It all goes back to December 12th 2009. It was the last day of my very first visit with my SO, and we were both sitting in the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, near the gate, waiting for boarding to start. He wasn't coming with me, though; it's just that back then you could still go through security even if you didn't have a ticket (that has changed now, obviously). I was terribly sad, crying my eyes out, and didn't want him to leave me there. I had just lived some of the best days of my life, and my heart was breaking at the thought of being apart from him. He was very sad too, though too busy consoling me. Eventually he had to leave to go to work, and I was left to cry alone.

And then, trying to get some distraction, I started looking at people around me, and I saw them. They looked younger than I was, early twenties probably. He had very long straight blonde hair, and she had reddish dark hair and was so pretty. They were sitting, talking, laughing and kissing. Going on a trip together, maybe to Paris, maybe somewhere else. They spoke English with each other, so they were a "mixed couple", like my SO and I. I assumed he was Finnish, given his colouring, but later my SO said he didn't look like a Finn; she did. I take his word for it because it's like a sixth sense, with those people. Though I kinda have that sixth sense when it comes to Algerians in Finland. I can always tell.

Anyway, we boarded the same plane to Paris, and at some point during the flight I saw him coming through the aisle to go to the bathroom, and he was wearing a band t-shirt, so I figured he was a metalhead. It didn't seem like an important detail, then. I was busy trying to stop crying because I was sure I looked ridiculous to the woman sitting next to me, though she seemed rather sympathetic.

Fast forward to April 2010, and my second trip to Finland. A little while after booking my tickets I found out that one of my favourite bands was going on a small tour there during my visit, and I was extatic about that. My SO was sweet enough to surprise me with tickets for the show in Turku AND for the one in Helsinki, so I'd be able to see them twice in the same week. The first show coincided with the day we visited his parents for the first time, and I felt a bit rude for showing up, having tea and conversation and then having to take off for a concert soon after, but they didn't seem to mind at all. I had a great time that night. It was the first time I'd attended a proper metal concert with bands that I actually liked. Also when I went to the bar to get a coke (I hadn't had alcohol before and wasn't about to start then) the bar tender said it was free because of the t-shirt I was wearing (A Manilla Road one <3). Everything is so expensive in Finland that a free coke was quite shocking to me!

So, the concert itself. There was the main band, Pagan Altar (a very old act from England, who has been around since the late 70's but only got some recognition around 2002 with the release of their second album) and the opener, Isolé from Sweden. It's not an unknown, underground band by any means, but you could tell people were mostly there to see Pagan Altar, who had more of a cult status. So during the opening set people were kinda just hanging around, not really paying that much mind to Isolé, except for a handful who were in the front row. And that's when I saw them again. The blonde guy and the dark-haired girl from the airport. I think it's safe to say they are Isolé's biggest fans in the world because they were headbanging like crazy during the whole thing, singing along to each song, knowing all the lyrics. It was pretty impressive.

Naturally I saw them again at the Helsinki show, a few days later. They didn't seem to care one bit for Pagan Altar, which was kinda funny. I told my SO about them, but he didn't seem to remember seeing them that first time (I imagine he had other things on his mind).

And that brings us to November 2012, on the day after our wedding. Our first outing as a married couple was to... go to a metal concert in Turku, because we don't know any better. This time it was to see another band from Sweden, Ereb Altor, who just so happened to be a side project from two guys from Isolé. And there was that couple again, three years after I saw them for the first time, still together, still living in Finland (I think) and still as much into Isolé/Ereb Altor/Swedish doom metal music as ever.

If I ever see them again (and I probably will!) I am so going to talk to them. I'll look like a total weirdo, but who cares.

Morals of this blog entry:

- You shouldn't say "Meh, it's not like I'll see those people ever again, anyway"
- Darling and I really need to find other things to do than going to concerts all the time.
- Sometimes one gets bored and wants to blog about the most trivial things.

Have a nice day