One thing I am sure of – I am not going to be troubled by kidney stones in the near future. It should also be noted that it is an affliction I have never suffered from. But in any case, I have just been fully vaccinated against such conditions. You see, I try to make it to the Kråkeslott Festival every year. So I did this year as well. I find it a bit too much to attend for three full days straight, so this year I chose Saturday. I am also the kind of person who is somewhat slow when it comes to preparations and planning, so it ended up being a bit of a last-minute ticket purchase. As a result, there is also a light aura of chance over the selected events. That is, Toini and the Tomcats was no coincidence. They were rather the reason I set off on the trip. But I had two more tickets – once you're going on a trip, you have to get the full value. And I knew very little about those performers. So, after running various errands in Finnsnes, I headed out toward Senja and just about made it to the first concert. I sneaked in half-dark wearing glasses that were still dark from the daylight outside. It was just a matter of feeling my way and finding a chair to sit on where no one was seated yet. If I'm going to sit on someone's lap, I want to know whose it is! Among other simple reasons, it must be a lap that can handle the weight. That means it has to be reasonably solid. However, I found an empty seat so that, without touching anyone, I could focus on the beautiful sounds coming from the stage. There stood a young girl and a similarly young man, the latter with a guitar, the former just herself. And, folks, here we have a future new star on the jazz horizon. It was indeed Tiril Lill Jackson who stood there and sang. With a voice that has the potential to belong among the greats, it was definitely the one thing that alone was worth the trip.
But all too soon she was done with her repertoire and disappears to the left (actually to the right, but now in drama, you disappear to the left...). In come a group of young boys. One is wearing a hat, and he sits down at the drums. Then there is one with a bass guitar and two more. One takes the microphone and tells us what we are going to hear. But it seems as if the drummer was raised on impatience along with mother's milk, because he immediately starts pounding on whatever can be pounded and produces sound. And here we are not talking about gentle touches on the drum skin through a towel on the snare drum to make it less sharp. Oh no, here it is full throttle and full edge from the very first moment. And that goes for bass, guitars, and vocals as well. Speaking of vocals, it was a bit like opera. If you haven't read the libretto beforehand, it's challenging to follow the lyrics. I therefore quickly fell off the wagon regarding the message. But as Kim Larsen once said when he was asked what message he was trying to convey with his music: 'Message – that's something for the postal and telecom services.' Just as with opera, the music itself has its own value, independent of the vocals. I therefore sat and listened. Well, 'listened' may not be entirely accurate, because it certainly wasn't necessary to hold my hand behind my ear to hear better. The volume was sufficient, more than sufficient, and the music was performed with both engagement and virtuosity, and with enough power to crush both kidneys and gallstones. As for the drummer, whom one could not help but watch, the hat soon left the top, but the hi(h)hat remained. All in all, a rhythmic, engaging, and very loud session. It will probably never become my favorite genre, but very nice to listen to every now and then, especially when served live by such an inspired group as 10th harmonic.
The next concert I had tickets for was with Faun Fables all the way from California. Now, I actually thought that the fauns preferred to thrive in Mediterranean climates and were otherwise almost extinct. Apparently, that's not the case, and there was considerable emigration from Italy to America, so one or two fauns could very well have come along. California is also both warm and sunny, so it could be a good place for fauns. The music was also a bit special; I heard a mix of elements from Latin, American, and Nordic traditions – and something somewhat indefinably atavistic. And then they had a very charming ending with two little trolls who came in and contributed strong, but not entirely in-tune voices. But the potential is there, so…
Finally, it was the cherry on the cake. Toini and the TomcatsGlittering professionalism and musicality. I was seated in the orchestra section, second row from the front, with a full view, both acoustically and visually. One could say that the acoustics were perhaps a bit excessive, but still, that's just a minor detail. It was a wonderful experience, in addition to hearing the music, also to see how the bassist hammered away on the poor bass. It almost made you feel some sympathy for the poor, innocent instrument. Not that the drummer was any gentler. He kept hitting away. They made fantastic music. When it was over, I felt a slight envy towards those who had tickets to the party afterward. But I didn't, so it was just a matter of heading home. And to be sure, I did not regret any of what I had experienced, but I regretted a little some of what I did not get to experience.

So - until next year...
Should there be anyone who feels called to enrich this little story with illustrations, it will of course be received with thanks – but just thanks, nothing else. Send illustration

PS.
In my ecstatic excitement over the music, I completely forget the very core of it all. The ones who keep the engine running and make the whole thing possible. Namely, those who work tirelessly and organize it all. I don't know, but I assume there are tons of volunteer efforts behind it. And that there are some passionate individuals behind it. I don't know who they are; they obviously don't care much for highlighting themselves. They deserve a big thank you, honor, and acclaim!