[Review] Billy Talent @ Helsinki, Finland

[TomiT14]

Billy Talent @ Helsinki, Finland on February 8th 2010.

I had heard couple of singles of them before, and I liked them, so bought the tickets. Since I wasn't a superfan, and the fact that I was a bit of a latecomer when it came to buying the tickets, I got the seat at the back of the venue.

Some complaints:
First of, the seats suck. Don't ever buy tickets to seats when going to a concert. Ever.
Secondly, by the experience I had in the two previous concerts I went to (Green Day, Sums), I took my camera with me, since I wanted some memories to bring home with me. The cameras weren't forbidden to be brought with. Still, when I started to take some pics, a security guy came to me saying if I continued snapping photos, I would be thrown out of the venue. The security guys watched me and the others at the seats during the whole show. And the fact that those in the field got to snap pictures and videos as much as they wanted, I was kinda pissed during the whole show.


But the show itself, it was quite good. 16 songs full of energy. Too bad I hadn't listened to them much before, so I didn't recognize some of the songs.
But their peformance can't be compared to Green Day or Sum 41. Well, Green Day is in its own league, but BT just played the songs, with short speeches inbetween, and some crowd-singing parts here and there. But unlike Sums and GD, no pulling crowd to the stage, no extended bridges in songs or anything cool.
Plus, Finnish crowd is maybe the worst, so a lot of the crowd-singing parts went silent because Finns didn't get the idea.

So sum it up, a decent show with a decent effort by the band.

Setlist:

1. Devil In A Midnight Mass
2. This Suffering
3. Line & Sinker
4. Rusted From The Rain
5. Saint Veronika
6. Surrender
7. This Is How It Goes
8. The Dead Can't Testify
9. White Sparrows
10. Diamond On A Landmine
11. Turn Your Back
12. The Ex
13. Try Honesty
--Encore--
14. Devil On My Shoulder
15. Fallen Leaves
16. Red Flag

[samueeL]

I totally forgot this show. Damn. So Tomi, gonna buy tickets for Green Day show @ Helsinki?

Concert reviews are always fun to read. Should have have section for them?

[TomiT14]

I totally forgot this show. Damn. So Tomi, gonna buy tickets for Green Day show @ Helsinki?

Concert reviews are always fun to read. Should have have section for them?

Yeah, I'm with you with this new tour section idea.

And about the GD tickets, I'll tell you a story.

When I saw this at the GD's official site, I knew it's time to act.



The show I went to in Belgium in October was a blast. Greatest show ever. So I had to get the tickets for this one too, no option. So when I saw that there's a presale on, I lurked around and found this at GreenDayWorld.net:

"Idiot Club members will have first access to presale tickets for the show at Helsinki Kylasaari beginning TOMORROW Thursday, February 4 at 10am EST / 5pm EET, running until 5pm EST / 12am EET on Friday, Feburary 5 via an Idiot Club exclusive code."

Checked the clock. Feb. 5th, 11:17 pm. So as crazy as I am, signed up for the Idiot Club (paid the $20 for a year). At the Idiot Club site, I found this:

"You will be receiving a coupon code via email TODAY with further instructions on how to access this onsale--- if you do not receive an email from IC regarding this presale by 9:30am EST / 4:30pm EET tomorrow (2/4), please call 212-420-1700. Using this code you may purchase up to six (6) tickets."

So no email for me, of course, since I just signed up. So I had to make the call to their office in NYC.
Through a weak connection, I managed to get the coupon code, and bought the tickets. When I finished the order, checked the time. 11:57 pm.

So, with all this crazy effort, I made sure I got the tickets for the show.

[Bobbyjames]

I've never had seating tickets for a gig. there are some bands/artists I wouldn't mind sitting, but any kind of music like BT would be weird at first!

I've seen BT a couple of times, they're not a bad live band, but nothing special. would happily see them again. I hope you will pick all their albums and give them a good listen now, they're an awesome band!

[TomiT14]

I've never had seating tickets for a gig. there are some bands/artists I wouldn't mind sitting, but any kind of music like BT would be weird at first!

I've seen BT a couple of times, they're not a bad live band, but nothing special. would happily see them again. I hope you will pick all their albums and give them a good listen now, they're an awesome band!

Yeah, I have listened to their albums almost non-stop now. And there are few really good that I hadn't heard of before.
Which is why I feel bad for not doing it before. The show would've been much better if I knew the songs beforehand.

[Bobbyjames]

hopefully you'll get to see them again then, so you can sing along! and get standing tickets!

[TomiT14]

hopefully you'll get to see them again then, so you can sing along! and get standing tickets!

Yeah, sitting sucked badly! No one should experience that!

Also, it was fun to see that they still got that rocking sound, even though they only have one guitarist.
And a singer without an instrument. He gets the chance to express himself fully, but sometimes during the solos, he just hid himself somewhere behind. Guess it's hard to find fitting dance moves for a guitar solo.

[samueeL]

So, with all this crazy effort, I made sure I got the tickets for the show.

Wow, haha! I really hope I'll get the tickets in the morning. Though the websites are probably reallyyy stuck.

[TomiT14]

So, with all this crazy effort, I made sure I got the tickets for the show.

Wow, haha! I really hope I'll get the tickets in the morning. Though the websites are probably reallyyy stuck.

Yeah I bet. You probably should try by phone too.
Or wake up really early to start queuing at the end of the line.

[Dylan]

Sitting really isn't all that bad for me if they are close to the stage. I had seat tickets for 3DG but in the second song Adam got everyone to stand up. Our tickets were row one, so it was just like being on the floor. Lol.

[Hentaiman]

Sitting at a Billy Talent concert must suck. From what I've seen from their Rock Am Ring performances in 2007 and 2009 and just live videos of them, they seem like an awesome live band, lots of energies and stuff, Ben is crazy onstage!

Anyway, listen to more BT songs, they are really awesome! I think BT are the band I want to see the most live right now! Them and Sum 41.