Warning....unusual bouts of fangirlness ahead.
My detailed report as a groupie for the weekend.
HIM, Kill Hannah and 18 Visions
Cleveland
Buried Alive By Love
Wicked Game
Right Here In My Arms
Heartache Every Moment
Your Sweet 666
Join Me In Death
Death Is In Love With Us
It Is All Tears
Bury Me Deep In Your Heart
Razorblade Kiss
Resurrection
Beyond Redemption
Soul On Fire
Poison Girl
We left for Detroit on Thursday the 22nd at the buttcrack of dawn. I never wanna see the buttcrack of dawn again. It's not pretty. It was a little over a six hour drive and there wasn't much interesting to see during it at all. So I slept most of the way. (Obviously I wasn't the driver. ;) ) We checked into the Fairfield Inn when we arrived in Cleveland. I was dropped off at the Odeon around 3pm and there were already 20 people in line waiting. I alternated between sitting and standing for the four hours or so I was out there. One of the roadies came out and gave us HIM/Jagermeister lighters. And told us not to smoke. hah. The guys also showed up while we were sitting there. All but Ville. They arrived in a Holiday Inn shuttle bus. That was my first glimpse of them for the weekend and it just made me all the more excited. The KH guys wandered up and down the sidewalk a bit too. I said hi to Mat and he did a double take when he saw me. Guess he didn't think I'd drive all that way for a show. He gave me a nice hug though.
I stood next to a Macaulay Culkin look alike who showed me his stomach tattoo and wrist heartagram. I felt slightly like a pedophile at that show. I was in the second row near Ville's mic but once the moshing started I got knocked to the ground and nearly trampled so once KH finished their set I crawled out and went to the back. It turned out to be a good move because I ran into Alley and we got to meet and talk for a bit. She's really nice and it was fun talking with her. We ooze cute, don't we? ;)
I wasn't very impressed with 18 Visions the first night but they started to grow on me. I couldn't hear Ville very well in back but I still enjoyed the show. I guess since I wasn't that close to the front or anything the fact that I just saw HIM live didn't sink in too quickly. They did a meet and greet for fans upstairs that had special passes so I just left and went back to my hotel room.
Friday was a do nothing day. I slept late and then spent the afternoon at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Couldn't take my camera in but I did get a nice picture outside the building. The Hall of Fame was really cool. They had all sorts of memorabelia and what not. They had outfits and props from different performers. We saw some videos and listened to lots of songs. We watched "Butterfly Affect" that night and I really enjoyed it more than I thought it would. Ashton was pretty good.
Detroit
Buried Alive By Love
Wicked Game
Right Here In My Arms
Funeral of Hearts
Your Sweet 666
Pretending
Beyond Redemption
Join Me In Death
It Is All Tears
And Love Said No
Bury Me Deep In Your Heart
Razorblade Kiss
Loose You Tonight
Poison Girl
Soul On Fire
Arrived in Detroit around 2pm on Saturday. Checked into the Comfort Suites and went to the line outside the Majestic at 3pm to wait the five hours till the doors opened. Again there were like 20 people there ahead of me. I spent my time people watching. Lots of bums walking around begging for money. This one lady came over asking for quarters and then sat in line with us. She pulled her shoes off and started picking her toes. Then she opened and closed her pants and scratched her head like crazy. Probably had lice. She talked to herself too. People started throwing quarters at her and she grabbed them and ran off.
Sandra and friends showed up around 6pm and I finally had ticket in hand. She and her friends are super nice and we spent the remaining two hours of waiting time talking. There were a lot of skater kids there drawing Heartagrams on themselves. I was amused they were shelling out 50 bucks a pop for some backstage passes. Twas even more amusing when I met the guys after the show and didn't pay a thing. But I digress. This time when we went inside I was right in front right by Mige and Valo's mic. There was less moshing so I didn't get pushed down or anything. It was an awesome view. 18 Visions came out and smothered us in fog. Being up front I noticed that the more clothing the singer lost, the closer it got to the end of their set. When he was shirtless it was time for KH to come out.
KH was awesome as usual. They have been singing Rebel Yell at every gig which is totally awesome. I got smooshed against the wooden stage and I wouldn't have been surprised to find an indentation running across my tits by the end of the show. I never looked though. hah. Mat gave me one of his guitar picks and I think I accidentally scratched his hand when he took it. Sorry Mat. :(
HIM came out a bit later and this time I was able to see the smorgasbord of goodies Ville had behind him on stage. Beer, redbull, water, cups of with stuff in them, he was set. He would drink and stick his beer in his back pocket as he sang. They foamed up and he blew the foam at Mige. He wore an Elvis shirt. lol He only drank half of everything and did the same with his smokes, tossing half smoked butts on the stage. It amused me how slow and deliberate he was when lighting up, as if that was a show in itself. He made eye contact a lot and waved at people. He was all smiles and very happy. Somebody threw panties on stage and asked him to play Pretending so they did. Then another person said they lost their job to follow HIM on tour and asked to hear And Love Said No. They played that too. But Ville said their shows weren't losing your job over. Somebody in front gave him a tshirt and he took it saying thanks and that he needed more shirts cause he was always losing them. He leaned down so another person could light his smoke.
Most of the show I admittedly spent watching Mige in action. I know you probably won't believe me but I think he really is my favorite. Everybody was shouting out Valo's name all night so during a quiet part I called out to Mige and he looked up at me and smiled, giving a little wave. Yes...I giggled at that. The show ended with Burton throwing his towel in the audience and Gas throwing out drumsticks. He was the last one on stage and gave a giant bow as everybody cheered on. Headed through the chaos to find Sandra and company and spotted Jon (Radtke from Kill Hannah). I talked to him in Cleveland so I was just gonna say a quick hi and bye on my way by but as I touched his arm to get his attention he pulled me into a big hug, kissed my cheek and said thanks for coming sweetie. or something similar. I laughed and complimented him on a great show, continuing on my way. Once we hooked up we went out back by the buses to wait. It was sprinkling out and kinda cold. Some of the roadies told us the band had left already and others said they were still coming.
I had to wait for my ride to come get me anyways so I stuck by the buses. Sandra had to go sadly so we said our goodbyes and I wandered around. I talked with Jon, Mat and Dan while I waited. I listened to some kids ask Mat what Ville was like and laughed as he started talking about him as if he was some awestruck in love fan. He called him a beautiful man and stuff like that. Everything the kids probably wanted to hear. About an hour and a half after the show the guys came out. Mige ran right on the bus so fast I didn't even see him. Linde smiled at us and said something about how cold it was outside and then went on the bus. Gas and Burton signed a few autographs and did pictures. I got a pic with Burton and when I turned to ask Gas for a picture with him he was gone. I turned back around and there was Ville. He's kinda small in person. I mean, obviously taller then me but of small build. He had a hoodie on and was in a very good mood, signing things and taking pictures, very accomodating. One guy asked if he would sing happy birthday in finnish to his girlfriend and he did.
I got a picture with him and we chatted a little. I gave him something I had made for him and the other guys and he made a comment about how it's a step different then tattooing your guy or girl's name on your chest, his hand moving over the side of his chest where the S was buried under his clothes. He thanked me for my gift and gave me a nice hug. And for anybody who wonders, yes he does smell good. Like cigarettes and pizza and something else. We asked if he could ask Mige to come out and he called to him, using his nickname, Mizee. Mige stumbled out squinting and I had a feeling he had been partaking a bit. I asked him if I could take a picture with him and he said sure. After that I left, not wanting to bother them too much. I told Ville I'd see him in Chicago and he grinned and said, "Yeah? Cool cool!" I think he's very pleased with the way the tour has been going.
Chicago
Buried Alive By Love
Wicked Game
Right Here In My Arms
Heartache Every Moment
Your Sweet 666
Join Me In Death
Beyond Redemption
Solitary Man
Soul On Fire
Poison Girl
It Is All Tears
Razorblade Kiss
Bury Me Deep In Your Heart
Resurrection
I slept maybe three hours after the Detroit concert. I was so wired after meeting Ville, Mige and Burton that it was just hard to sleep long. We left early and drove back to Milwaukee where I uploaded my pictures and then took my car back to Chicago. I met Alexis at her place after getting slightly lost on stupid Chicago streets. We took the L train to the HOB and eventually went in to eat. As we ate, Gas walked past our table and I smiled and gave him a tiny wave. He smiled back. We took our receipt and went to the front of the long line that had already formed and apparently some people had been there since 8am but had no clue about the eat there and pass the line thing. Oops. We waited in line and I had to check my damn camera sob. But we got in front thanks to a fellow KH fan. Hee! 18 Visions set was shorter then the last shows and KH had a longer set because it was their home town.
They played some older songs like "Trains Are So Loud" and "Hyperactive". Mat drenched us in water and handed out guitar picks again. He mentioned HIM and how cool it was to open for them. HIM came out around 9pm. This was the first show they didn't have the Heartagram backdrop hanging up. My guess is they weren't allowed to put it up because of the moniters hanging on the wall. Ville wore a Rolling Stones shirt this time. Sometime during the set Ville said he was depressed because he couldn't fit the beer bottles in his back pocket anymore. That between Detroit and Chicago he ate too much pizza and gained some weight. We all laughed and he started singing Join Me In Death. Someone threw a jacket they made at him and he looked it over, wiping the sweat from his face with it, and said that it probably wouldn't fit. Sure enough he put it on and drowned in it. He said it smelled good though.
He stuffed beer bottles in the pockets and told the person who threw it to come get it back after the show cause they would be cold otherwise. Though after the show he decided to keep the thing and not give it back. He asked if anybody had heard about Love Metal and grinned like a cheshire cat when everybody screamed loudly and affirmatively. I yelled out to Burton this time since I was on his side and he raised his arm, pointed at me and returned the finger horns I had made at him. When the show ended I dragged Alexis around and introduced her to the KH guys, informing them of her KH concert virgin status. (You live in Chicago woman, that is such blasphemy! :^p ) As we talked to Mat I told him I was going to go check out the HIM merch and he called me a traitor. SOB Chatted with Dan and told him this was my last gig. Of course he immediately said, "Forever?" and I laughed and was like of course not. He laughed and said he'd see me in June then. The man knows me well. It's scary. I wonder if they are playing Summerfest again...
Managed to buy a little bit of merch. A tshirt with US tour dates on it and a keychain. Most of the stuff was sold out. Went downstairs and got my camera back. We decided to hang around for awhile and ended up sitting in one of the stairwells with some girls who's mothers had gone upstairs to talk to the HIM guys for them. One of the girls drew a bunch of sketches of the guys and her mother managed to get them autographed. They were really good. She also had a sketch of Lauri Ylonen so we started chatting about The Rasmus.
The moms came back down and said that Ville was having asthma issues and seemed to have the flu again. One of them asked him if maybe the cigerettes had something to do with it and he said something like, "Nope, not at all." The second time they went up and came back they brought Mige and Burton down with them. They also reported that some girls had dragged Ville into the girls room upstairs with them. The moms left and the girls hung around so we hung with them a bit longer. I really wanted a picture with Linde and Gas, the only two I hadn't gotten before so I was willing to lose a little sleep to get them. Alexis and I decided that if they weren't out by like 12:30am we were gonna hop the L and leave. Seppo came down and we said hi to him and then I saw Greg come down so I went and chatted with him for a moment and he confirmed the guys were still up there but he had to go. I turned around to tell Alexis and there were the guys stepping off the elevator, minus Mige who had gone to the bus already to ride it to Seattle.
I walked up to Linde and asked to get a picture with him and he happily posed. I did the same with Gas and got another picture with Ville for the hell of it. I did notice this time that Ville's cheeks were a bit flushed. Not sure if that was from the flu he had or the drinks he consumed. He was in a good mood and all and he even remembered me from the night before which made me feel good. We thanked them for everything and wished them a good rest of the tour. I was a bit sad to not be going to any more shows. sniffle. I turned to locate Alexis and Jon was behind me again. He pulled me into a drunken hug and I said goodbye to him too. He's so cute. *laughs*
Took the L back to my car, downed Red Bull and drove home, arriving around 2:30am. And so my weekend ends. I had so much fucking fun and i can't wait till the next time HIM does shows near me. It was worth the two year wait for them to get to the US.
HIM, Kill Hannah and 18 Visions
Cleveland
Buried Alive By Love
Wicked Game
Right Here In My Arms
Heartache Every Moment
Your Sweet 666
Join Me In Death
Death Is In Love With Us
It Is All Tears
Bury Me Deep In Your Heart
Razorblade Kiss
Resurrection
Beyond Redemption
Soul On Fire
Poison Girl
We left for Detroit on Thursday the 22nd at the buttcrack of dawn. I never wanna see the buttcrack of dawn again. It's not pretty. It was a little over a six hour drive and there wasn't much interesting to see during it at all. So I slept most of the way. (Obviously I wasn't the driver. ;) ) We checked into the Fairfield Inn when we arrived in Cleveland. I was dropped off at the Odeon around 3pm and there were already 20 people in line waiting. I alternated between sitting and standing for the four hours or so I was out there. One of the roadies came out and gave us HIM/Jagermeister lighters. And told us not to smoke. hah. The guys also showed up while we were sitting there. All but Ville. They arrived in a Holiday Inn shuttle bus. That was my first glimpse of them for the weekend and it just made me all the more excited. The KH guys wandered up and down the sidewalk a bit too. I said hi to Mat and he did a double take when he saw me. Guess he didn't think I'd drive all that way for a show. He gave me a nice hug though.
I stood next to a Macaulay Culkin look alike who showed me his stomach tattoo and wrist heartagram. I felt slightly like a pedophile at that show. I was in the second row near Ville's mic but once the moshing started I got knocked to the ground and nearly trampled so once KH finished their set I crawled out and went to the back. It turned out to be a good move because I ran into Alley and we got to meet and talk for a bit. She's really nice and it was fun talking with her. We ooze cute, don't we? ;)
I wasn't very impressed with 18 Visions the first night but they started to grow on me. I couldn't hear Ville very well in back but I still enjoyed the show. I guess since I wasn't that close to the front or anything the fact that I just saw HIM live didn't sink in too quickly. They did a meet and greet for fans upstairs that had special passes so I just left and went back to my hotel room.
Friday was a do nothing day. I slept late and then spent the afternoon at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Couldn't take my camera in but I did get a nice picture outside the building. The Hall of Fame was really cool. They had all sorts of memorabelia and what not. They had outfits and props from different performers. We saw some videos and listened to lots of songs. We watched "Butterfly Affect" that night and I really enjoyed it more than I thought it would. Ashton was pretty good.
Detroit
Buried Alive By Love
Wicked Game
Right Here In My Arms
Funeral of Hearts
Your Sweet 666
Pretending
Beyond Redemption
Join Me In Death
It Is All Tears
And Love Said No
Bury Me Deep In Your Heart
Razorblade Kiss
Loose You Tonight
Poison Girl
Soul On Fire
Arrived in Detroit around 2pm on Saturday. Checked into the Comfort Suites and went to the line outside the Majestic at 3pm to wait the five hours till the doors opened. Again there were like 20 people there ahead of me. I spent my time people watching. Lots of bums walking around begging for money. This one lady came over asking for quarters and then sat in line with us. She pulled her shoes off and started picking her toes. Then she opened and closed her pants and scratched her head like crazy. Probably had lice. She talked to herself too. People started throwing quarters at her and she grabbed them and ran off.
Sandra and friends showed up around 6pm and I finally had ticket in hand. She and her friends are super nice and we spent the remaining two hours of waiting time talking. There were a lot of skater kids there drawing Heartagrams on themselves. I was amused they were shelling out 50 bucks a pop for some backstage passes. Twas even more amusing when I met the guys after the show and didn't pay a thing. But I digress. This time when we went inside I was right in front right by Mige and Valo's mic. There was less moshing so I didn't get pushed down or anything. It was an awesome view. 18 Visions came out and smothered us in fog. Being up front I noticed that the more clothing the singer lost, the closer it got to the end of their set. When he was shirtless it was time for KH to come out.
KH was awesome as usual. They have been singing Rebel Yell at every gig which is totally awesome. I got smooshed against the wooden stage and I wouldn't have been surprised to find an indentation running across my tits by the end of the show. I never looked though. hah. Mat gave me one of his guitar picks and I think I accidentally scratched his hand when he took it. Sorry Mat. :(
HIM came out a bit later and this time I was able to see the smorgasbord of goodies Ville had behind him on stage. Beer, redbull, water, cups of with stuff in them, he was set. He would drink and stick his beer in his back pocket as he sang. They foamed up and he blew the foam at Mige. He wore an Elvis shirt. lol He only drank half of everything and did the same with his smokes, tossing half smoked butts on the stage. It amused me how slow and deliberate he was when lighting up, as if that was a show in itself. He made eye contact a lot and waved at people. He was all smiles and very happy. Somebody threw panties on stage and asked him to play Pretending so they did. Then another person said they lost their job to follow HIM on tour and asked to hear And Love Said No. They played that too. But Ville said their shows weren't losing your job over. Somebody in front gave him a tshirt and he took it saying thanks and that he needed more shirts cause he was always losing them. He leaned down so another person could light his smoke.
Most of the show I admittedly spent watching Mige in action. I know you probably won't believe me but I think he really is my favorite. Everybody was shouting out Valo's name all night so during a quiet part I called out to Mige and he looked up at me and smiled, giving a little wave. Yes...I giggled at that. The show ended with Burton throwing his towel in the audience and Gas throwing out drumsticks. He was the last one on stage and gave a giant bow as everybody cheered on. Headed through the chaos to find Sandra and company and spotted Jon (Radtke from Kill Hannah). I talked to him in Cleveland so I was just gonna say a quick hi and bye on my way by but as I touched his arm to get his attention he pulled me into a big hug, kissed my cheek and said thanks for coming sweetie. or something similar. I laughed and complimented him on a great show, continuing on my way. Once we hooked up we went out back by the buses to wait. It was sprinkling out and kinda cold. Some of the roadies told us the band had left already and others said they were still coming.
I had to wait for my ride to come get me anyways so I stuck by the buses. Sandra had to go sadly so we said our goodbyes and I wandered around. I talked with Jon, Mat and Dan while I waited. I listened to some kids ask Mat what Ville was like and laughed as he started talking about him as if he was some awestruck in love fan. He called him a beautiful man and stuff like that. Everything the kids probably wanted to hear. About an hour and a half after the show the guys came out. Mige ran right on the bus so fast I didn't even see him. Linde smiled at us and said something about how cold it was outside and then went on the bus. Gas and Burton signed a few autographs and did pictures. I got a pic with Burton and when I turned to ask Gas for a picture with him he was gone. I turned back around and there was Ville. He's kinda small in person. I mean, obviously taller then me but of small build. He had a hoodie on and was in a very good mood, signing things and taking pictures, very accomodating. One guy asked if he would sing happy birthday in finnish to his girlfriend and he did.
I got a picture with him and we chatted a little. I gave him something I had made for him and the other guys and he made a comment about how it's a step different then tattooing your guy or girl's name on your chest, his hand moving over the side of his chest where the S was buried under his clothes. He thanked me for my gift and gave me a nice hug. And for anybody who wonders, yes he does smell good. Like cigarettes and pizza and something else. We asked if he could ask Mige to come out and he called to him, using his nickname, Mizee. Mige stumbled out squinting and I had a feeling he had been partaking a bit. I asked him if I could take a picture with him and he said sure. After that I left, not wanting to bother them too much. I told Ville I'd see him in Chicago and he grinned and said, "Yeah? Cool cool!" I think he's very pleased with the way the tour has been going.
Chicago
Buried Alive By Love
Wicked Game
Right Here In My Arms
Heartache Every Moment
Your Sweet 666
Join Me In Death
Beyond Redemption
Solitary Man
Soul On Fire
Poison Girl
It Is All Tears
Razorblade Kiss
Bury Me Deep In Your Heart
Resurrection
I slept maybe three hours after the Detroit concert. I was so wired after meeting Ville, Mige and Burton that it was just hard to sleep long. We left early and drove back to Milwaukee where I uploaded my pictures and then took my car back to Chicago. I met Alexis at her place after getting slightly lost on stupid Chicago streets. We took the L train to the HOB and eventually went in to eat. As we ate, Gas walked past our table and I smiled and gave him a tiny wave. He smiled back. We took our receipt and went to the front of the long line that had already formed and apparently some people had been there since 8am but had no clue about the eat there and pass the line thing. Oops. We waited in line and I had to check my damn camera sob. But we got in front thanks to a fellow KH fan. Hee! 18 Visions set was shorter then the last shows and KH had a longer set because it was their home town.
They played some older songs like "Trains Are So Loud" and "Hyperactive". Mat drenched us in water and handed out guitar picks again. He mentioned HIM and how cool it was to open for them. HIM came out around 9pm. This was the first show they didn't have the Heartagram backdrop hanging up. My guess is they weren't allowed to put it up because of the moniters hanging on the wall. Ville wore a Rolling Stones shirt this time. Sometime during the set Ville said he was depressed because he couldn't fit the beer bottles in his back pocket anymore. That between Detroit and Chicago he ate too much pizza and gained some weight. We all laughed and he started singing Join Me In Death. Someone threw a jacket they made at him and he looked it over, wiping the sweat from his face with it, and said that it probably wouldn't fit. Sure enough he put it on and drowned in it. He said it smelled good though.
He stuffed beer bottles in the pockets and told the person who threw it to come get it back after the show cause they would be cold otherwise. Though after the show he decided to keep the thing and not give it back. He asked if anybody had heard about Love Metal and grinned like a cheshire cat when everybody screamed loudly and affirmatively. I yelled out to Burton this time since I was on his side and he raised his arm, pointed at me and returned the finger horns I had made at him. When the show ended I dragged Alexis around and introduced her to the KH guys, informing them of her KH concert virgin status. (You live in Chicago woman, that is such blasphemy! :^p ) As we talked to Mat I told him I was going to go check out the HIM merch and he called me a traitor. SOB Chatted with Dan and told him this was my last gig. Of course he immediately said, "Forever?" and I laughed and was like of course not. He laughed and said he'd see me in June then. The man knows me well. It's scary. I wonder if they are playing Summerfest again...
Managed to buy a little bit of merch. A tshirt with US tour dates on it and a keychain. Most of the stuff was sold out. Went downstairs and got my camera back. We decided to hang around for awhile and ended up sitting in one of the stairwells with some girls who's mothers had gone upstairs to talk to the HIM guys for them. One of the girls drew a bunch of sketches of the guys and her mother managed to get them autographed. They were really good. She also had a sketch of Lauri Ylonen so we started chatting about The Rasmus.
The moms came back down and said that Ville was having asthma issues and seemed to have the flu again. One of them asked him if maybe the cigerettes had something to do with it and he said something like, "Nope, not at all." The second time they went up and came back they brought Mige and Burton down with them. They also reported that some girls had dragged Ville into the girls room upstairs with them. The moms left and the girls hung around so we hung with them a bit longer. I really wanted a picture with Linde and Gas, the only two I hadn't gotten before so I was willing to lose a little sleep to get them. Alexis and I decided that if they weren't out by like 12:30am we were gonna hop the L and leave. Seppo came down and we said hi to him and then I saw Greg come down so I went and chatted with him for a moment and he confirmed the guys were still up there but he had to go. I turned around to tell Alexis and there were the guys stepping off the elevator, minus Mige who had gone to the bus already to ride it to Seattle.
I walked up to Linde and asked to get a picture with him and he happily posed. I did the same with Gas and got another picture with Ville for the hell of it. I did notice this time that Ville's cheeks were a bit flushed. Not sure if that was from the flu he had or the drinks he consumed. He was in a good mood and all and he even remembered me from the night before which made me feel good. We thanked them for everything and wished them a good rest of the tour. I was a bit sad to not be going to any more shows. sniffle. I turned to locate Alexis and Jon was behind me again. He pulled me into a drunken hug and I said goodbye to him too. He's so cute. *laughs*
Took the L back to my car, downed Red Bull and drove home, arriving around 2:30am. And so my weekend ends. I had so much fucking fun and i can't wait till the next time HIM does shows near me. It was worth the two year wait for them to get to the US.