Amorphis at Getaway Rock Festival 2011

I was curious to see Amorphis at GRF. I had heard a few songs of theirs that sounded pretty good.

Amorphis came on right after a downpour that soaked most of the crowd. I lucked out in that I was eating some Thai food in one of only a few places that provided shelter during the deluge. The rain stopped after just a few minutes, and I headed over to the Bandit Rock Stage.

Amorphis from Finland

Amorphis reminded me, a bit, of Nightwish–OK to listen to on occasion but ultimately a bit boring. I have nothing against metal bands going melodic and/or progressive, but they should vary things more often, with at least some faster riffs, to keep it interesting.

Dream Theater is another band that comes to mind. There are only a couple of DT songs, after their first CD, that I can stand to listen to at this point. I’m hoping that Opeth isn’t going this same route. I’m worried that their new CD, Heritage, will not have enough heavy elements and be too mellow to keep me awake (or wanting to listen to it often).

I’m certainly not knocking all bands that evolve into something more progressive and melodic than their early days. Bands that have successfully mellowed over time, IMO, include: Enslaved, Katatonia, Anathema, Mastodon, Dark Tranquility, and Amon Amarth.

Posted on August 21st, 2011 under Other. Tags: amorphis, concert photography, getaway rock festival, metal, nikon d7000. Comments Off on Amorphis @ Getaway Rock Festival 2011

Copenhagen City Hall (Københavns Rådhus) interior

We’ll take a little break from the GRF today for a peak inside Copenhagen City Hall.

Posted on August 17th, 2011 under Denmark. Tags: copenhagen, Københavns Rådhus, living in copenhagen, nikon d7000. Comments Off on Copenhagen City Hall stairway

Alice Cooper

When I first saw Alice Cooper live, back in 1987, I wasn’t very familiar with his music. Sure I had heard “I’m Eighteen” and “School’s Out” on the radio growing up, but I didn’t own any of his albums. It was beginning in 1987 that I really got into his early material. I even ended up enjoying his early 80s material (which most people don’t) like “Special Forces,” “Dada,” and “Zipper Catches Skin” (although I haven’t heard them in ages now as they only recently came out on CD). However, nothing he has recorded after 1983 has been the least bit interesting to me.

I barely stomached “Brutal Planet,” “Hey Stoopid,” and “I’ll Bite Your Face Off” at GRF, but after “Cold Ethyl” I sensed a run on annoying songs would be coming so I went to a different stage to watch Marduk instead. I, therefore, missed a bunch of (stupid IMO) songs before coming back out (as the building Marduk was playing in was far too hot to stay for their whole set) for “I Love the Dead,” “School’s Out,” and “Elected.” Maybe I’m the only one who would prefer “Steven,” “Ballad Of Dwight Fry,” and “Black Juju” over “Feed My Frankenstein,” “Poison,” and “Hey Stoopid,” but that’s just my taste.

Damon Johnson plays guitar for Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper - Getaway Rock Festival 2011

Posted on August 14th, 2011 under Other. Tags: alice cooper, getaway rock festival, nikon 50mm f/1.8, nikon d7000. Comments: 1

Christiania sign

My prior posts on Christiania are some of the most frequently visited on the blog. I’m not sure why. In any event, it took me a while to revisit Christiania. I didn’t end up going until my last week in Copenhagen, three years after my first encounter with the place.

Christiania graffiti

The guidebooks all say go visit Christiania, but nearly everyone that does check out Christiania (as a tourist not looking for pot) is disappointed. The place is pretty ugly and a bit scary when you enter through the main entrance. However, if you keep going there are some interesting and even beautiful things to see.

Christiania flower garden

I’ll cover the new marijuana scene (which is very different than three years ago) in a future entry.

Posted on August 7th, 2011 under Denmark. Tags: christiania, christianshavn, copenhagen, Nikon 18-200mm VR II, nikon d7000, signs. Comments Off on Christiania update

F.C. København scores a goal against Odense

My second trip to an FCK soccer game was even better than the first. This time we sat in a more serious and crowded part of the stadium.

The weather was really poor, but it wasn’t wet, windy, or cold once we got inside Parken in Copenhagen. It was wet, windy, and cold on the outside of the stadium, and it took us nearly an hour to get in with all of the security. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such a full pat-down before.

When we went to purchase tickets, we were asked if we wanted to sit with the regulars or the “crazy people.” Of course, we went for the crazy people. So when the match began and our section sat there drinking their beers and smoking their pot it seemed like the section of regulars were far more crazy. We commented to each other on this and the guy in front of us must have heard. After the first half, he stood up and told us that the second half would be a whole different story. He then left, never to return.

Posted on August 4th, 2011 under Denmark. Tags: copenhagen, F.C. København, Nikon 18-200mm VR II, nikon d7000, video. Comments Off on F.C. København