† Detroit, MI
State Theater
5/16/06

When I was born, my parents strategically picked a place to live that was 7 hours from any venue that would host a good rock show. Detroit and Minneapolis both are 7 driving hours away and I went there and back each in the period of a week for the love of HIM.

Detroit's State Theater is a beautiful venue. I don't know the history of it and this was my first show there, but I can tell that it's pretty old. The inside is decorated very retro and on both sides of the stage are large knight suits on the walls. The theater has a gothic medieval feel to it, which certainly went well for HIM.

I had watched the MTV2 special several times, which was filmed last fall at the State Theater. I joked with my buddy about meeting "the biggest HIM fan in Detroit" as proclaimed in the MTV2 special. It was just my luck that I'd get to the show at about 12:30 (doors open at 6:30) and be right next to him in line. The biggest HIM fan in Detroit was a very nice dude, though. I didn't get his real name, but we chatted for quite awhile.

I had to do some running around beforehand to the box office and but managed to get my photo pass and aftershows in time before the doors opened. I knew it was going to be an unfortgettable night.

One thing that sucks about all rock shows is the waiting. You wait in line, you wait in the venue, you wait between sets, you wait at the merchandise stand. We waited an extra 15 minutes outside the theater and they finally opened the doors at 6:45. We got in, I waited on the main floor, behind a few people and the barricade for over an hour listening to Led Zeppelin until finally Aiden hit the stage.

I'm not a fan of Aiden's music by any means. I'm not into the emo scene; Hawthorne Heights, Fall Out Boy, whatever. I don't like that. Still, Aiden entertained me. The lead singer, I think his name is Will, jumps around and swings his microphone a lot. He's animated, and kind of looks like Edward Scissorhands, so it was decent to watch. I'll watch 20 Aiden shows before I watch another Flaw set.

A lot of the fans there love Aiden, apparently. The new HIM fan base in the US is tightly linked with My Chemical Romance and Aiden and these types of bands, so it makes sense. Towards the end of Aidens performance, the singer crawled into the audience and pretty much stood up, held only by the fans grabbing his feet. I thought it was pretty rad. Okay, enough of you Aiden. It's in our hearts, it's in our heads, world by storm, time for HIM.

Another long wait ensued, and then out came the boys. Ville was dressed in his black flowery pants with a jacket and orange shirt. The shirt said "I don't have a drinking problem. I drink, I get drunk, I fall down. NO PROBLEM!"

I saw HIM twice before, both at The Quest in Minneapolis, and this Detroit show was by far the best yet. Ville wasn't drinking much, was full of energy, his voice was perfect, he didn't mess up on a single lyric. Everybody was just on their A-game. The set started with Soul on Fire, Under the Rose, Right Here in my Arms, Behind the Crimson Door, many of the other usuals, and finished the first play with The Sacrament and Funeral of Hearts before the encore. After the break, they blasted us with Vampire Heart and then the great ballad In Joy & Sorrow. I had been telling guys in line that they never play any Deep Shadows anymore, and they busted out In Joy & Sorrow! Foot in mouth!

Buried Alive by Love was the final song that they did, followed by Black Sabbath. Ville then said he wanted to get a chant going so loud that Sabbath could hear it over in England. Ozzy, Tony, and the rest of them. I don't remember their names.

Ville: Black!
Crowd: Black!
Ville: Sabbath!
Crowd: Sabbath!

This went on over and over and I was totally digging it. They said their goodbyes, Gas threw his sticks, and they took off.

Aftershow, anyone? My buddy and I waited around some more by the stage. Some dude from a radio station handed us Dark Light posters. Another woman gave us Sharpies. I knew this was going to be good.

Finally, out walked Ville and Mige first. Burton followed, then Linde and Gas. I couldn't believe it and I didn't want to act like it was a big deal. I casually, super-nervously, walked over to Burton and shook his hand and had a picture taken with him and he signed my poster. I jumped Mige next, shook his hand, he signed my poster and I talked to him about the dip of weird Swedish chew he was putting in. Ville was next, and I managed to snag a picture of myself with the whole band at once. I had my arm around Ville's back and waist and thought about how great I was. Ha!

They all signed my poster and I protected it with my life. I talked a little bit with quiet Linde and Gas and got single pictures with each of them, as well. The security guy was telling us to wrap it up when I asked Ville if he'd mind one more picture. He said no problem, and we snapped it and he thanked me. Ville thanked ME for getting my picture with him. "No, thank YOU" I told him.

It was then time to go. We were too late to buy merchandise, but I'd trade a signed poster by the band, and a picture with every single one of them and as a group over a $30 t-shirt any day.

As I type this, almost 2 weeks later, I still can't believe it happened.

The best part of it was... I knew I'd be seeing them again in Maplewood, Minnesota 6 days later. That story is coming soon.