Sabaton: the P&J's First Rock Concert: The Big Night

So, after much huffing and puffing as to whether the OH was going to give us a lift into Bristol or not (resolved when he found a football match on at Brislington), we arrived to join the queue outside the O2 Academy. It was a long queue, and it was evident from the accents and conversations, that rock fans were prepared to travel quite a distance to see their band.
Inside, and the P&J hurried off to find himself some Sabaton paraphernalia, and I to the bar to secure some drinks (colas, folks; I'm in charge of a 16 year old, remember). With the P&J stood in a queue, waiting to purchase a new T-shirt, we missed the start of the opening act, which was a Swedish band carrying the

name of Bloodbound. Which was a shame (missing
the beginning, not their name), because they were quite good. They reminded me a bit of Judas Priest- melodic, with a bit of crunch. Given I knew none of their work, I enjoyed everything I heard. A definite one to look into when I got back home. The P&J stood next to me, nodding his head to the music, a broad grin on his face, evidently enjoying his first live band, even if they were hampered in their rock star poses by the extremely cramped stage, on which they were only able to move sideways.
10 minutes after their set had finished and Bloodbound's equipment removed (a lot of it by the band themselves; oh, to be a headliner), the tarp was removed from the 9 foot inflatable duck, and the co-headliners, Alestorm were on- also hampered by the lack of on-stage room, but quite happy to clamber over whatever that bloody great thing in the middle was.

Yes, Alestorm. I can see their appeal, especially after a few drinks. Energetic and obviously with a lot of fans in tonight, they made you want to dance- if there had been any room to dance. But, at the obvious risk of upsetting Alestorm fans, I found them a bit samey after a while; their set was at the same tempo

throughout, and to my ears it all blurred into one. I have to admit, I'm not familiar with more than a few songs of theirs, so they may have a more interesting catalogue of songs than their set belied. If so, maybe they should consider inserting the odd song that doesn't conform to the metal sea-shanty formula, to maintain the interest of those who are not die-hard Alestorm fans. At the moment, just for me, I feel one Alestorm album is all you'll need.
And then on to the other co-headliners, the ones we (well, my son, really) had come to see. Sabaton.
 I'll be honest, I don't know much about the band, despite them being the P&J's fav' raves. I condescend to listen to them when the P&J puts them on the kitchen stereo. I can never remember whether they're a Swedish or Norwegian band. I have no idea who their lead singer is, let alone any other band members. I do remember this isn't the original line up. I like one or two of their songs, but I've never been moved to put them on my Walkman. I am here purely because, being a lovely mum, I bought tickets for my son's favourite band, for his birthday. You get the picture?

Well, folks, I have to tell you, they were bloody brilliant. I'll leave my review as that. After the apologies for the ruddy great tank on the stage (bought from Ikea, Mr Broden claimed, and had taken weeks to put together.), they got down to work, and guess what? I actually knew most of the songs. It just shows what you take in when you're not really listening. They were polished and professional in the dispatch of their set- and while I know, for some, the idea of the adjectives polished or professional being applied to a rock band of any sort is an anathema, when I've paid Good Money times two, and given up an evening to come and see someone, I expect them to make a bloody effort. If I want to see a shambles, I'll go watch Man Utd play.

I can't comment on the play list as, though I recognised many of the songs, I don't actually know what they're called. The P&J was singing his heart out and could barely talk (thank you, Lord!) by the time the concert ended. He "borrowed" £20 to get the tour t-shirt and can't wait to go to school (???) this morning to show his friends.
It was pouring down when we got out, but the OH was still in Bristol, so didn't take long to get to us, but the intervening wait gave the P&J and me the chance to have a chat about the night's events, which is always a nice thing to have the opportunity to do, especially when your children get to the age where they mostly grunt, or throw random and bizarre questions at you, expecting a measured answer. Home, a round of toast, a cup of coffee and 2 Anadins to mitigate the back/neck/shoulder/leg/feet pain, and to bed. I didn't wake up til 8:50 this morning- pain free, you'll be pleased to know.
My summary of the night's events? Would I go and see Bloodbound again? Possibly. However, I expect I'll pick up a couple of their albums when I've had the chance to listen to their back catalogue on YouTube. Would I go see Alestorm again? Probably not. Unless it was in a pub and I could sit down and read a book when I got bored with them. Album...? Nah. I might pick a couple of tracks from the P&J's cd to make the dinner to, but no more than that. As for Sabaton? Would I buy the albums? Why would I? The P&J's got them all. Will I put them on my Walkman now? Probably. Would I go and see them again? Definitely. Okay, son of mine- you've converted me...a bit.

Sabaton: the P&J's First Rock Concert:

So, on Tuesday I'm off to see Sabaton, a Swedish (I think) rock band, who enjoy, it would seem, singing songs about war. Hmm. Not quite what I mean. I don't mean they glorify it. They perform, in effect, a military history book set to heavy metal. I've seen many a post by erstwhile fans, claiming that they would have passed their history GCSEs if Sabaton had sung the curriculum.

They aren't my cup of tea, I have to confess, but I don't mind them. If my son insists we have dinner accompanied by Sabaton, I don't say no. They are, actually, quite listenable. But I wouldn't buy an album. Well, not for myself.
Why then, I hear you ask, are you going to spend four or five hours of your life (there are 3 bands playing, before you wonder. This is Sabaton, not Yes.) shredding what's left of your hearing and throwing your back out, standing for, potentially, 5 hours (no seats. Please, Mr Brodén, if you play Bristol again, try and get the Colston)? Because, as some of you will have already twigged, they are my son's favourite band, and my son is only 16. Old enough you say. Well, if he had someone else to go with, maybe, but he hasn't, so it's either me or Dad. He'd rather go with me. At least, I assume he would. His father's (who is, I hasten to add, providing the transport to and from, so he is making some effort) response to any new rock band is, it sounds a bit like Queen, and I did at least recognise the homage to Judas Priest on one of Sabaton's tracks. Kudos to me, eh? And I've got a couple of kosher Judas Priest shirts, so I can at least blend in as a mature rocker. I will not, however, be head banging (rheumatism in the neck) or playing air guitar ( ditto back and hands). And I might take a couple of bits of cotton wool with me, just in case it's too loud.
If I make it out alive, I'll report back on Wednesday. Possibly Thursday, if I'm still in shock. Does anyone know if they serve tea and coffee at the O2 Academy....?

Here's a review of the current tour so you can see what I'm in for.
And a link to some  Sabaton on youtube in case you're interested.
And some Barry Manilow, if you're not. See, I aim to please.