Samu Haber

I haven’t been the support act for anyone for 18 (!) years. The last time was in 2008 in Vienna opening for Bon Jovi with Sunrise Avenue. I was quite sure I’d never do support shows again, but then they offered me this one. Two sold out stadiums with Robbie Williams. Easy to say yes.
 
I don’t know how many shows I’ve seen from him over the years, but last summer as I saw him at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium, I had no idea he’d share his stage with me. It’s so cool how he’s been accompanying me through my life. If there was a play count of how many times I sang with him in my car, the number would be many digits. On the first ever Sunrise Avenue show in 2003 “Let Me entertain you” was the third song on the setlist. It got the crowd going that Tuesday night. All 47 of them. Thank God there’s no video footage of that…
 
It’s a strange job opening the show for someone, especially at a stadium. If you’re lucky, the place is already full when you start, but of course the people aren’t there for you. Your job is to warm them up before the actual star does their magic. As an opener you don’t do funny cow bell performances and you play your songs, keep it cool and don’t even think about those spotlights being there for you. 
 
But I must admit that some moments these two evenings, it felt like being at my own concert. The Robbie fans are just unbelievable and I’ve never seen a support act being accepted with such love. Thank you. Their whole touring gang are unbelievable people. So friendly and so pro. They let us use their screens and lights and also the catwalk and that is not always the case. I took a lot of notes this weekend for my future journey. Not only when the Master of entertainment & co were doing their show on stage, but also how they handled everything with everyone. Deepest respect and thank you so much again for inviting us at your shows. Robbie Fucking Williams <3
 
Last summer was the biggest and also the busiest summer ever on my career and this year I wanted to take the warm season easier. So I only have three summer shows. The first one is this boat cruise from Hamburg to Bergen Norway and this one smells like a cool trip. My drummer Risto has been on one of these cruises and he says it’s breathtaking out there. I wonder if we’ll see some whales and I wonder where the boat will actually be floating when we turn our speakers loud. I hope the captain lets me see the bridge and maybe steer the ship a bit. What could go wrong. I will bring my “Boa Helsinki Captain” baseball cap with me. That Instagram post will make all my Helsinki sailor buddies so jealous ;) 
 
Then there are two festivals in Switzerland (Lumnezia & Heitere) later in the summer. The Swiss festivals and crowds are always amazing and I’m happy they both worked out this year. The only down side about Switzerland is that I got a massive speeding ticket there last year and I’m not allowed to operate any vehicle in the country before September. Actually if I do get caught driving there or violating any traffic law, they can put me in jail for three months and I’d get a massive additional penalty. No joke… I’m sure the Swiss jails are just fine and there’s a lot of Toblerone in them, but I have no time being behind bars. I think the Swiss cops checked my touring dates when they decided my driving ban length. It ends one week after my last show there ;) I get what I deserve.
 
Then in September we start the XX tour. First there are two shows in Helsinki at the House of Culture. I asked my agent to book them as I have never played there before and I love that place. The stage is so cool and the crowd in that club feels so close to you. I saw MUSE there last year and it felt like I could touch Matthew Bellamy's guitar. At the Helsinki shows I will play only Finnish songs. Feels right that way.
 
In October we tour 11 European cities starting from Vienna and we end it in Luxembourg. Some of these venues are pretty big and it’s good that we had the Berlin arena show in April to try out new things. This will actually be the only real tour this year and it’s so good to have some tour bus time with boys too. On tour you really forget about everything outside the bubble and it takes you to a beautiful strange place. I wish all people could experience something like it once in their lives. These shows won’t have any time limits or any other rules and planning it all has been so inspiring. Also because after October there are no shows or public duties in my calendar. And I won’t have any until I have an album ready and that will take time. I have never been the most patient guy in the world, but now I will let it cook for as long as it needs to. To me, this tour is the end of the four year era that started with my first solo album in Finland and I’ve been riding that wave ever since. And it’s also appreciating my twenty years in the music business. Twenty years. It’s so good we don’t know how many days or shows we have left. I’ll take them all, whatever I’m meant to live through. After October I will digest this world around me and I will let life reshape me for the next adventures. The next era, whatever it’ll be, happens when it’s meant to happen. I know it will.
 
I had a motorbike this weekend in Dusseldorf and riding between the shows was super cool. Fresh air and silence. Last night I went to fill my gas tank before I returned the bike and after the gas station I stood at these Red lights for a while. I looked left and suddenly I saw the PSD Dome Arena. The place where I played the last show with Sunrise Avenue 3,5 years ago. Unreal. It’s crazy how much has happened after that big night. Rain drops on my helmet. I stared at those arena walls and I think the arena looked back at me. You know the feeling when this strange wave goes through your body and it gives you chills. Out of all the people in the universe, how can it be me who gets to play this role in this amazing play. 
 
Thank you people for an unforgettable weekend & see you all soon, 
 
Samu
 
PS. Last night as I switched off the lights and went to my hotel bed, I got a message from Mom. “Checked Instagram. Seems like it went well (three hearts).” She took me to my first Robbie Williams show 21 years ago at the Arena in Helsinki. I remember staring at him and his show with admiring eyes thinking, someday…