In Flames we trust
I am not into nostalgia; I rather look into the future.
But when In Flames, my favourite band from my teenage years, announced a UK tour last year, I booked the tickets immediately. I had never seen them live, and even though I moved away from the genre, In Flames always held a spot in my heart.
On Saturday, we drove over 1.5 hours to Birmingham and experienced the top Swedish melodic death metal that a 16-year-old Mike could only have hoped for.
Soilwork, with their heavy metal influences as the first support.
A massive sound from Arch Enemy was the 2nd support.
And when it felt that the audience couldn't take it anymore, In Flames unleashed total madness in a sold-out O2 Arena.
I am not a spring chicken anymore, but I prefer standing close to the stage and the action.
It was great to see people of different ages having fun. The band was formed in 1990, so there were quite a few fans in their 50s in the centre of the moshpit.
It's difficult to explain the energy and atmosphere of such gigs, especially when you are near the stage.
So, for a little while, I felt like a 16-year-old again, and I thank the bands for that.
Unfortunately, the following day, I felt my actual age.
WHAT AM I WORKING ON
It’s always scary when you release something into the internet's ether. Missing Niamh is the latest Casefile Presents show, and like with anything we do, we can only do our best, and the rest is outside of our control.
Fortunately, the hard work paid off, and the show debuted at #1 in Australia and as a top-charting podcast in several other countries.
We got many positive comments and reviews from the listeners.
Ultimately, my view is that the work is for people. Especially the kind of work I do - I want to share it with others so they enjoy the storytelling and get distracted from their lives a bit.
Art is viewed through the eyes of the audience, and I am fine with it.
I also released a new YouTube video - a very niche one about one of my favourite fantasy books. It got some views and comments, and I am happy with it.
WHAT AM I READING
Yumi and Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson. I finished the book yesterday and I think I will move onto the last 'secret' novel he wrote - The Sunlit Man.
WHAT AM I LISTENING
Life on Planet. I got the tickets to the showing of this nature documentary with live orchestra ages ago. It turned out it was on the evening of my flight back from Poland (6am flight!). But after a short nap we managed to get to the concert hall.
I am not going to lie - the tuba player kept me awake at times. But the music performance was fab, and it was good to be back.
In Flames + Arch Enemy + Soilwork. A great gig in Birmingham.
WHAT AM I WATCHING
Rings of Power S2. I finished the second season, and this is how the show was supposed to be from the start! The second half was everything that LOTR is about - epic battles, dwarves, elves and Sauron. It's a shame it took them so long to get there, and many people have turned away already. I do hope they will continue to improve in S3 (if it gets announced!)
James Jani is a documentary YouTuber and he just published a two-part series on meme stock investing. It's fascinating insight into how a seemingly small group of people can develop a cult-like behaviours.
That's it for now. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you (hopefully!) next week!
Mike
https://mikemigas.com/
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