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Bowery Ballroom April 15, 2004
Thursday night, was the H.I.M show in NY. Now, let me tell you - that I have been waiting for this for over 6 years. I LOVE this band, and their music to no end. Anyway - finally, they started their US tour. Let's start off with one of their opening bands, Kill Hannah. I'd never really listened to their music before, but their live set was amazing. Mat's voice is great, the backup vocals were good... And the music itself, was awesome. Definitely a band worth seeing again. Now, for H.I.M... It was everything I expected. (Except for Ville Valo looking like Captain Jack Sparrow.) The show was incredible. Ville's voice was still amazing, even though he cracked a little, and the mic cut out for a few. Linde on the guitar - was just AWESOME. We stuck around the ballroom for a while after most people had left... Met some of the guys from Kill Hannah, H.I.M, and of course, Bam Margera was there as well. Granted we really stuck around to talk to Ville... But hey, the other guys were cool too. I've been waiting for so long to meet Ville, shake his hand... just tell him how much I love and appreciate their music. It certainly was not what I expected.~Michelle
April 19, 2004
H.I.M are:
Ville Valo - Lead vocals
Linde - Guitar
Mige - Bass
Burton - Keyboards
Gas - Drums
It's a show, that's been almost 8 years in waiting. And it's finally here. H.I.M
are a band based in Finland, but have gained alot of recognition in the U.S.
during the past few years, thanks to skater Bam Margera. But there are a few of
us out here that have been die hard fans for years. And this was our night.
Personally, I've been listening to H.I.M for almost 6 years, so this was
something I've been dying for. So, off I was, proudly sporting my heartagram
tattoos - ready for one of the best shows of my life.
Where do I even begin? From the very second the lights dimmed, and the only
thing visible on stage was the golden heartagram on the backdrop, the crowd went
insane. Slowly the music came in, as they came out into the darkness and went
straight into their set. There was no need for fog machines, or elaborate
special effects, their presence alone was enough to make this show amazing.
H.I.M has classified themselves as "Love Metal," combining melodic tunes &
beautiful lyrics, with heavy riffs, and percussive beats that make you want to
move. Tracks such as "Soul on Fire," and "Buried Alive By Love" prove that this
band is worthy of using the word "metal" in the title of their last album, "Love
Metal." But then there are the ballad-esque tracks such as "The Funeral of
Hearts," and "Sweet Pandaemonium" that bring a lighter, softer note to their
sound. Either way you look at it - the versatility of their sound is what makes
them worth listening to.
The show was everything I had expected, and so much more. The music flowed into
the hearts, and ears of the crowd... with the occasional pause here and there
Ville took to talk to his fans. The energy on stage was intense, but what made
the show, was Ville's passion for the music - it's phenomenal. And you can see
it when he's performing.
One of the highlights of the evening was their performance of "The Sacrament."
The haunting piano intro was enough to send chills down your spine. And of
course, who will ever forget their cover of Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man?" Gas'
percussive breakdown in that song, was great.
Overall, when you combine Ville's deep, haunting voice... with Linde's intricate
guitarwork, Mige's thumping basslines, Burton's melodies on the keyboards, Gas'
intensity on the drums, and some of the most beautifully written lyrics - The
end result is something so amazing, it should not be missed.
In Ville's words: "It took me 10 years to do this... to realize what a miserable
person I am, just looking at the names of these songs..."
It's okay Ville. It's what makes your music incredible.
You can check them out at their official website: www.heartagram.com
~Michelle