When I found out I was going to Austria - for a three day conference on metal and politics, no less - I started looking up concert listings to find out who I might be able to see. What's a trip to Europe without a metal concert or festival experience?
There were several shows I would've liked to attend but the one I couldn't bear to miss was this - Anathema in Vienna. I've loved the band since their first album, adore watching them live on DVD, conducted a delightful interview with Danny a few years ago, and could hardly wait to see them in concert for myself!
They lived up to my every expectation, and declared it possibly their best show in Vienna ever. When they performed "Sleepless" I nearly spontaneously combusted with joy.
Strangely, a fellow concert-goer recognized us as Anathema fans on the Ubahn and ended up helping us find the venue. We never did catch his name, but I will remember him with gratitude for years to come.
I rank this as one of my top concert experiences of all time.
On a culinary note, we had a delicious Viennese interpretation of vegan at a place called St Josef, at Mondscheingasse 10, before the show - including a delicious square of lemon cake. So good.
