6.11.11 - Finland

[Expletive], I'm so messed up from jetlag. We got to our hotel at 7:00pm. I woke up at 3:00am. Time for a walk.

Lovely room!

Complimentary duck.

The coolest part about Helsinki in the summertime is that it never really gets dark. It's very dim, but not dark. This place is like a zombie apocalypse ghost town at night. Streets are littered with the day's remnants, and the only walking dead I saw were a few bar stragglers. It was an urban explorer's wet dream. Believe it or not, the sun started rising at 4:00am, so I headed back to my hotel to grab my camera.

I took this picture at 4:00am. Insanity!

This place is Utopian. Everyone is good looking, there are all sorts of shops and cafes, and a central park is saturated with picnics, funny dogs, and musicians. One of our drivers told me he's lived here all his life, and has no desire to leave. I can see why.

I tried some reindeer meatballs while I was out with Adam, which tasted like a burger and a breakfast sausage had a lovechild. I also bought this strawberry liquid from the supermarket. I can't read a lick of Finnish, but I trusted what I could make of the carton. Bonus! It was thick and sweet and yum.

...Don't take that out of context.

On dasher, on prancer, on my plate.

This is a car covered in grass with monitors. The artist told us it was to raise awareness about poor public transport services in Helsinki.

Concert time! I met this hilarious couple at the the meet and greet (seen in the video). They had me guess their ages. I didn't do so hot with the guy, but complimented his girlfriend. 1 for 2 scores high in baseball. I also met this drunk guy who dressed just like Ozzy, complete with a black leather overcoat on an 85˚ day. I'm gonna say meeting locals is my favorite part of shooting concerts. Everyone's got a great story to tell and is ecstatic to chat.

It was cool to be back in the swing again. I did lots of running around the venue, so much that I almost got in trouble with security. Sorry friend, but I CAN actually go over there to shoot. Our own head of security spotted a pair of boobs in the crowd. Surprised I haven't seen more, come to think of it. Definitely not OzTV material.

During the show I was hiding behind Gus's side cabinets on stage, and I would poke my head out to get a shot of Ozzy down the side of the stage. Well, when the foam gun came out I found myself in the line of fire. Also, the rule of "lightning doesn't strike the same place twice" didn't apply at all. I got a second dose as if sticking my head out again was a means of provoking.

Hyping the crowd for OzTV

This won't end well...

Just before leaving Helsinki for Sweden the next day, I headed out to run a quick errand. And what did I find not ten feet from the door? A damn parade. Helsinki couldn't be cooler. Tons of costumes and floats, smiling children and sunshine. This is paradise.