Fangirls
Arriving at the venue at half past 5, after having a very early dinner, the age of the girls already sitting in front of it was shocking. When did HIM become a teenie-worshipped band? Is that the sheer result of being pimped by Bam? Most of them were wearing HIM-shirts, or rather Ville-shirts. Somehow the other band members (yes, HIM is actually a band and not just Ville Valo) are rarely featured on shirts, posters and calendars. What’s with that anyway, wearing the shirt of the band you are going to see? It must be a teenie-thing, because none of my friends understood it either.
That Ville is the main thing on their minds became very obvious when the bassist and keyboard player (Migé and Burton) walked right past the crowd without being noticed. They walked back twenty minutes later and this time a few girls recognised Migé, running up to him to get a picture. The lovely Burton was completely ignored.
Doors opened at 7 and all the girls stormed up the steps leading to the door, to get the desired spot in the centre of the front row. Perfect for drooling at their favourite frontman. We decided to stay well away from them and stood at the side where the floor was raised. Perfect for taking pictures and enjoying the show. It was a long wait, the band started at half past 8. The teenies were getting impatient and squealed at every single person that set foot on stage. When the lights went out and smoke started coming from every corner, the screaming was deafening and cuddly toys were flying through the air. Hello? I thought this was a HIM-gig, not some boyband. They were ignored by the band though, the girls as well as the toys. The only things that could interest Ville were a black bra and a stack of cigarettes.
The show
Despite the screaming teenies, the show was great! The band was in excellent form, grinning all the way through the set and joking around. Ville was talkative and a little drunk, smoking a lot and charming as ever. The setlist was good! Though the base of it will always be the same [Join Me, Wicked Game, Poison Girl, Right Here in my Arms, Buried Alive by Love, The Sacrament, Funeral of Hearts], they replaced a few regular songs for oldies that they hadn’t played in a while. I was very pleased to see them play Razorblade Kiss, even though Ville screwed up the lyrics in the first verse…
This small European tour was a promotion and a try out for the new album Dark Light that was released the day after the gig in Amsterdam. There were three songs from it included in the setlist: opener Vampire Heart, Killing Loneliness and the current single (Rip Out the) Wings of a Butterfly. I had seen them play the first two at Rock Am Ring this summer, when the bass broke down halfway through Killing Loneliness and made Ville cut the song short. I was pleasantly surprised by the rough edge this song has live. Butterfly is a very good song and had the audience bouncing. Opening with Vampire Heart wasn’t the best idea they’ve had. Not because the song isn’t good enough, but because the band always adjusts the sound a lot during the first few songs. It would have come out better a little further into the set. Then again, I’d rather see them opening with Vampire Heart than with Buried Alive by Love, which has been the standard opener since the release of Love Metal in 2003. Highlight of the evening was Soul on Fire. Dark, moody and fast. Perfect to play in a church that’s been turned into a rock venue!
Verdict: Great show! The band was happy and in the mood to entertain, the setlist was amazing! The sound was ok, though Ville’s mic was a little too low and the drums were very loud. Of the four times I have seen them live, this comes second.
Imre
Pictures of this gig are here!
