourite songs if the live versions are anything less than perfect: no need for criticism here though, as Salem's vocals were jazzy and soulful as ever, I liked the vocal harmonies on the chorus, and musically it was just spot-on, with a dazzling synth solo by Salem. He may be more restrained now in his live performances, but there were still the occasional moments tonight when he went into "mad-professor" mode, throwing himself over the keyboard or staring upwards into the air, or headbanging.
One of the main highlights for me tonight was "4 O'Clock", which was based on the Adrian Lux remix of the song, which is probably my favourite version of it. Again the crowd loved this one too.
By this point the crowd were completely eating out of Salem's hand and they welcomed "Roxy" like an old friend. . Even this song got a little dance-makeover with new little keyboard lines running through it.
And finally....what else but "Keep On Walking" to close the show, which was rapturously received by everyone at Korjaamo. He's bound to be sick of singing this song by now, but you wouldn't know it as he still puts his heart and soul into every single performance of it, making it sound as fresh as it was when we first heard it in full, some 362 days ago if I remember correctly :)
Salem, Nisse, Jakob and Adam then took their bows and left the stage, but the very appreciative audience wanted more, as we all did! I think the presenter said something like "scream if you want him back" and boy, did they scream. The band came back on stage for one more number, an energetic "Virgin Mary" which was a foot-tapping and fabulous end to the evening.
Unfortunately that really was the end, no more encores. Still I guess that Salem and the band could play for four hours, but we'd still be sad when it ended; however you also have that exhilarated feeling at the end of a Salem show, with the realisation that you've been part of a truly special experience.
Salem Al Fakir remains a charismatic and outstandingly talented artist and this terrific show just proved, yet again, that he is the very best, backed by an excellent band who just get better and better at everything they do. Thank you all for a wonderful night, and thanks to YLE for webcasting the show worldwide so that we were all able to see it :))
Svenska Talande Klubben tonight!
Are you ready...????
Go to http://yle.fi/extrem/radio/ for the live stream of tonight's Radio X3m 'Svenska Talande Klubben' broadcast live from Korjaamo in Helsinki. Father McKenzie are now on stage, and Salem and the band will be on stage at approximately 22:00 Finnish time/21:00 Swedish time/20:00 UK time.
Are you all as excited as I am????
By the way....if you go to http://yle.fi/extrem/artikel/musiknoje/38268-Vad-gor-Salem-med-ett-handfat-och-24-liter-dricka you'll find an article and brief video interview with Salem about his band's backstage rider. Which includes water, a washbasin and a wastepaper basket. Very rock n'roll :))))
There's also an article at http://yle.fi/extrem/artikel/musiknoje/38275-Soundcheck-med-Salem about the soundcheck and a little photostream too.
Go to http://yle.fi/extrem/radio/ for the live stream of tonight's Radio X3m 'Svenska Talande Klubben' broadcast live from Korjaamo in Helsinki. Father McKenzie are now on stage, and Salem and the band will be on stage at approximately 22:00 Finnish time/21:00 Swedish time/20:00 UK time.
Are you all as excited as I am????
By the way....if you go to http://yle.fi/extrem/artikel/musiknoje/38268-Vad-gor-Salem-med-ett-handfat-och-24-liter-dricka you'll find an article and brief video interview with Salem about his band's backstage rider. Which includes water, a washbasin and a wastepaper basket. Very rock n'roll :))))
There's also an article at http://yle.fi/extrem/artikel/musiknoje/38275-Soundcheck-med-Salem about the soundcheck and a little photostream too.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Helsingfors!
Salem will finally play that long-awaited gig at Korjaamo in Helsinki tomorrow, Wednesday 2nd February, as part of Radio X3m's Svenska Talande Klubben series. If you remember, he was due to play there on 1st December, however he was unable to make it in time because he was stuck at the airport: http://yle.fi/extrem/artikel/musiknoje/38249-Salem-klar-for-Finland so here's hoping he has better luck this time!
The programme will be broadcast live at http://yle.fi/extrem/ tomorrow from 20:00. This is the part where I get a bit confused: I guess this is Finnish time, which will mean it starts at 19:00 Swedish time, and 18:00 UK time? Of course Salem won't be on stage till later, and I'll bring more information nearer the time and a little bit of live-blogging too, as I'll be sitting in front of the computer, listening to the show. It will probably the only time that many of us will get to hear Salem play live again this year, so it's even more important that we all tune in. Or if you're a Salem fan and you live in or around Helsinki, show your support and get along to Korjaamo for what will be a great night. As usual, if you're going - enjoy the show and remember to tell us all about it. I'd like to hear from more of Salem's Finnish fans as I know there are a lot of you out there!
The programme will be broadcast live at http://yle.fi/extrem/ tomorrow from 20:00. This is the part where I get a bit confused: I guess this is Finnish time, which will mean it starts at 19:00 Swedish time, and 18:00 UK time? Of course Salem won't be on stage till later, and I'll bring more information nearer the time and a little bit of live-blogging too, as I'll be sitting in front of the computer, listening to the show. It will probably the only time that many of us will get to hear Salem play live again this year, so it's even more important that we all tune in. Or if you're a Salem fan and you live in or around Helsinki, show your support and get along to Korjaamo for what will be a great night. As usual, if you're going - enjoy the show and remember to tell us all about it. I'd like to hear from more of Salem's Finnish fans as I know there are a lot of you out there!
Saturday, 18 December 2010
Vara Konserthus show cancelled / Finnish festival in 2011
The show at Vara Konserthus scheduled for 18th March has been cancelled. http://www.ticnet.se/search.php?tm_link=tm_homeA_header_search&language=sv&keyword=salem+al+fakir
Ticnet also reports on that page that Salem will be appearing at the Popkalaset festival in Tammisaari, Finland, on 18th June 2011. http://www.lippupalvelu.fi/Popkalaset-biljetter/event/BGR1806A although I haven't been able to find any more information about this.
Ticnet also reports on that page that Salem will be appearing at the Popkalaset festival in Tammisaari, Finland, on 18th June 2011. http://www.lippupalvelu.fi/Popkalaset-biljetter/event/BGR1806A although I haven't been able to find any more information about this.
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Salem playing in Helsinki on 2nd February 2011
Via http://yle.fi/extrem/program/program_inlagg.php?id=44832 some news about Salem's rescheduled Helsinki gig, which will now take place at Korjaamo in Helsinki on 2nd February 2011 at 20:00.
This is part of Radio X3M's 'Svenska Talande Klubben' series - tickets are 12 euro and available via www.tiketti.fi.
The show will be broadcast live on Radio X3M and streamed live on the internet - I'll bring more information about this nearer the time.
This is part of Radio X3M's 'Svenska Talande Klubben' series - tickets are 12 euro and available via www.tiketti.fi.
The show will be broadcast live on Radio X3M and streamed live on the internet - I'll bring more information about this nearer the time.
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