The audience at Rockefeller had to wait quite some time before The Ark entered the stage, because there was no support act at all. But that didn’t matter, because the crowd was just waiting to taste the main dish of the evening. And they most certainly weren’t disappointed!!!!
The delay was forgotten the second the band hit the stage with their front man, Ola Salo, as the main attraction. He really owned the stage and the audience from the first song, with all his diva gestures and his smooth way of dancing and moving almost like a beauty queen at the catwalk, and all dressed up in a light green pantsuit and high red boots. “Clamour for Glamour,” the first song out, describes Salos performance this evening with his deep hip twists. It is hard to imagine that he is the son of a priest. This song is from their recent album, The State Of The Ark, and it is a song with high spirits that infected the packed crowd, who grew more and more excited for each song.
The atmosphere among the audience was at its top for the whole set. The crowed was in a happy mood, smiley faces were everywhere – and the fans were singing along. Salo had command of the whole show, and the other band members faded a bit in his presence.
After the fourth song, “Deliver Us From Free Will,” Salo left the stage for his first clothes change. “Ok, Oslo – are you ready???” he shouted when he entered the stage with a naked chest, black tights, high black boots, and a couple of black angel wings on his back. There was no doubt that everybody was ready for more songs and action. He totally had the audience at his disposal.
The band played very tight, and the guitarists, Jepson and Martin Axen, had some great solo parts during the concert. The band rocked the scene for about 1 hour, and the tempo and energy never seemed to stop. Even though this band has got some great and catchy music, this band wouldn’t survive without their front man. He is the “whole band” with an amazing voice who worked in all settings… but mostly his attitude, charisma, and dancing skills just made this a great show. He indeed was dramatic in his actions.
A gig by these Swedish gentlemen wouldn’t be complete without the airing of their number 1 hit “It Takes A Fool To Remain Sane,” from the first album, We Are The Ark. This was one of the highlights of the evening, and it put the cherry on an already tasty cake. As an introduction, Salo called this song “The national song in the State of The Ark.” The follow up was none other than the national song for “the others,” which is the title of the song too.
“One Of Us Is Gonna Die Young,” the first single out from their recent album, was meant to be the last song. But with an audience hungry for more, they got back on the stage for a couple more songs for their fans and they all dressed in white suits, with an almost Saturday Night Fever look. Indeed! – the perfect ending for an amazing show from this Swedish Glam Rock Band.
The 70s are back, both through their music and their style!!! The Ark is a sparkling element of bubbling, unceremonious, nostalgic vitality in an often too serious world of music.
The Ark
Ola Salo – vocalist
Lasse Ljungberg – bass
Jepson – guitar
Martin Axen – guitar
Sylvester Schlegel – drums
The setlist of The Ark: “Glamour For Glamour”, “Father Of A Son”, “Rock City Wanker”, “Deliver Us From Free Will”, “This Piece Of Poetry Is Meant To Do Harm”, “It Takes A Fool To Remain Sane”, “The Others”, “One Of Us Is Gonna Die Young”, … extra songs were “Trust Is Shareware” and “Echo Chamber”.
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