SPARKS

Missy

Just got home from the gig and OMG-it was amazing!!! A light midsummer night in Helsinki! A beautiful, splendid Sparks-show full of love, life and enjoyment by every performeron the stage! I'm almost in tears when I'm writing this.I still can't believe they really were here,playing to us after 34 years! I was afraid that there would be only me and about 90 other people, but the whole place was crowded with fans, which created un intimate and hot atmoshere. I also feared that the Sparks show wouldn't work in a place like Tavastia Club, but in vain-from the first moment when Ron came to sing the Sparks Song, I knew that they were going to blow up the whole Tavastia Club into atoms with their show! Next to me there was an elder couple who obviously had been at the gig in 1974 and they were going down the memory lane....I loved them!
They played all the songs that I had wished for! Somebody who remembers the setlist can post it here, I was in such an exstatic state that for me ever song was the No 1 song in heaven!!!!

to be continued tomorrow...
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Missy · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 1:52 am Post subject:

So they played Here In Heaven, Propaganda, TTABEFBOU, Get In The Swing, No 1 song, a rhythm version of NTYBOME(EEK, it was cool!) At Home At Work At Play, Do- Re-Mi, SFTGWE, When Do I Get To Sing My Way, Goofing Off, Dick Around and from the new album: Good Morning, Strange Animal, ICBTYWFFATCITS, I've Never Been High, Lighten Up Morrissey an as the encore Amateur Hour and Suburban Homeboy and it all was legendary!
Even before the gig there was an extraordinary atmosphere at the venue: these people have come here to listen to Sparks and not to goof off like they so sadly often do in our country. Russell's voice was in perfect condition and his Finnish language was wonderful!!! He said in Finnish that he loves Finland, the reindeers, salmiakki (a local candy)) and the Moomins!!! LOL! And Ron was as fabulous as always: he wore a super cool T-shirt in the encore: :picture of an elk and the text: Finnish Playboy! LOLLOL! And the whole band was super professional! It's so nice to see people who enjoy being on the stage!
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Missy · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 2:24 am Post subject:

I don't know how to write write long posts so I´ll have to write many of them...
I also met some wonderful fans: Alex, phonon and the gang from Russia, they kindly let me into the front row! Mr. Normal and also my old gig pal Eric from Scotland and Kimmo My House who secretly reads this site but is afraid of writing here: come on Kimmo, take your dictionary and come out of the closet!! We all make mistakes in grammar!
The whole gig was like a big family meeting: everybody knew that the others like Sparks and that made us all open and safe, you could chat with everyone. That was beautiful!
My husband is now a big fan too, he thinks that ECOTD is their best album and he is listening to it every day! And my friend: I've tortured her by playing her 6 hours of Sparks in one night in our Sparks soirée and the result is here: she wants to marry Russell!
Many thanks to the young, lovely lady(you must be Emmi..?) who arranged the autograph of Russell (Ron was taking a shower

)for me and my daughter!!!
What a night it was, n'est-ce pas? EEEEEEKKK!
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Live fast and die young
Live fast and die young
Live fast and die young
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Eric Murray · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 2:34 am Post subject:

Yes Anna it was a great night.

If I can read my scribbles the set list was

It a Sparks show
Up here in Heaven
Something for the Girl
Goofing Off
No 1 Song
Mother Eath
DoReMi
Get in the swing
Ron tap dance
Propaganda
HomeWork Play
Good Morning
Ron speaks prior to
Strange Animal
All the Crap in this song
Never been high
Morissey
Dickaround
This town
My Way
Amateur hour
- introduce the band -
Homeboy

Someone correct me if wrong

Maria · Newbie Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Posts: 2 Location: FIN

AH!!!

powpowpow · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:28 am Post subject:

wow that sounds fun.. i love that setlist
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Alex Konstantinov · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:18 am Post subject:

MrNormall · Groupie Joined: 25 Aug 2006 Posts: 242 Location: Finland

Excellent gig!!! Wonderful night!!

I'll try to get pictures on-line this week.
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Marko Laurent · Newbie Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Finland

This is my first post here. And this was my first Sparks gig. A dream come true. I was in front row and had a nice chat with Mr Normall and his girlfriend. After the gig I got autographs to my Exotic creatures cd cover. Perfect night!! I have a little video of Do re mi from the gig and I will post it later.
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If we can't enjoy it... then neither will you!!

cygnenoir · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 2:04 pm Post subject:

Oooh, thanks for the reports you lucky people!

hanelma82 · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 2:20 pm Post subject:

It truly was awesome.

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heipä hei

Missy · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 2:39 pm Post subject:

I will also post some pics later, but most of them are really bad and blurry: it's really hard to dance, sing, scream, laugh, cry and take pictures at the same time, with hands that shake of emotion and joy....
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Live fast and die young
Live fast and die young
Live fast and die young
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Marko Laurent · Newbie Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Finland

Here is the link to the video I recorded. Bad quality and it's not a full song, but I hope you like it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao_au3ig2tc
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If we can't enjoy it... then neither will you!!

phonon · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 3:07 am Post subject:

I'm in St.Petersburg now, still on my way home to Novosibirsk

Still dizzy from joy and excitement and lack of sleep!

Wat a fabulous night!

Dear Missy and Mr. Normal! It was sooooo nice to meet you in person!

I'm sure there was more fellow fans from this forum around, but maybe our big and noisy Russian crowd scared them from approaching :)

Since I missed the 13th night webcast (ws already on the road), the ECOTD part of the show has blown my mind completely!

Watching "... Crap.." live from a really close distance...

must have given me a permanent brain damage!
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Sparks fan since 1974

hanelma82 · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:32 am Post subject:

^ I was too shy to come and talk with you all. And Marko thanks for the vid!
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heipä hei

Alex Konstantinov · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 7:39 am Post subject:

Please, enjoy photos and videos of Helsinki gig on my website at:

http://sparks-alex.narod.ru/SparksHesi.htm
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ALEX

Deano · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 8:27 am Post subject:

Great work Alex nice photos.Especially like your Lighten up Morrissey T-Shirt.

Frisbee slinger · Newbie Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1 Location: Finland

The gig in Tavastia was the fulfillment of my dreams. I have been a fan from 1974. The first record I bought with my own money was Propaganda. Back then I was too young to take part in the first Sparks gig and since then I have been waiting to see them. I once were in Hamburg when they were touring in Germany in 1995 but I missed that gig. When they were in Stockholm I already had a hotel booked when I got ill and cound not travel. I already had lost my hope when suddenly this opportunity came up. And what a gig it was!

This goes to the top of my list of live performances I have ever seen.

I didn't expect to see a show so intense and a full band playing with such a precision. I was too afraid that I would be only with a few excentrics but the house was full! I too were near tears when I saw all the positive energy the Sparks got from the audience. They were truly loved.

I am so excited about the concert and I hope someone would post more pictures from the show. I left my camera to my car as I expected that they would not allow photographing during the show. What a dumb ass I was. Thanks for the videos and pics for Alex.

DeeDee · Posted: Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:06 pm Post subject:

Frank Lee Scarlett · Newbie Joined: 23 Apr 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Finland

What a great gig it was! I couldn't have dreamt back in the early '90's as a lone young Sparks fan with no knowledge of the band even existing anymore that I'd be singing along to Sparks tunes a coupla meters away from Russell one day. And they played just the songs I wanted to hear! Of course, the show could've been twice as long...

It was fun to see the diversity of Finnish Sparks fans - from white-bearded fogies to hipster girls in their early 20's, to guys who look like Metallica fans to famous writers and TV personas...