Last but quite the opposite of least, Borknagar came on as a special guest for this and two more shows on the tour.
After a positive surprise in Sólstafir and, well, something else from Secrets Of The Moon (the actual headliner of the tour) I was really looking forward to seeing the virtuoso Norwegian band again.
Having loved their gig at Wacken a little less than two months earlier, my expectations were very high for this my first normal concert with the band. What would these musical masterminds have up their sleeve for us this time?

In terms of effects, there was nothing to find except for some small puffs of a smoke-cannon (I expect Secrets Of The Moon had used up almost all of the smoke in their show); however, the mere presence and vitality of these men, as they were standing there right in front of us with no fence or photopit to protect us from their energetic onslaught, would have made any such thing feel trivial and superficial in comparison. This was an outburst of true eagerness and joy to play; nothing more, definitely nothing less.
In terms of music, the set contained the same songs as they had played at the earlier mentioned festival, but they had been mixed around to keep things interesting. In addition to this, they had added two more songs to the set in the form of Dauden and The Eye Of Oden, both older songs from the Kristoffer ‘Garm’ Rygg (Ulver) era of Borknagar.

Personally, I felt there had been made a vast improvement in the performance from the otherwise brilliant festival gig, mostly so in the interaction between the band members. As an example, Andreas ‘Vintersorg’ Hedlund lent his fingers to Lars ‘Lazare’ Nedland and his keyboard shortly in Oceans Rise; later Nedland would repay the favour as he and Hedlund shared the mic in The Eye Of Oden.
Other than this, I felt as though the music was delivered in a more tight way than had been the case last time I saw them (again, without having any complaints about that time), and still they managed to preserve the same nerve and enthusiasm which had made that time shine.

The general connection with the audience was also something I would count in under the improvements; I can’t say for sure if it was the physical closeness between artist and fan, the fact that it was a normal concert contra a festival performance, or exactly what made the difference, but it was there none the less.
Hedlund had an exceptional grip on the crowd, and at one time he even jumped of the stage and joined us on the floor, paying tribute to the rest of the band as he headbanged alongside the rest of us.
At another point he knelt down and offered the mic to yours truly, and I got to shout a long with the music. The feeling was indescribable, and can probably be likened to how a fourteen year old girl would feel at a Robbie Williams concert (and I’ll never be taken seriously again; but who cares, I had the time of my life).
The band also showed their appreciation of, and respect towards the fans by coming out after the show so that those present could talk to them, have pictures taken and whatever else they may have desired.

So what could have been negative at something as impeccable as this show?
Well, for one thing I still missed hearing Nedland's keyboards a bit more, although the general volume of the music was deafening. Maybe this was another side effect of the concert hall being as small as it was, but it wouldn’t have hurt to bring it down just a bit; it would probably also have helped on the distinction between the different instruments, which is something quite vital with a band such as Borknagar.
Another thing I found odd was the still declining number of the audience. At the two first bands, Code and Sólstafir, the room had been completely packed; for Secrets Of The Moon it had been a bit less, but still crowded; now, when Borknagar were playing it was actually becoming roomy in the MarX!
The most likely reason for this was explained to me by some German friends who had joined us this night; the trains which people needed to take in order to get home were taking their last trips before the concert was over. Sad for both band and crowd; certainly this could have been arranged better from the venues side?

In spite of these minor hiccups, I loved every minute of the show; and because of the combination of my fulfilled anticipations, together with all the other details of the evening (large and small), I won’t shy from naming this a clear-cut contender for the “Concert Of The Year” award; we most likely have the winner right here!

Setlist:

Ruins Of The Future
Gods Of My World
Oceans Rise
Inherit The Earth
The Black Token
Ad Noctum
Future Reminiscence
Universal
The Eye Of Oden
The Genuine Pulse
Colossus
Dauden
The Dawn Of The End