Chad Bowar: You’re wrapping up the North American leg of this tour tonight. How has this run been for you?
Bjorn Gelotte: It’s been really good. Everybody that knows how tours are going is very happy. Walk-ups have been strong, and a lot of shows have been sold out at a time when people don’t have a lot of money. I guess that says something. It’s been a really successful tour. This time around we had an opportunity to meet a lot of people at the shows, with meet and greets and fan club meetings. It’s been awesome. It makes the day pass much quicker, and you get to meet the people and get their input. It’s a very important part of what we do.
When you come to the United States to tour, what are some things you look forward to, and what are you not so fond of?
I really enjoy touring in the U.S. It’s very convenient, and the people are awesome. What you don’t look forward to is the shows where you don’t have a shower afterwards and there’s no real toilet there. Missing family, of course. But touring is what we do. My mind is already set on touring a week before the tour. I’m no good at home at all the week before a tour.
You’ve been on the road for two years now supporting A Sense Of Purpose. What have been some of the highlights?
There are so many things, I don’t know where to begin. Some of the festivals we did this year were amazing. There were 70 or 80 thousand people at some festivals, and they all jump around just for you and your music. We had the biggest pyro shows we ever had, with the biggest screens and lights. Those moments are really cool.
Has it been a grueling two years, or have you taken enough breaks where it wasn’t a problem?
This time around we only did five festivals this summer. That meant we had some time off during the summer, which we normally never have. Summertime in Sweden is awesome. It’s really beautiful and never gets too warm. That recharged the batteries. We have done some crazy things this year. We’ve been around the world. We did an around the world trip earlier this year, and have done so many shows.
In the midst of your two years of touring for this CD, the economy tanked worldwide. Have you noticed an impact on your shows?
We have definitely noticed. Presales for shows have gone down drastically, because I think people are waiting until the show day and seeing how much money they have. But the walk-ups have been really strong, and people use music and entertainment to get away from ordinary life.
Is there anywhere left that you haven’t played live?
We haven’t played Africa yet. Friends have been to South Africa and played, and said it’s very different. But it’s cool because you can go on safaris and have a good time down there while you do shows.
Bands are now starting to play shows in China.
That would be really cool, too. I think we are planning on doing shows there, but with China it has been hard. You have to be invited to do shows there. There are a lot of things that are different, but it’s definitely worth trying to get there and play a couple of shows.
Is Jesper (Stromblad, guitarist) still back home for this tour?
He’s still back home. He’ll be there for this touring cycle. Niklas Engelin is filling in. He was with us 10 years ago for a summer when I was still playing drums. He’s an old friend, so it was easy. He had time to do it between working with his other band. There have been a lot of shows. Four days before a tour we found out Jesper wasn’t going to come out. I called Niklas and he was able to do it. He had three days to learn the songs, one day for rehearsal, then we go.
Could you have done it with just you on guitars?
We have done shows with one guitar, but nothing that we have ever written is for one guitar. It’s always dual leads, harmonies in the riffs. It’s super important for us. I’ve tried it, and there are probably guitarists that could do it and get away with it. I’m not one of them.
Did it take long to gel on stage with Niklas?
We worked on 17 songs in three days, and he is a very good guitar player. He has the right attitude. He wants to know the songs, to feel them, not just play them technically. He wants to understand the songs. It’s easy for him to know what’s coming up next.
How is Jesper doing?
I talk to him almost every day. He’s in therapy right now. He’s been in and out of rehab. We all keep our fingers crossed and try to support him any way we can. Everything that I’ve written for In Flames has been together with Jesper. We are very close, and have been very close for many years. It sucks, but at the same time this is the only way we can help, by continuing to do this and not forcing him into doing anything, making sure he takes care of himself. That’s how it is, and that’s where we stand right now. Hopefully he’ll be back for the next touring cycle, or early next year when we start writing for the new album.
Now that A Sense Of Purpose has been out for a while, are you satisfied with the sales and response to the album?
Sales don’t say anything today, because a lot of people don’t buy CDs. I’m never satisfied. I want to sell two billion records, like everybody else. The record industry is almost obsolete, the way they are dealing with it. But all things considered, I think we are doing great. You can see that at most of the shows we’ve done. This is the third tour we’ve done in the U.S. on this album, and people still show up. We have a following, thanks to good songs and record sales, but mainly because we tour so much.
