Månegarm
Månegarm Open Air - 2024
Text: Tobias Nilsson Photo: Lunah Lauridsen
Darkness was covering Pythagoras, the moon had risen, and we had reached the grand finalé of Månegarm Open Air. We had reached Månegarm. Again.
“If you knew how awesome it is to get to play our songs for you here, and invite fucking great bands!”
- Erik Grawsiö (vocals/bass)
Yes, the namesake band was back on stage, of course headlining the second night just as they had the first night - with the notable difference that they were now fully electrified of course. Oh yes, and Grawsiö had retrieved the bass from Tobias Rydheim, who in turn had picked up the leftover guitar. And after a while, Martin Björklund would change back and forth between his fiddle and a third guitar - not entirely sure what the purpose of that was, except to possibly beef up the sound some more, but if someone knows better, feel free to reach out.
That the band was loving every second of this was not only easy to understand, but also easy to see, as they were clearly having a blast being on stage, and their will, nay urge, to play for us and give us one hell of a performance was figuratively pouring from them! Gone was the calm peace of the night before, this time they were out for blood!
Pretty much from the start of the show, the musicians were all in on posing, performing, and playing and dancing around with each other whenever they had the opportunity. Despite the often heavy subject matter of the lyrics, this was just pure fun through and through.
“So fucking nice to see you all here again tonight!”
- Grawsiö (vocals/bass)
As you would have guessed, the outside ground of the Pythagoras museum was packed with people, all eager to see Månegarm’s show. Chants of the band’s name erupted between songs, and when possible, the fans were glad to sing along to the songs as well. Stridsgalten, second song of the evening, saw a huge uptake in voices whenever Odin was uttered, and you know that happens quite a bit in that song! Hervors Arv was another song that had its chorus enhanced by the masses, so well that Grawsiö dedicated the song to fans who had travelled all the way from Linköping - given that there were fans from all over the world here, that in particular didn’t seem like such a big effort, but maybe he was thinking of someone specifically?
Either way, the crowd was having an absolute party. Dancing was not uncommon, I saw at least a couple of small circle pits at times, and then there were of course the huge mass of raised fists and voices that carried the show through.
I Evig Tid was the final track before the encore, giving some a quick opportunity to fill up on beers before the show continued with Nattsjäl, Drömsjäl, and Grawsiö taking the time to thank everyone involved in creating this whole festival - crew, vendors, cooks, whatever else, everyone was duly thanked before the final final song of the night was played, the highly fitting Hemfärd. If the band had been giving their all up to this point, I don’t even know what level we should call this, as every last ounce of energy was used to bring this home.
After the last notes had rung out and the concert was truly over, the band wasn’t content in thanking everyone, which they already had done, but went so far as to invite everyone involved in the creation of the festival up on the stage, so as to give them all the experience of being properly sent off by the fans.
To the sound of Eddie Meduza’s Mera Brännvin, people were now either leaving or hanging out, intent on draining the last drops of the festival before they too milled out into the Norrtälje night, with the promise of an even bigger and better festival next year.
Setlist:
Sigrblot
Stridsgalten
Ulvhjärtat
Vedergällningens Tid
Hervors Arv
Adils Tid
Genom Världar Nio
Blodörn
Sveablotet
Ursjälens Visdom
I Evig Tid
Nattsjäl, Drömsjäl
Hemfärd
Mera Brännvin (Eddie Meduza song)
“If you knew how awesome it is to get to play our songs for you here, and invite fucking great bands!”
- Erik Grawsiö (vocals/bass)
Yes, the namesake band was back on stage, of course headlining the second night just as they had the first night - with the notable difference that they were now fully electrified of course. Oh yes, and Grawsiö had retrieved the bass from Tobias Rydheim, who in turn had picked up the leftover guitar. And after a while, Martin Björklund would change back and forth between his fiddle and a third guitar - not entirely sure what the purpose of that was, except to possibly beef up the sound some more, but if someone knows better, feel free to reach out.
That the band was loving every second of this was not only easy to understand, but also easy to see, as they were clearly having a blast being on stage, and their will, nay urge, to play for us and give us one hell of a performance was figuratively pouring from them! Gone was the calm peace of the night before, this time they were out for blood!
Pretty much from the start of the show, the musicians were all in on posing, performing, and playing and dancing around with each other whenever they had the opportunity. Despite the often heavy subject matter of the lyrics, this was just pure fun through and through.
“So fucking nice to see you all here again tonight!”
- Grawsiö (vocals/bass)
As you would have guessed, the outside ground of the Pythagoras museum was packed with people, all eager to see Månegarm’s show. Chants of the band’s name erupted between songs, and when possible, the fans were glad to sing along to the songs as well. Stridsgalten, second song of the evening, saw a huge uptake in voices whenever Odin was uttered, and you know that happens quite a bit in that song! Hervors Arv was another song that had its chorus enhanced by the masses, so well that Grawsiö dedicated the song to fans who had travelled all the way from Linköping - given that there were fans from all over the world here, that in particular didn’t seem like such a big effort, but maybe he was thinking of someone specifically?
Either way, the crowd was having an absolute party. Dancing was not uncommon, I saw at least a couple of small circle pits at times, and then there were of course the huge mass of raised fists and voices that carried the show through.
I Evig Tid was the final track before the encore, giving some a quick opportunity to fill up on beers before the show continued with Nattsjäl, Drömsjäl, and Grawsiö taking the time to thank everyone involved in creating this whole festival - crew, vendors, cooks, whatever else, everyone was duly thanked before the final final song of the night was played, the highly fitting Hemfärd. If the band had been giving their all up to this point, I don’t even know what level we should call this, as every last ounce of energy was used to bring this home.
After the last notes had rung out and the concert was truly over, the band wasn’t content in thanking everyone, which they already had done, but went so far as to invite everyone involved in the creation of the festival up on the stage, so as to give them all the experience of being properly sent off by the fans.
To the sound of Eddie Meduza’s Mera Brännvin, people were now either leaving or hanging out, intent on draining the last drops of the festival before they too milled out into the Norrtälje night, with the promise of an even bigger and better festival next year.
Setlist:
Sigrblot
Stridsgalten
Ulvhjärtat
Vedergällningens Tid
Hervors Arv
Adils Tid
Genom Världar Nio
Blodörn
Sveablotet
Ursjälens Visdom
I Evig Tid
Nattsjäl, Drömsjäl
Hemfärd
Mera Brännvin (Eddie Meduza song)