Live-Metal.Net - Concerts: HIM, Kill Hannah, Eighteen Visions

Theater Of Living Arts
Philadelphia, PA

By JEFF MAKI

The TLA is on South Street in downtown Philadelphia and is a party block, with bars, clubs and shops that line the street on both sides. People are everywhere. It seems like you could stay here forever (or until you run out of loot) and have a fuckin’ blast. Needless to say we engaged in a few rounds of spirits before the show.

Upon arriving on South Street we went to a random bar (can't remember the name). As we walked in Bam Margera was seated to our right. You can’t tell on MTV but Bam is only about 5 feet 7 inches tall and all of 110 pounds. It appeared they were filming in and all around the club for a Viva La Bam episode or possibly for the rumored HIM DVD.

Eighteen Visions
We entered the TLA early and caught Eighteen Visions’ set which was pretty damn good. They are kind of a cross between hardcore and punk with a dose of new wave thrown in. It adds up to a sound a little different from others out there now.

Kill Hannah
While I was at the bar, the second band on the bill Kill Hannah quickly caught my ear. They’re not at all heavy but they give off a certain kind of vibe. They are a new wave metal band really with the lead singer sounding a lot like a girl. I picked up their release For Never and Ever a week later and I am hooked. They have a vibe similar to HIM where you can rock their shit anywhere: with your girl or riding in your car and it just fits and feels right. The keyboards are some of the catchiest and coolest you will hear from any band anywhere. They played for about 30 minutes. Let’s just say they won me over as a new fan.

HIM
My whole crew got scattered about the club as HIM took the stage. I didn't see any of them again until the end of the show. During the set lead singer Ville Valo must have smoked a pack and a half of cigarettes while drinking and rambling on about who knows what in between songs.

Bam, Don Vito (featuring green hair), Phil, Ryan Dunn, Jenn, Rake Yohn and April, all from CKY/Viva La Bam fame were in the upper balcony. The crowd had some chants for them and especially for Vito. We almost scrapped with Rake Yohn after someone in our crew made a comment about Rake Yohn and the digital bees episode of Viva La Bam. Apparently Rake Yohn responded "Fuck you man! That shit wasn't cool!”

HIM was absolutely amazing live. They are a must see for anyone who hasn't had the chance to see them yet. Are they a heavy metal band? Maybe not but many metalheads will be surprised how loud and heavy the band actually is in concert. Valo has excellent stage presence and captivates the audience with his every lyric and word. And the girls--Oh the girls. The ratio of girls to guys in the audience was somewhere around 2-1. What other show could you say that about I ask? HIM left nothing obvious out of their set and these songs were long overdue to be heard here in the U.S. It was one of the best shows I have seen in a long while and one I'll never forget.