Wish you Were There: In Flames, The Trocadero, 2009 Review

I wish you were there.

After watching The Faceless open the show, followed by a tongue-in-cheek performance by 3 Inches of Blood, the crowd went absolutely crazy for Between the Buried in Me. While a select few in the crowd forced and swooned the crowd, creating massive shoving matches for most of the 45-minute set, I was enjoyed the music but saved my energy. The main reason I was here was the headliners, the Kings of Gothenberg Metal, the band that helped save metal.

In Flames arrived.

This review is not going to be about the actual music. No, this was the type of show where you knew the music was going to be great, the band perfect, and the mood incredible. But there was something extra about this show that is hard to put into words and was, in the end, something you needed to be there for to fully understand.

Halfway through the song "Pinball Map", the first song of their 2002 disc Clayman, the power cut out on the stage. The lights were still on, but the mics and instruments went dead. The reaction weren't boos, but applause that they did try to go on for at least 30 seconds. They were strong through-and-through, taking the event in stride. They chuckled and laughed and enjoyed the moment, even joking about doing the rest of the show as an acoustic set, which we all applauded at the idea of. The crowd held well and we were all in good spirits, cheering the guitarist on to chug a beer and failing to get the drummer to kill the time with a drum solo.

The band picked up right where they left off! Incredible showmanship, and the band enjoying every last second of it! It was then between songs that Anders, lead singer of In Flames, asked someone about them filming the show. "What is that? Is that a camera? Are you filming us?" A nervous chuckle came over the crowd, wondering if everyone else filming were about to get busted.

"What, do you like filming sweaty white guys?"

The crowd cheered.

Unkown to most of the crowd, someone said, "YES!" "Wait, " Anders said, "You have a camera and this lady over here doesn't? That doesn't seem right. Give her your camera." You could hear the fan dumbfounded in his silence. "Come on, man, give her your camera.", he insisted in a very polite and calm manner. He handed the lady his camera. "Hey, you like taking photos? How about you come up here and get a better shot?" And, true to his word, she helped the young lady on stage to film.

The stage. At the Trocadero. To a nearly full-house. This is what she saw:



The rest of the night showed In Flames doing what they do best: Doing what they want, when they want, and HOW they want. In the over 15 years they've recorded music, they've gone through death metal to thrash to nu-metal and back, and borrowing from American culture all the while. While blogs focused on some mediocre indie band, metal fans and even non-metal fans came out to see one of the greatest names in music perform to a nearly sold out crowd on a Sunday night in October.

We all went back to our homes, knowing full well that work and school were less than 7 hours away. I think it is safe to say we will not forget what we saw this night, and the moments that made this a show to remember.


Want to learn about the greatness that is In Flames? Here are some videos: