Report by Lena V.:

It was just hours since the last (mini-)concert, and already time for me to go to Driv. I arrived about 45 minutes after the doors opened, and it seemed the concert had already begun. As it turned out, an unannounced support band was playing – they were really great, and I decided on the spot that I will definitely see them again in the near future. Because there were going to be two support acts, the first band started as early as 21:30, just half an hour after the doors opened… They were called The Great Big Taters, and this was their second concert in Tromsø this year. Had it been up to me, they could have been both support acts, that’s how great they were live… *g* I had found myself a spot a couple of meters back from the stage, but when The Great Big Taters left the stage, there was suddenly a lot of space free in front, right in the middle… For some reason I don’t really understand, I felt myself drawn to the empty space… And I HAD actually planned to enjoy this concert from inside the crowd… :pJackie Moonshine, the second support band, was as I had foreseen better indoor in the evening than they were earlier in the day at the university campus. They seemed to really enjoy playing for such a big audience, and savoured the applause and cheering from the crowd. And when they were asked to do an encore, they literally shone with delight… But they had used up their stage time, and had to pack up their gear.

The atmosphere at Driv was amazing, just as it can get there sometimes. The place seemed to be packed, and possibly sold out – I don’t know. By now, Skambankt has managed to build quite a big fan base in Tromsø, and luckily it seemed that a lot of them had found out that they were having this concert – in spite of the lacking announcing…

And then, to great applause, Skambankt entered the stage! They opened with Vår Bør, and continued with Skambankt. Terje regretted that the concert earlier in the day had been so short, and he blamed it on the night before – when they had thrown a bachelor party for Børge! These news led to a loud cheer and ovation to congratulate him. Maybe Terje misunderstood this, when he said “sorry girls, Børge is taken”. But, as Tollak so kindly whispered in his ear, and he unwillingly told us afterwards… This was what the rest of the band thought of the wedding – “Me sa Nei” lol

Terje wondered how many had seen them the last time they were at Driv, and there were quite a few – and even a couple who had seen them play at Kaos… :p And were anyone seeing them for the first time? Yes, of course, and he welcomed them. (why did I suddenly feel like I was at a Kaizer concert…?) Next song up was Tyster, and even some of the newcomers knew some of the lyrics.

If he fell, if the monitor slid away as he set his foot up against it, or if he actually meant for it to happen I don’t know, but as Hans Panzer was about to play a solo he was suddenly lying on his back on the floor halfway between the stage edge and the audience. He was safely supported, and got through the solo in one piece – and when Terje asked him to try again at the next solo, it went a lot better…

In Me Sa Nei, we had to count up to 14 – while Terje handled all the counting in Alarm on his own. The band was happy to be back in Tromsø – in spite of the looong journey, it was definitely worth it! (I’ll take that as a given promise that they will be back pretty soon). And they concluded that they were going to have to throw bachelor parties for Børge more often, because it seemed to give them all – but especially him – some extra energy… They also wanted to wish everyone good luck with the new school year, and were glad that someone chose to study – not everyone can be musicians… That would have meant a lot of great parties, but not so much more than that… *g*

When Skambankt returned for the encores, Terje suddenly decided that if the band got to decide one song, the two young girls in light clothes at the front could decide the other – but only if they would come up on stage and dance with the band. The girls jumped at the opportunity, and we could clearly see why Terje had wanted them up on stage… Their Skambankt T-shirts were ripped, and showed more skin than they concealed… (pretty cool actually, I guess that all the men in the audience were happy to see them there *g*). They wanted to hear Eliksir, and sang along and danced – clearly enjoying the attention.Second encore, KKK, and Terje signaled for the girls to leave the stage. One of them took a dive, head first, and crowdsurfed for a bit – but then came back on stage. Her friend, who at first had done as she was told, hurried back up to join her friend again, and they stayed until the band had left the stage. I give them my respect – it takes a lot of guts to defy Terje’s fierce eyes… *g*

The setlist: Vår Bør, Skambankt, Me Sa Nei, Tyster, Dynasti, Alarm, Malin, Desertør, Tanker som Mareritt, O’ Dessverre and Stormkast #1. Encore: Eliksir and KKK

All in all a completely and utterly amazing concert! In spite of me ending up going alone, someone stealing my half-full bottle of beer that I had put on the edge of the stage just before Skambankt came on so that I didn’t have time to get a new one, and in spite of the fact that it’s practically impossible to get good pictures when everyone around you keeps jumping up and down – and in spite of a pounding headache, I had a truly fantastic evening. Thank you, and please come back soon! =:-)