Procol Harum at Bodø, Norway

When I arrived in the 51,000 counted souls Norwegian city of Bodø I've found in the center of this small town the Stormen Concerthuset, founded in 2014. A majestic, beautiful and modern building. Within this building the same beautiful architecture lines as on the outside. A warm building also with, of course you can expect in Norway, finished with the most beautiful types of wood.

The concert hall itself was a feast for the eyes. High, with two rows of balconies above each other. I had the impression of having the best seat in the hall. (row 6 in the middle) They were no ordinary seats but rather lovely soft thrones.

And then, after a staggering 35 minutes our band comes up; deafening applause from the approximately 1,000 fans. I have seen 50+ concerts of this legedary band, including Union Chapel UK, Ledreborg Castle DK, Zoetermeer, Lelystad NL and even the jubilee concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London just to name a few but this concert was, without any doubt, the very best I've ever heard and see by far.

It was also due to the beautiful acoustics which made everything so much better. Gary also, had a lot of fun with his men and the interaction between the audience and the band was one, which I have rarely encountered during the many concerts I have heard. Procol Harum came, saw and conquered! The concert ended in a standing ovation but received, as expected, an encore in the form of 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale'.

In short, a great concert that, unfortunately, was not be recorded to prove what I have told here. It was, anyhow, worth every (2700) kilometer of flight to be here. I consider myself a happy chap that I've seen one of my most beautiful concerts ever of my own Procol Harum from which I bought a single fifty years ago, even though I did not own a record player!