Comment|The return of the favorite band of the early 2000s has been long hoped for, and the wait seems to continue, writes HS culture reporter Ilkka Mattila.
On Saturday singer and songwriter in the afternoon Samuli Putro presented a small request to the audience of the Huvila tent during the Helsinki festival weeks.
Later in the day’s program, Putro also had a sold-out evening concert, and he hoped from the audience that no one would share the photos and videos they took at the concert on social media before the evening.
“You’ll understand why after the whole gig,” Putro reasoned.
In retrospect, it seems that Johan should have guessed that.
The gig At first, Putro, who was alone on stage, played a clip of Zen Café’s concert recording from 2007. He said that in a meeting held shortly after the concert, he suggested to the other members of the band that Zen Café would remain on hiatus for the time being, and that Putro would continue working on his new songs alone.
Putro’s proposal was approved by a vote of 2–1.
When it ended, Zen Café was in the narrow top group of Finland’s biggest rock bands. It had released eight albums, six of which were hits. There were number one hits, gold records and radio hits.
In his long opening speech for the Huvila gig, Putro spoke warmly of his colleagues who played at Zen Café, the bassist Kari from Nylander and the drummer From Pete Parkkos.
After that, he performed songs made and published during his solo career with different ensembles for almost two hours. After the last song, Putro was left alone to bow and thank. Smoke was blown thickly onto the stage behind him, and gradually through the smoke it began to be seen that big bass drums and a drum set had been brought onto the stage.
Then Nylander and Parkkonen also came.
Zen Cafe played exactly one song at each gig in Huvila, Really beautifulwhich is the band’s most famous hit.
The audience was captivated, but nothing more came.
There would certainly be demand, because Zen Café is one of the few favorite bands from the beginning of the millennium that hasn’t made a comeback yet.
On the other hand, Pete Parkkonen is currently also involved in the band Keba, which has returned from an even longer hiatus, and released a new single over the weekend after 37 years of silence.
However, Putro is doing a special gig in Tampere-talo in November, the program of which includes no less than three concerts and a discussion event with Putro, Nylander and Parkkonen.
Keep so to ask Samuli Putro if we will see Zen Café again soon at gigs.
“Besides the Tampere house discussion, there are no further plans”, Putro answers HS briefly.
The band’s hiatus will therefore continue “indefinitely”, as the saying that has become established in the industry goes.