Where You Go We’ll One Day Follow, pt. I
AKA Tears of the Front Row
Eye of Melian, Forest of Forgetting Finnish Tour 2026, March 10-13th, 2026
Gosh, has it been a month, but it feels like more and less at the same time. Probably by now, if you’re checking this out, you’ve heard about me and my crazy (in the best way) pal Kathy Criswell traveling all around Finland to watch as many Eye of Melian shows as humanly possible, because Kathy simply can’t stay away when Johanna Kurkela’s bands are playing. But hey, this time we’re doing something a little different and we’re combining our travel blogs and live reports into One Big Report! So, welcome to join us on our journey that began in Kitee on March 10th, 2026, and ended in Tampere on March 28th, 2026!
Stay tuned later this year for a new interview with the band, and you can listen to Kathy and I talk about Eye of Melian’s discography at length here! Gig photos are from Joanna Orchide from the show in Kitee.
Kiteenhovi, Kitee
The first leg of our journey began on the 10th when I picked up Kathy, my photographer, Joanna, and our friends, Nika and Jaro, and we began the long journey to Kitee. Unlike most good road trips, this one was pretty uneventful and easy—we stopped once or twice for snacks and then found our way to the school in Kitee, which was kindly opened to us travelers.
We picked up some snacks and met up with a few of our Extended Johannaverse and NFM friends (AKA the International Cheering Squad) and had dinner at the school, which is always nice—they have a really solid kitchen for school food, props! Then we headed over to the venue… not to queue this time, since there were assigned seats, which was an unusual change of pace at Kiteensali compared to the last two shows we’ve been to there.
The show itself was gorgeous and we noticed a few changes after the show in Zwolle: firstly, the mix was loud, so we could actually hear Robin la Joy and Timo Kurkela a bit, which was great. They also added some pillar lights, which… I was not a fan of, because I found that they created a sort of distracting, too-modern effect that clashed with the overall stage ambience created by the natural-looking lanterns and flowers.
Beyond that, one of the things I was most interested in was following along with Robin. Why? Because, in the past she’s mentioned that she wouldn’t sing or perform, but look at her now! What an inspiration, she’s even playing the violin a bit, and I know from the years that I played actively that violin is not an easy instrument to learn.
The one other new thing was an intermission, which took place after “Vita Nova,” after which they returned and the ladies had changed into red versions of their green dresses. I had been wondering why the white wigs had gone away, but in hindsight, with the green and red dresses, there’s a world wherein they might have looked like lady-Santas. Or at least, it invokes a memory of beautiful robed St. Nicholas dolls my grandmother used to make, so I can understand why they weren’t used, even if I personally liked them.
Perhaps the most heartwarming thing about these shows, however, is the simple fact that there’s so much love that gets passed between the band members, as well as to that International Cheering Squad in the front row, or pretty darn close (I don’t usually get to pick my seats, sadly, so I’m not often there with them, even if I’d like to be). Many of my pals were crying throughout the show and having a lovely, emotional time.
After the show, we headed back to the school, where they had very kindly left us some sandwich fixin’s, so we could have a little snack. I think Kathy went to bed pretty early, Joanna and I went to bed but stayed up talking until about 3 a.m., and the others were out in the common room hanging out for goodness knows how long. It was a fun night.
The next day, we slowly gathered ourselves to head back down south and we did have a bit of a chaotic adventure on the way back. Joanna likes to squeeze some sightseeing in whenever possible, so she asked if we could detour over to see Kummakivi, a very well-known boulder that was dropped precariously on top of another rock a few million years ago by the glacial movement.
Normally, the route isn’t very long, so you can drive up to a few hundred meters from the site, but because it’s winter and people don’t go there that often, the side road wasn’t plowed and there was no way in hell I was going to drive us through the snow and get us stuck, so we decided to hoof it through the snow. No one had used the trail in a while, but there was nevertheless a path stomped into the snow from local dog walkers and other curious travelers. What should have been a 500m round trip ended up being well over a kilometer, so most of us got a little cranky and asthmatic, and Kathy and Nika ended up turning back. I will say it was a pretty cool thing to see (took me back to the Canadian hoodoos), but I don’t think I’ll be doing anymore unplanned winter hikes in Finland anytime soon.
After that, we had a pretty straightforward trip back to Tikkurila, which I figured was a nicer drop-off point for everyone than Järvenpää, and I picked up Tikkurila Wings to take home, because I love the people who work there and they have great food.
Now, at this point, I’m going to pass the mic over to Kathy, who will continue with her adventures to Espoo and Kouvola for the next few shows, since I wasn’t meant to be at any more until Helsinki on the 24th, though that did, indeed, change…
Sellosali, Espoo
Hey everyone, I’m sure you know me by now. However if you’re new here, I’m Kathy, a self proclaimed fan/friend and a general ray of sunshine. I had the idea to follow this lovely band around Finland for their debut headline tour. I like to support people however I can and these are some of the best people that I know.
Now, I’m fairly used to getting around Helsinki and the area around it. I now have my favorite hotel and my favorite trams to cry on—just girly things. That being said, I don’t have the genes that make people explorers. I traveled alone once way back in January of 2024 for Altamullan Road, and that was fun and all. But traveling with my buddies is too fun to pass up, so I spent the days between the Kitee and Espoo shows meandering around Helsinki and making little bags for the people in the band. I have already probably taken up half of their luggage with trinkets and nonsense, so I decided to go the minimalist route, as much as it pained me.
My friend Jaro and I set out for Espoo with a hope and a dream (a pastry and a redbull). We got to Espoo a bit early so we decided to walk around the “city center” a bit, insofar as Espoo has one. I taught Jaro about the best invention ever (dry shampoo) and we grabbed a fancy snack at a cafe. I wasn’t nervous at all, considering we had VIP tickets. I know these people, some more than others, so I was mostly excited to cash in my voucher for approximately seventeen hugs and maybe a single tear.
The VIP this time was extremely smooth. The VIP ringleader, Sam C., wrangled all of us, explained the process, answered some questions, and shuffled us off to a room where the band + live members Kai Hahto and Timo Kurkela were sitting in order to start a signature line. I got to ramble to my favorite people about things I don’t remember and then came the photo op. I normally don’t do these if I already have photos with the band in order to help people save time and keep the flow going. However, this time I took my spot in between Robin and Johanna. Before I could crank out a cheesy smile, I got a surprise bear hug from them and it warmed my heart! It’s quite literally the cutest photo I have ever seen and I’m never going to shut up about it [ed: at least until you see the picture from Tampere!]. When I tell you that these people are so wonderful, I am in fact extremely biased!
After that heartwarming moment, I was lucky enough to chat with Robin and Johanna a bit. Those of you who have been following my adventures know that a little over 2 years ago was my first trip to Europe. Now, I’m not exactly the world traveler that people think I am, but to have been to Europe so many times in such a short span of time has drastically changed my life.
After the VIP we sat down and started chatting. Martijn remembered my friend Jaro from Zwolle in February and brought him out a signed setlist, which made all of us very emotional. It was such a thoughtful thing to do, I’m still in awe at how kind that was. The show was phenomenal, as per usual, despite a few little oopsies that happened. Which, honestly, I love the hiccups because it reminds us all that we’re all human and also makes for a unique show. I have been dubbed the #1 cheerleader and I take my role VERY seriously! That means extra smiles all around and a few encouraging nods towards people when they need it most.
There’s a certain feeling when you look around the front row and realize that you know everyone that is there. I swear each time I come back to Finland, the group grows bigger and I could not be any happier about that.
After the show, we went back to our respective hotels and I did homework overnight thanks to jetlag and the excitement for the show.
Pato Klubi, Kouvola
The next day, I was spending time with Jaro and Nika while we waited for our friend Nico to drive us to Kouvola. I knew of the venue because I believe Altamullan Road had done a show there, but I had never been. It’s definitely an interesting city. We ate some food at a cool restaurant in the train station before the show and even after waiting a bit, we were still the first ones in the queue. Now, I love being in the front row, but when it comes to a band that I’m seeing eleven times, I was a little less aggressive in my queuing. That being said, I got pushed around like it was Black Friday at Walmart and the PS5 dropped. I had no idea the people of Kouvola were so excited for Eye of Melian, so I settled myself in front of Robin and marveled at the chaos that ensued for seats in the front. The best surprise was seeing Johanna and Mikko Iivanainen in the crowd! Of course I ran over there to give hugs as fast as I could! I adore them, they’re so sweet and extremely talented.
The show itself was wonderful, despite some things going sideways. Oh well, they’re all professionals and I think I might have been the only one who noticed. Hey, that’s okay, it’s all for the plot in the end. Once again I took the cheerleading job a little too seriously and I bruised my hands clapping and perhaps also couldn’t stop smiling. I don’t know why, but as soon as they walk out, I look like a child taking school pictures for the entire show.
After the show, Nico was kind enough to drop me off at my hotel. I fell asleep whilst having a good ol’ fashioned gratitude cry whilst listening to Enya, as one should.
We’ll Be Back…
So, this covers the first three shows on the tour, but things really got interesting once we headed up north for the next leg of the tour! There is so much more to come, so stay tuned for part II, coming ASAP!
❤️🐻
Setlist
Lady of Light
Child of Twilight
Wings of the Dawn
The Bell
Tears of the Dragon (Bruce Dickinson cover)
Doorway of Night
Everstrong
Ainiaan
Forest of Forgetting
Vita Nova
Intermission
The Buried Well
Blackthorn Winter
Symphonia Arcana
Elixir of Night
Of Willows and Shadows
Under the Grey Sky
Dawn of Avatars
Rainfall
Encore
Light
READ MORE:
Interviews: On the Record with Auri (2018); Off the Record with Altamullan Road (2024); On the Record with Altamullan Road (2020); Off the Record with Timo Kurkela (2024); Guest Interview with Altamullan Road (2024); On the Record with Auri (2025); Guest Interview with Auri (2025)
Podcast Reviews: Bear & Kathy Talk “Auri III” (2025), Bear & Kathy Talk “Forest of Forgetting” (2026)
Live Reports: Altamullan Road Kitee (2024); Altamullan Road Hyvinkää (2024); Altamullan Road Porvoo (2024), Altamullan Road Dordrecht/Zwolle (2024); Auri Kitee (2025), Auri invokes imagination in Tampere (2025); Guest Live Report of Auri in Tampere (2025);
Travel Blog: Altamullan Road in Kitee (2024); Eye of Melian in Zwolle (2025); Eye of Melian in Zwolle (2026)
Guest Travel Blog: Altamullan Road in the Netherlands (2024); Altamullan Road pt.1, pt. 2, pt. 3 (2024); Eye of Melian in Zwolle (2025); Auri in Finland pt. 1, pt. 2, pt.3 (2025)
Gathering of Geeks - Trivia Showdown ft. Eye of Melian (2024)
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