Original Post Date: Mar 31, 2010
Opeth - 20 year anniversary, Stockholm 30/3 - 2010

You should have been there.

No really, that's simply put the easiest way to sum up this show. 3000 people (sold out) stayed after the first song wanting more, clapping their hands for well over 10 minutes... that describes the whole thing much better than any words.

In case you don't know Opeth are celebrating 20 years as a band with 6 exclusive shows where they play Blackwwater Park in it entirety. Now, Opeth is one of those bands where I always listen to full albums at a time... people ask me "what are your favourite songs?" I don't know, I don't remember the song titles in most cases... I just know which album it is. And even then I feel I get more if I listen to the entire album anyway. This is why it was really amazing to get to see the entire Blackwater Park live. This is how I listen to Opeth, this is how I want to experience Opeth! The hair on my entire body was standing up during the whole set. I was not the only one either. I think pretty much everyone at the arena was in trance.

Mikael didn't waste time on speaking between the songs for this set, his entire communication with the crowd was waving two times. I really think he made the right move here, nothing to interrupt they just let their instruments speak for them. And with such good musicians, with such music... lovely.

The Leper Affinity
Bleak
Harvest
The Drapery Falls
Dirge for November
The Funeral Portrait
Patterns in the Ivy
Blackwater Park

You didn't think that was it did you? No, after these 70 hours there was a 10 minute break before another 100 hours of perfection! Yes they played 2 hours and 50 minutes in total! And still people wanted more like I wrote earlier.

This second set was "Opeth evolution", one song from every album in chronological order.

Forest of October
Advent
April Ethereal
The Moor
Wreath
Hope Leaves
Harlequin Forest
The Lotus Eater

Yes, you saw it. The Moor! Wreath was also awesome, and really nice with Harlequin Forest once again... But of course getting to hear something from Orchid was awesome! You may notice that they didn't repeat any song from Blackwater Park... but instead we got a impression of how Mikael looked like in the Blackwater Park booklet... :P
When I saw this "Opeth evolution"-thing and they started with a song of Orchid I immediately thought "Blackrose Immortal"... Mikael obviously knew that as the first thing he said after announcing they where going to play a song of Morningrise was "No, not Blackrose Immortal". Oh well. :P

Yeah, he started talking during this set, more like a normal Opeth-gig. And like anyone who has seen them knows he has great connection with the crowd. He always answers if he hear someone scream something and is just generally being funny. Despite being nervous apparently. Just like it should be.

Mikael did complain about them fucking up too much here and there... but I seriously don't think anyone cared (if they even heard it). If you nail a song 99.9% it's just as close to perfection, as close to Opeth you get! But in Mikaels eyes it's a "slaughter of the song"... :P
Speaking of perfection I must mention Axe on the drums. He is a damn machine. I am pretty sure he didn't miss a single beat during these almost 3 hours... Insane!
I also want to mention Per... as keyboard players tend to be really boring to watch live. This is not the case with Per however, and I've said it before. Much kudos to him for adding to the show rather than just "doing his part".
The entire band was great musically of course. It's Opeth. Which is really nice, as you can really see that the "new" members has found their places by now. There is no doubt about them being in the band anymore. Sure, it would've been fun with a guest appearance from the old members at a gig like this, but there really is no need and no disappointment when there is none.

Also good work by the sound technician who had to jump in the very last day since the original one was in a car crash the day before...! The sound was really great thou, there was just a couple if times (that I could count on my left hand) when the  levels where a bit off... when the growls where drenched in everything else. But I only really noticed since everything else was so damn perfect.

It's funny how I manage to write so much about this gig despite feeling after the gig that "there are no words to describe this".
You should have been there.