Lucifer w/ Musta Risti - Live Report
It took a while to get to writing this report as sometimes life happens, but the spell that this this concert evening cast is still glowing vividly in my mind. Bar Loose in central Helsinki was not completely full yet on this Saturday evening, the new year only 26 days young. But one could tell the venue would be packed, as was to be expected for this sold out show.
Musta Risti (Photo by Marco Manzi)
The air heavy with anticipation, Musta Risti started filling the room with music. It was not difficult to get this crowd into a good mood but the band's visible enjoyment caught on and the evening quickly went from zero to 100. The proper rock club vibe of Bar Loose played its part in creating just the right atmosphere and with the groove of Musta Risti, this all fused together into the perfect conditions for a great night.
Musta Risti (Photo by Marco Manzi)
The music wasn’t just groove, it packed a nice punch too. Power and atmosphere were accompanied by guitar melodies that wove melancholy and longing into the songs, only to turn another corner that revealed almost Black Sabbath or Motörhead inspired vibes. Just the warm-up needed for the evening’s main attraction: Lucifer!
Musta Risti (Photo by Marco Manzi)
By now, Bar Loose was packed and along with the intro enchanting the whole audience goosebumps were electrifying my skin. I could make this text very short, as one word would suffice to describe what Lucifer created that evening: Magic.
Lucifer (Photo by Marco Manzi)
But that might be just a little bit too lazy so let me put another few sentences down to paint a slightly more detailed picture of this experience. And an experience it was, not just a concert. When Johanna Sadonis’s voice went low but vibrant it seemed to be connected to earth mother only to become an alluring sirens song before turning to the fearless call of the warrior woman, painting a whole universe into the night with her voice.
Lucifer (Photo by Marco Manzi)
Her gold spun hair glittering in the lights, eyeliner framed eyes piercing through the air - clearly the high priestess of the night. The crowd was instantly smitten with the whole band and moved along the same rhythm as the fringe on bassist Alexander Mayr’s shirt. There were no disappointments in this set - from Faux Pharaoh, to my all time favorite Morning Star and Dreamer almost moving me to tears, and some newer tunes with California Son.
The intense atmosphere changed to a more party like vibe when Alexander and drummer Nicke Andersson switched places to perform ZZ Top original Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers while Johanna broke out the wine bottle. The mood was truly cheerful and it felt like recharging one's batteries to the fullest after the long, dark winter.
Lucifer (Photo by Marco Manzi)
The combination of faster paced, more upbeat, powerful songs and those of deliciously swaying, beautiful, melancholic vulnerability that put the records into constant high rotation translated into an even stronger performance live and all I could think of was “Be still my beating heart!”. I hadn’t been this enchanted by a concert and band in a long time. It was one of those gigs that make you fall in love with (live) music all over again, that make you feel alive and bursting with happiness that such beauty and magic can exist in this world.
Lucifer (Photo by Marco Manzi)
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