SONATA ARCTICA Keyboardist Reports From Europe

SONATA ARCTICA keyboardist Henrik Klingenberg has posted this latest road report:

"Hehe, fuck I'm stupid. Just realized that I've been writing notes but not posting them. Naturally you don't have access to my computer so...

Anyways we're in Spain, having an off-day by the sea. I'm sitting in the lobby with a giant GT in front of me and life is great. The tour has been going pretty well, some of the shows have been sold out etc. Our support bands (chosen by us this time) are really great dudes and they've been doing a great job as well, check 'em out (VANISHING POINT and PAGAN'S MIND). Below is the entry I wrote about Japan and almost managed to delete before posting it.

Goodbye Japan hello Europe! Uuhh, yeah, we went to Tokyo a few days ago to play Loud Park festival along with the likes of MESHUGGAH, DOWN and SLIPKNOT and a hundred or so others. Pretty interesting trip (interesting means tiresome). We traveled for around 60 hours and were in Japan for less than 48 on top of that. So, four days on the road just for a 50min set. Be that as it may, the show was fun as hell and the arena was packed. Getting there was boring as usual... flights, airports and drinks. Upon arrival some of us just threw the bags to the hotel and off we went...to Roppongi and about 30 different nightclubs and bars.

Side note: there's something seriously wrong with the new Lexington Queen. It's not as wild as before... or maybe we're not that wild anymore, who knows?

The showday schedule was all about interviews, signing sessions, photo sessions, videos... you get the picture. Luckily we got the time to watch some of the bands before the party-mode got too carried away. Got to know some of the guys in other bands (no, no name-dropping here) and we even had a few drinks at the hotel. Which reminds me: if I order a double-Baileys on the rocks and a vodka-cran, would you put it in the same glass? That fuckin' ass for a waiter we had did it and it tasted like a stripper's foot after a whole day of dancing... and yeah I know, and it's not good... just take my word for it.

Ok, so I'm now on the plane towards Copenhagen and our European tour starts tomorrow in Sweden so stay tuned for updates. The first two shows are sold out, (thanks guys) so I'm sure this tour will be a blast. Bye for now, drinking time."

Here are the remaining dates on the band's European tour w/ PAGAN'S MIND and VANISHING POINT:

* SONATA ARCTICA only

Nov. 9 - Bilbao, Spain - Rock Star Live
Nov. 10 - Toulouse, France - Bikini
Nov. 12 - Piacenza, Italy - Fillmore
Nov. 13 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
Nov. 14 - Budapest, Hungary - Petofi Hall
Nov. 15 - Maribor, Slovenia - Stuck
Nov. 16 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
Nov. 18 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
Nov. 19 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
Nov. 21 - Rijssen, Netherlands - Lucky & Co.
Nov. 22 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
Nov. 28 - Moscow, Russia - CDK MAI *
Nov. 29 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Club Port *