Every Shirt CLVI: Running Wild - Under Jolly Roger

shirt: Running Wild - Under Jolly Roger longsleeve
size: XL (EU)
vintage: 2007
provenance: festival

The last shirt in the pile, this is at the bottom by chance, but it might as well have ended up here by intent. This is probably my least favorite even among longsleeves, and will probably remain so even if I can continue to get less fat: the problem isn't the gut but the sleeves, which barely fit my forearms, which are even now composed almost entirely of bone and muscle. Even when I got it at Wacken, it was suboptimal, but for a long time it was the only piece of Running Wild gear that I could get my grubby paws on, which made it worth sticking with.

That's it; after nearly six months, this stupid excursion is done and over with. There are some good shows coming this week that should get written up, but the real point is that there will never be another of these. Once through this pile is quite enough.

Every Shirt CXVII: Running Wild

shirt: Running Wild
size: 2XL (EU)
vintage: 2009
provenance: festival

I have an order in for a Wacken '09 festival shirt (see raging in re the merch crush), but even without it, I was well satisfied with this as a sole souvenir of this year's fest. My Running Wild fandom is well attested, and this special design for the final show is one that I'm glad I had the chance to pick up. Whoever picks up their crown, they were the first and will remain for a while yet the best, one of the very few gimmick-heavy metal bands that made a worthy career out of it, and that on the very real strength of their music.

good news/bad news

Good news: Running Wild is playing Wacken this year on Thursday night.

Bad news: Running Wild is playing their last show ever at Wacken this year on Thursday night.

Good news: I bought my W:O:A ticket immediately when they went on sale, the bill essentially sight unseen, and thus I'm assured of seeing Running Wild before they strike the tents, which is not something many US metalheads can say. I'd like Running Wild to do a full tour and come back to the US as a farewell, but they've been bad at finishing tours for a while; I should have seen them in Dresden the day after I saw In Extremo, at the same venue, but they bagged the end of that tour and haven't really scheduled a sustained run of dates since.

Cap'n Rolf may be striking the black flag, but there are other corsairs out there; whether Swashbuckle, Scurvy, or Alestorm eventually takes over their spot, the cause of heavy metal piracy will go on -- and Swashbuckle's coming by in two weeks with Paganfest.