Earlier this year after 25 years the Finnish rockers HIM decided to call it quits. The band decided to go out with a bang and a whimper as they embarked on their final tour “Bang and Whimper 2017 The Farewell Tour.” This past Tuesday night HIM made a stop in the Queen City playing to a sold out crowd at the Fillmore.
I arrived at the venue about an hour before the doors were scheduled to open and the line of fans waiting to enter was already wrapped around the block. Once inside, the Fillmore was a sea of heartagrams, the band’s symbol of half heart and half pentagram. Much like HIM’s music, the heartagram is a dichotomy with the heart representing the lighter sentimental side of HIM and the pentagram representing the heavier, darker side of the band’s music. As the lights went dark, a taped intro of “Bye Bye Love” by the Everly Brothers began to play as the band took their places on stage. Kicking off the evening with “Buried Alive By Love,” HIM was in top form as the crowd absolutely went wild. The stage stayed extremely dark except for some flashes of light from the rear and some blue and magenta lighting at times and the set list was a great mix of HIM tunes from all their albums including crowd favorites “Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly” and “Heartkiller.” Things really heated up during the Chris Isaak cover “Wicked Game” and a poignant moment was shared by all as the band performed a heartrending version of their break through song “Join Me In Death.” Valo’s vocals sounded better than ever whether he was belting it out or barely a whisper. HIM closed things out with “The Funeral of Hearts” before returning for an encore that featured an emotional cover of Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell” and “When Love and Death Embrace.”
It was an intense and emotionally charged evening as Charlotte HIM fans said goodbye to a band that has meant so much to them over the years. It was a night that was full of highs and lows and one that they will never forget. Don’t miss your final chance to see HIM before it’s too late.
Deserving a mention are the American rockers of CKY who opened up the show with a rousing set. The band led by vocalist and guitarist Chad I Ginsburg truly defies description with a unique blend of metal, alternative, and post-grunge music that had fans on their feet as they played CKY fan favorites as well as tunes from their latest album “The Phoenix.”
SET LIST:
Buried Alive By Love
Heartache Every Moment
Your Sweet Six Six Six
The Kiss of Dawn
The Sacrament
Tears On Tape
Rip Out The Wings of a Butterfly
Gone With The Sin
Soul On Fire
Wicked Game (Chris Isaak cover)
Killing Loneliness
Poison Girl
Bleed Well
Hearkiller
Join Me In Death
It’s All Tears (Drown In This Love)
In Joy and Sorrow
Right Here In My Arms
The Funeral of Hearts
Encore:
Rebel Yell (Billy Idol cover)
When Love and Death Embrace
We would like to thank Steve Karas from SKH Music for the credentials to review the show.
