In The Abscense Of Light

Written by Thomas, May 2005

e who smoke are constantly fighting a battle against those who is trying to convince us that it is better if we where to quit, it would be better for everyone they say. I like to decide that for myself even if the number of smokers constantly decreases, whether they quit themselves or faces the consequences of death, yup, smoking actually can kill ya. And now there are even laws that forbid us to smoke at restaurants, pubs and other public facilities. But even if I smoke myself I consider the forbids and also the fact the number of smokers is getting less a positive thing, although there is one real and major downside, and the Heavy Metal communion is the one that suffers.

direct result of fewer smokers is that not as many people bring cigarette lighters with them to concerts anymore, and what will be swayed back and forth during the slower parts of a live performances then? Well, I tell you what direction we are taking with our technical society: mobile phones. Instead of lighters we can now see mobile phones with its cold fluorescent light swaying among the crowd. I first started to pay attention to this phenomenon when I saw Judas Priest in February and when I saw Freedom Call in March it was getting even more obvious. But just this past weekend when I attended Hammerfall the winds had definitely changed, now there was about fifty-fifty with lighters and phones, and seriously, it isn't the same. The warm familiar feeling the lighters create is now being replaced by a cold and hard light and it just looks stupid if you ask me.

o what is the cure to stop this mobile phone disease? I don't encourage you to start smoking, there are enough of us fools already, but perhaps you could at least bring along a lighter with you the next time you go to a concert. Or even better, the bands could start handing out free lighters with their logo on to audience that is paying prices for tickets that are too high anyway. Mankind discovered the fire for more than a thousand years ago and I don't think the time to abandon it has come just yet; I say we stick with it for many thousand years to come.

Thomas - May 2005