This Thursday we trekked an hour to Atlantic City to see the Finnish band HIM at the House of Blues in the Showboat Casino. Was it worth the hour drive? Most definitely! The two opening bands we saw, there were three but the first one we missed, were amazing to watch. When we arrived, Los Angeles based band Dommin was setting up for their set while another California band Drive A (the ones we missed) was breaking down. Kristofer Dommin, the bands lead singer, has that darker gothic sound to it and really flows with the music. I really enjoyed listening and watching them perform.
The second band we saw was Ex-Evanescence members plus American Idol singer Carly Smithson, called We Are the Fallen. Carly has an amazing voice and incredible vocal range. She really hit all the high notes and moved around the stage with great energy. I really enjoyed watching their set and when their album releases May 11 I’m going out to buy it for sure. All three opening bands came out from backstage and signed autographs and took pictures with fans, which was pretty cool of them.
Finally the moment everyone was waiting for…HIM enters the stage and the crowd erupts in loud noise yelling, screaming and clapping. The wait to see HIM was well worth it. Their whole set was great. The music selection was awesome and included hits such as: “Wings of a Butterfly,” “Killing Loneliness,” “Funeral of Hearts,” and many others. Throughout the set, Ville Valo was talking to the audience and joking with them. He definitely had a sense of humor. One fan threw something up on stage at one point and it hit him in the leg and he was joking about how it would affect him health wise. The whole audience laughed along with him. The band seemed to just flow off each other and have a great chemistry. They were joking around with each other on stage and laughing and really having a great time. They took the stage with a sense of ease and just went with the flow. Ville was relaxed and took center stage with just his microphone. His vocal range is amazing with the super deep low notes he reaches as well as his normal register he sings in. Mikko “Linde” Lindström guitar solos were amazing and fun to watch. Being a musician I love watching and hearing solos played and I am always amazed at how easy they make it look. Another part of the concert I really liked was the background. It looked so flowing and pretty especially when lit by the bluish lights. The staple Heartagram of HIM was on the bass drum head for all to see. During their final song before the encore, “Funeral of Hearts,” the band had a big floor strobe light shining throughout the song making the song that much prettier. Their encore song was Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” which was well done with a HIM twist. The band left the crowd wanting more HIM, but it was late and I’m sure they had somewhere else to be the following day. I would definitely see them again as this was unfortunately my first time seeing them live, though I have most of their albums, minus the new one Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice (which I will be buying the same time I get the We Are Fallen CD!) If any of these bands are in your area, make sure you go out and see them! They were all fantastic and I had a lot of fun watching them all. I wished we were able to see Drive A, but maybe next time. I’m SO glad I finally got to see HIM after all the years they have been touring. I am listening to them now as I am writing this review!
