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As promised a few days ago, now, I'm getting back to the three concerts which took place
between the live events in March 2019 and the New Year's Eve show by
The Hellacopters.
The first two concerts both took place at "Dalhalla". Both in July 2019.
The first two concerts both took place at "Dalhalla". Both in July 2019.
One of the main ideas behind it was to explore
something new again, and since "Dalhalla"
is regularly represented in lists such as "The
most beautiful concert venues from around the world"...
Why not?
"Dalhalla" is an open air theatre located in a former limestone quarry in Rättvik (Sweden), in the region of Dalarna. During summers, "Dalhalla" is used as a concert venue. With Iggy Pop, a suitable event was quickly found, but, later on, it turned out that New Order would play at "Dalhalla", too. Since it was hard to make a decision, we simply went to both events.
Not least thanks to my activities as a music and culture journalist, I have been to so many concerts in my live, and never have I faced such huge transportation problems as it was the case with "Dalhalla". It was really difficult to organise.
"Dalhalla" is an open air theatre located in a former limestone quarry in Rättvik (Sweden), in the region of Dalarna. During summers, "Dalhalla" is used as a concert venue. With Iggy Pop, a suitable event was quickly found, but, later on, it turned out that New Order would play at "Dalhalla", too. Since it was hard to make a decision, we simply went to both events.
Not least thanks to my activities as a music and culture journalist, I have been to so many concerts in my live, and never have I faced such huge transportation problems as it was the case with "Dalhalla". It was really difficult to organise.
Getting to Rättvik by public
transport is actually no problem at all. Getting from Rättvik to the
venue "Dalhalla"...
That's the challenge. "Dalhalla"
is located in the deepest forest, roughly 10 km from the train
station in Rättvik. And don't get me started on how to get anywhere
from "Dalhalla"
in the night when the concert is over.
There are so-called "konsertbussar" [Swedish for: "concert buses"] which are operated by the venue / in collaboration with the venue. These concert buses operate between "Dalhalla" and some cities in Dalarna, including Rättvik. You have to book the ride with a concert bus in advance, those rides are significantly more expensive than public transport and, at the time of the Iggy Pop concert, booking a ride with a concert bus via the website of "Dalhalla" did not even work as there was an error in the booking system. We were not the only ones with this problem on the day of the Iggy Pop show, so this concert visit turned into quite an odyssey. In the end, we met some friendly concert visitors with cars who helped us. Things became really adventurous, and I think it's ultimately thanks to these nice people we met that this whole experience did not turn too sour.
Yes, the concert was great and the venue is stunning, indeed, but arriving and leaving without a car shouldn't be that difficult, complicated and expensive. Especially not in the home country of probably the most famous climate activist worldwide at the moment, Greta Thunberg.
There are so-called "konsertbussar" [Swedish for: "concert buses"] which are operated by the venue / in collaboration with the venue. These concert buses operate between "Dalhalla" and some cities in Dalarna, including Rättvik. You have to book the ride with a concert bus in advance, those rides are significantly more expensive than public transport and, at the time of the Iggy Pop concert, booking a ride with a concert bus via the website of "Dalhalla" did not even work as there was an error in the booking system. We were not the only ones with this problem on the day of the Iggy Pop show, so this concert visit turned into quite an odyssey. In the end, we met some friendly concert visitors with cars who helped us. Things became really adventurous, and I think it's ultimately thanks to these nice people we met that this whole experience did not turn too sour.
Yes, the concert was great and the venue is stunning, indeed, but arriving and leaving without a car shouldn't be that difficult, complicated and expensive. Especially not in the home country of probably the most famous climate activist worldwide at the moment, Greta Thunberg.
Exactly three weeks
later, we returned to "Dalhalla"
for New Order. Shortly before, I contacted the
venue so that the broken link on the website of "Dalhalla"
would be repaired, making it possible to book a concert bus this
time. It all worked out and, fortunately, we
were spared another odyssey.
However, you have to go back with the same concert bus that you arrived with. You cannot go to Rättvik by public transport, spend a nice day at Lake Siljan, then take the concert bus from Rättvik to the concert at "Dalhalla" and later on take another concert bus from "Dalhalla" to another city in Dalarna, in case you have an accommodation somewhere else than in Rättvik. Suggestions that have been made: Rent a car and / or book a hotel room in Rättvik. With most ticket prices starting at 800 SEK per person, a mere gig trip starts to turn into a short vacation, at least financially.
In any case, we were spared another odyssey this time as we travelled with one of the concert buses. The downside of it was that we had to skip hanging out in Rättvik altogether, even though the day was absolutely perfect to hang out at Lake Siljan. Sunshine, blue sky and - if I remember correctly - a temperature of around 30°C. Hopefully, one day, we will catch up on that: A summer day in Rättvik at Lake Siljan.
We have seen "Dalhalla". It is a stunning venue, indeed, and both events we attended there were great, too, but I think I will leave it at these two experiences. Travelling to and from "Dalhalla" without a car is simply too complicated, inflexible, expensive and also too time-consuming when planning the arrival to and the departure from the venue.
However, you have to go back with the same concert bus that you arrived with. You cannot go to Rättvik by public transport, spend a nice day at Lake Siljan, then take the concert bus from Rättvik to the concert at "Dalhalla" and later on take another concert bus from "Dalhalla" to another city in Dalarna, in case you have an accommodation somewhere else than in Rättvik. Suggestions that have been made: Rent a car and / or book a hotel room in Rättvik. With most ticket prices starting at 800 SEK per person, a mere gig trip starts to turn into a short vacation, at least financially.
In any case, we were spared another odyssey this time as we travelled with one of the concert buses. The downside of it was that we had to skip hanging out in Rättvik altogether, even though the day was absolutely perfect to hang out at Lake Siljan. Sunshine, blue sky and - if I remember correctly - a temperature of around 30°C. Hopefully, one day, we will catch up on that: A summer day in Rättvik at Lake Siljan.
We have seen "Dalhalla". It is a stunning venue, indeed, and both events we attended there were great, too, but I think I will leave it at these two experiences. Travelling to and from "Dalhalla" without a car is simply too complicated, inflexible, expensive and also too time-consuming when planning the arrival to and the departure from the venue.
Here are some visual
impressions of Rättvik and Lake Siljan from the day of the Iggy Pop
concert...
... and here
is an audiovisual impression of Iggy Pop performing "The
Passenger" at "Dalhalla" on 3rd July 2019...
Three
weeks later, on 24th July 2019, Henric de la Cour performed amongst
others "Two Against One" and "Arkham Supermarket" as
a support act for New Order at "Dalhalla"...
... and New Order performed amongst others "Singularity", "She's Lost Control" [Joy
Division cover], "Tutti Frutti", "Blue Monday" and "Love Will Tear Us
Apart" [Joy Division cover] at "Dalhalla"...
Further
snapshots of the New Order show can be found on "Sound Kitchen
Archives":
https://sound-kitchen-archives.blogspot.com/2020/03/photo-gallery-new-order-live-at.html.
The third concert was
comparatively unspectacular in terms of arrival and departure since The Mission
frontman Wayne Hussey chose a club in the city centre of Sweden's
capital Stockholm for his solo show on 8th November 2019, supported by Evi Vine...
Further
snapshots of Wayne
Hussey (The Mission UK) and Evi Vine performing at "Nalen" can be found on "Sound Kitchen
Archives": https://sound-kitchen-archives.blogspot.com/2020/03/photo-gallery-wayne-hussey-mission-uk.html.
So, now, everything from the year
2019 is finally online. :o)
Stay healthy!
