SunriseAve ITALY

Switzerland _ from Sunrise Avenue Diary

I feel like shit today! It must the hay fever because the nature is waking up again after the long winter and my nose is super stuck. I felt pretty bad already yesterday but now my system is totally jammed. Yesterday I was quite sure I was getting really sick but singing during the show didn’t feel that bad, so it must be the seed stuff flying in the air. And maybe I got a little cold too a few days ago too but I will survive ;) It’s just that singing with a bad throat and nose is pretty annoying. But I will make it work with something…

We are already in Zurich and that means we are over half way. And I can’t repeat myself too much saying how nice it has been. One of the greatest things has been the amount of new faces we have seen every evening in the audience. Do not get me wrong, I really appreciate you trusted ones who come to our shows month after month and year after year. But now there have been some folks who have told us that it’s the first SA show for them and they only came because of the acoustic setup. I think we should (and will) do these shows in the future too in between the bigger stage stuff no matter what happens.

Jukka has been behind the keys from Frankfurt (3 shows now) and now it’s really starting to work! Yesterday it felt already super great in Solothurn (partly because of the great audience!) and is seems as if we’re getting the connection on stage right. It’s always a bit strange for a couple of shows when you change one guy on stage. Especially with these acoustic shows, because now you can hear every little thing we do and we can’t hide behind a stage production – there is none. It’s just us and the instruments. Me like ;) Even with the “rock” setup I remember how strange it felt taking new blood on stage even if the new player is as good as Riku or Osmo after getting used to someone else.

Of course the set is a bit easier for Jukka to learn than for anyone else because he has been in such a big role in making Sunrise Avenue music, but still… I really like Jukka’s “Jazz” vocals on one of the songs. Come experience it ;)

We have recorded every show on this tour and it’s so cool to have some night snack in the bus in the night and listen to the day’s show with the guys. And to check what was good and what we need to do better. We also recorded the tour in 2009 but I never wanted to listen to the shows because you get so much more exhausted on the bigger stage thing. I might make a collection of my “Top 10 stage speeches.” Jesus Christ, me and my mouth sometimes…;)

I love the spring weather!!!!! After a long WINTER in the Freezer called Helsinki, it’s just amazing to walk to the tour bus from the venue wearing only a T-shirt. Human is not meant to live in minus degrees. I thought about it in Spain back in the days. Spain is pretty much the same size as Finland, but for a reason or another their population is 8 times bigger. This must mean our system is built to operate better in warmer conditions. There are just some things that work better when toys & body parts are not frozen. And it goes with everything. The coffee in the morning feels so much nicer with a little sunshine and warm wind….

So today we are close to Zurich city in Winterthurn, tomorrow in my favorite Swiss city Lucerne and then back to Germany in Stuttgart. I am trying to rest well and stay healthy by skipping anything extra and kettle bell trainings etc. Then we have a day off and I will only sleep…

I’m off to sound check again. Show must go on! ;)

Samu