MAJOR Fangirling Over ProgPower USA Announcement - FALCONER FALCONER FALCONER

"Thanks to Joan*, I now know that my life may very well be complete next year. And that I must immediately begin saving money for my trip to Atlanta next September. Because Falconer, YES, FALCONER, the one and only, the never-goes-on-tour, the I-would-have-a-heart-attack-if-I-ever-had-a-chance-to-see-them-live FALCONER, is going to be playing their very FIRST live show on U.S. soil EVER** at next year's ProgPower USA festival. Oh. My. God. I don't even know what to do with myself right now. I'M GOING TO SEE FALCONER LIVE!!! And it's bigger than just seeing an awesome band... I'm going to see my IDOL, the man with the voice of a god, Mathias Blad, sing ON STAGE. IN PERSON. As an American, I honestly thought this would never happen. I WILL be there, even if I have to HITCHHIKE!!!! It took me a while before I could even form cohesive sentences again after reading this. AHHH SO EXCITED I CAN'T EVEN. And so glad I have an entire year to save for this. This is the greatest news in the history of EVER!!! Can barely breathe."

This was my original Facebook post minutes after receiving the news -- as soon as I was able to actually come up with words other than "OH MY GOD!"

I apologize for my incessant fangirling, but I seriously cannot believe this is happening right now. Mathias Blad is, hands-down, by far, my favorite vocalist of all time. The man's voice speaks to me in a way that no other singer's ever has, it inspires me, it makes me wish, for the first time ever, that the guitars weren't so loud, so I could hear him better. It makes me close my eyes and immerse myself in the world of his voice, paying no attention to anything else around me, but savoring each note he sings, the way one would savor each bite of the best meal they've ever tasted. It makes me want to be a better singer.

For those who don't know, Mathias does musical theatre in Sweden as his main gig. Falconer is a side job. Because of his theatre commitments, Falconer doesn't tour. They don't play live. Almost never do they play live. Maybe once every five years. In fact, Mathias and the rest of the band parted ways once in 2002, the sole reason for the split being so that Falconer could go on tour. It was an amicable split; the band simply wanted to perform live as most metal bands do, and Mathias was unable to do so. They replaced him with another vocalist and they did indeed do a bit of touring; but it became clear that he was irreplaceable, and eventually the other band members approached Mathias and asked him to return to his rightful place as frontman. Even though it meant they could never tour again. Because he's THAT AMAZING. He said yes, and the world rejoiced, even knowing they may never have a chance to see the band perform.

And as if playing a live show wasn't rare enough in itself, to play live in the United States? Please, even my favorite European bands who do tour a lot rarely make it to the U.S., with a couple of exceptions. Surely, Falconer never will. Surely, I will have to become rich enough to travel to Sweden if I ever want to see Mathias sing on stage or see Falconer perform a concert. I NEVER, EVER IN A MILLION YEARS thought that I would have a chance to see this! It is a dream come true! And I swear on all that is good and holy, even though this festival is on the other side of the country from where I live, I will be there. I will NOT miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

To be fair, I'm not the type who usually fangirls like this. I've met and had conversations with several of my favorite musicians and I swear I don't act this way. But Mathias is the one vocalist I proudly fangirl over, and just to be clear, it isn't a celebrity thing at all. It's 100% a voice thing.

This is not to undermine the amazing talents of the rest of the band. I am VERY much looking forward to the entire concert and the awesomeness that each member of the band brings to the table. But... you know... this is my idol we're talking about.

*Joan, as referenced in my Facebook post, is a buddy of mine who lives near Chicago and travels to ProgPower every year. She is as big a Falconer/Mathias fan as I am. She was there in person when the announcement was made, and had much the same reaction I did, except in person. If anyone was there and heard a woman who sounded like she was having a heart attack and an orgasm at the same time right after the announcement was made (because that's probably close to what actually happened), well, that was Joan. Oh, the fangirling shall be epic next year.

**I'd also like to mention that Stefan Weinerhall of Falconer has since corrected me about this being their first show in the U.S. Apparently, they did do one show in the States before! I was unaware of this at the time because that one show was 11 years ago, and I have only been a Falconite for a mere 6 years! However, Mathias Blad was not in the band at this time, so it still stands that I will be attending my favorite singer's first and only show in the U.S.