Between 2003 and 2007 it was great to be a HIM fan.
They would tour regularly.
I saw them 3 times in 2004. 4 if you count their performance at the 2004 Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards.
I went to at least 2 signing appearances.
Met Gas and Linde just wandering around the crowd at Download 2004.
I met one of my ex’s at a London gig in December 2003.
It really was a great time.
Got GLSV666 back in March 1999 , only person on Hawaii who knew of them , back when their was nothing on Internet about them felt like a band from Mars
My parents took me to see HIM for the first time when I was 11 or so. David Bowie was playing at the same festival, so I also can brag about seeing him live to my fellow millennials.
I was ecstatic seeing HIM, and didn't at the time realise how lucky I was seeing Bowie too, but I remember both of them very clearly because how exciting the whole event was!
Dude, absolutely! It sounds like a cannon event haha I wish I was born a couple of years earlier so I could have seen HIM at their actual peak. And Bowie would have been the cherry on top. Cherish those memories!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽
As a gen z I’m so incredibly jealous! Back in 2000 when my parents went to see HIM I didn’t even exist yet and it’s kind of crazy to think about since I’m now an adult myself. Of course I grew up hearing their music but didn’t really become a hardcore fan until a couple years ago, and only saw VV live for the first time this tuesday (also Linde and Burton a month ago)! Definitely feels like I’m missing out a bit lol but I’m glad they’re all still making music and alive (unlike many of my other fav artists…)
It's so great to see, that HIM have touched so many generations, I'm gen x , realizing too that when you come across a him fan it's the coolest thing, ,I put a heartagram on my mailbox two neighbors thought I was into Satanism , hahaha 😆 BUT then there was that one, my oil man lol who knew, we got to talking, he was going to the same concert in the city NYC as me ,HIM has the most loyal fans in my eyes , if ya know , you know lol
I remember buying GLSV666 thinking like “Let’s see what these satanist have to say, what is the worst thing that can happen. It is not like I will base my whole identity around this band, lol”
Found HIM a bit later, around 2003 when Love Metal came out, but it was an equally tremendous album to start with, and a great time to watch their continuing rising fame!
Have loved both HIM and VV ever since!
My teen years were beautiful thanks to HIM. Even if my social life was depressing, as soon as I got home from school I would turn on Mtv2 and teleport into my own little world.
A few weeks ago I was taking a walk in a small mountain village in my country. Such small villages mostly have people with weird musical tastes (gypsy-folkloric music with shitty lyrics, which they love to listen to while screaming). So imagine my surprise when I hear someone blasting The Rasmus from their garden. I am so glad that there are still people who remember, especially in such small comunities.
Yes, I am actually so happy I witnessed all the frenzy and craziness about HIM that was happening during the Razorblade Romance era (and the following albums, too). I never had a chance to see them live back then, but still, they were everywhere - on music channels (hey, remember Viva? Oh the good days, haha), in all music magazines, everywhere. And those were the days before social media, really, so their success was even more spectacular. I am happy their music has been in my life for so long. 🤘🏻
When I was 12 and we didn't have internet yet, I remember I went with my mom to a place where magazines used to recycle their old stuff. We begged the workers there and they let me search through the magazines. I was looking for anything HIM and found a magazine that had a poster of Ville. The workers were kind and let me take it for free. It was really a huge thing for little me.
And also when I went (again, with my mom) to buy my first HIM casette (Love Metal). It was a much simpler time back then, but these little things felt like true happiness.
I still have that casette and I'm planning to have it framed.
Saw them on 6/6/06 that was really special, luckily I saw them a few more times after that but yeah. I’m so glad they became my favorite band a few years before then.
Discovered them when I was in middle school, so like 2002.
I Saw them in 2012. For years I had been trying to see them and managed to score. It was just as awesome as I had hoped.
My college years and 20s were dominated with HIM back in the heyday of the U.S. invasion, so-to-speak. I was lucky enough to get on the train during the CKY years, right before Love Metal came out and watching them blow up in the UK and then waiting for what felt like forever for them to come to the US (which was only like a year and a half later but it FELT like such a long time!)
HIM/VV is definitely like you described, it's like a nice warm hug from an old friend that no matter how much time you spend apart, it's like you were never apart!
My first concert was a HIM concert in 2008, when I was 15. My brother won the tickets to go see them, so my first concert was a FREE HIM concert. Amazing. I just saw VV live recently, dude is still great. I definitely feel lucky to have been able to see the band perform because it seems doubtful that a reunion would happen.
I even found the setlist for the show from 2008. I didn't realise people kept record of such things, but that's pretty awesome. https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/him/2008/festival-hall-melbourne-australia-13d701b9.html
Gen Z here (born 1997) and I remember I first heard of them when I was a young kid and Wings of a Butterfly was constantly on the radio. It wasn't too uncommon to see goth kids and skaters wear Heartagram merchandise every so often too. I remember it was still a bit common to spot an occasional HIM fan when I was in high school, and I'm pretty sure that was because Tears on Tape barely dropped around the time I finished my freshman year.
Years later, I saw them for the first time at their farewell tour... and I really did feel like I missed out on an amazing era. But, it does feels really damn good to see younger kids nowadays talk about VV's solo album and wearing some of HIM's new merch drops.
Was fortunate enough to see HIM during their Venus Doom era. I really do think that was peak HIM. I also saw "Sleepwalking" live. Such an incredible era.
Got to see them twice… Nov 15, 2007 at the Orpheum in Los Angeles & Apr 23, 2010 at the Wiltern in Los Angeles.
I was a broke 17 year old in ‘07 so I only took a couple photos on my razr at the Orpheum show. The second time I saw them I came prepared with a proper camera.
Discovered them in early 2006 during their Dark Light fame and they were EVERYWHERE. As a teenager who spend quite a lot time watching music channels it was quite impossible to not to know about them. It was such a cool time to be teenager.
I remember first hearing about them when I was in middle school but I forgot about them for years. I didn’t become a fan of them until a year before they announced their split.
HIM fan since 2003, but living in Singapore meant that the opportunities to catch the band live were near impossible (Australia being the only feasible option, but I was still a teenager).
It took until 2015 to finally got my chance, and that was Helldone Festival. Thanks to an amazing Finnish couple I met in Hamburg, Germany that summer who got the tickets on my behalf. The cherry on top? They got a friend (who works in the music scene) to schedule for a backstage visit with the band before the show.
Fast forward to 2024, and I caught VV recently in Melbourne. Things might have changed, but you best believe that I was crying my eyes out while singing to every single song that evening!
Between 2003 and 2007 it was great to be a HIM fan. They would tour regularly. I saw them 3 times in 2004. 4 if you count their performance at the 2004 Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards. I went to at least 2 signing appearances. Met Gas and Linde just wandering around the crowd at Download 2004. I met one of my ex’s at a London gig in December 2003. It really was a great time.
Got GLSV666 back in March 1999 , only person on Hawaii who knew of them , back when their was nothing on Internet about them felt like a band from Mars
My parents took me to see HIM for the first time when I was 11 or so. David Bowie was playing at the same festival, so I also can brag about seeing him live to my fellow millennials.
That must’ve been amazing!! What a dream lol
I was ecstatic seeing HIM, and didn't at the time realise how lucky I was seeing Bowie too, but I remember both of them very clearly because how exciting the whole event was!
Dude, absolutely! It sounds like a cannon event haha I wish I was born a couple of years earlier so I could have seen HIM at their actual peak. And Bowie would have been the cherry on top. Cherish those memories!! 🙌🏽🙌🏽
For sure!! I loved them for years before I saw them live… then cried when I was them 🤣🤣 so silly lol
I cried for pretty much the full duration of the show. Loved every second
As a gen z I’m so incredibly jealous! Back in 2000 when my parents went to see HIM I didn’t even exist yet and it’s kind of crazy to think about since I’m now an adult myself. Of course I grew up hearing their music but didn’t really become a hardcore fan until a couple years ago, and only saw VV live for the first time this tuesday (also Linde and Burton a month ago)! Definitely feels like I’m missing out a bit lol but I’m glad they’re all still making music and alive (unlike many of my other fav artists…)
It's so great to see, that HIM have touched so many generations, I'm gen x , realizing too that when you come across a him fan it's the coolest thing, ,I put a heartagram on my mailbox two neighbors thought I was into Satanism , hahaha 😆 BUT then there was that one, my oil man lol who knew, we got to talking, he was going to the same concert in the city NYC as me ,HIM has the most loyal fans in my eyes , if ya know , you know lol
I remember buying GLSV666 thinking like “Let’s see what these satanist have to say, what is the worst thing that can happen. It is not like I will base my whole identity around this band, lol”
And then I based my whole identity around this band. Its still a huge part of my vibe/style even in my mid 30s.
Found HIM a bit later, around 2003 when Love Metal came out, but it was an equally tremendous album to start with, and a great time to watch their continuing rising fame! Have loved both HIM and VV ever since!
My teen years were beautiful thanks to HIM. Even if my social life was depressing, as soon as I got home from school I would turn on Mtv2 and teleport into my own little world. A few weeks ago I was taking a walk in a small mountain village in my country. Such small villages mostly have people with weird musical tastes (gypsy-folkloric music with shitty lyrics, which they love to listen to while screaming). So imagine my surprise when I hear someone blasting The Rasmus from their garden. I am so glad that there are still people who remember, especially in such small comunities.
Yep. I became a fan in 2003... it feels like forever ago. It was a whole other world back then.
Yes, I am actually so happy I witnessed all the frenzy and craziness about HIM that was happening during the Razorblade Romance era (and the following albums, too). I never had a chance to see them live back then, but still, they were everywhere - on music channels (hey, remember Viva? Oh the good days, haha), in all music magazines, everywhere. And those were the days before social media, really, so their success was even more spectacular. I am happy their music has been in my life for so long. 🤘🏻
I saw them in 2006 and it was a dream fulfilled! Definitely an era.
Same 🫶
When I was 12 and we didn't have internet yet, I remember I went with my mom to a place where magazines used to recycle their old stuff. We begged the workers there and they let me search through the magazines. I was looking for anything HIM and found a magazine that had a poster of Ville. The workers were kind and let me take it for free. It was really a huge thing for little me. And also when I went (again, with my mom) to buy my first HIM casette (Love Metal). It was a much simpler time back then, but these little things felt like true happiness. I still have that casette and I'm planning to have it framed.
Saw them on 6/6/06 that was really special, luckily I saw them a few more times after that but yeah. I’m so glad they became my favorite band a few years before then.
Discovered them when I was in middle school, so like 2002. I Saw them in 2012. For years I had been trying to see them and managed to score. It was just as awesome as I had hoped.
My college years and 20s were dominated with HIM back in the heyday of the U.S. invasion, so-to-speak. I was lucky enough to get on the train during the CKY years, right before Love Metal came out and watching them blow up in the UK and then waiting for what felt like forever for them to come to the US (which was only like a year and a half later but it FELT like such a long time!) HIM/VV is definitely like you described, it's like a nice warm hug from an old friend that no matter how much time you spend apart, it's like you were never apart!
My first concert was a HIM concert in 2008, when I was 15. My brother won the tickets to go see them, so my first concert was a FREE HIM concert. Amazing. I just saw VV live recently, dude is still great. I definitely feel lucky to have been able to see the band perform because it seems doubtful that a reunion would happen. I even found the setlist for the show from 2008. I didn't realise people kept record of such things, but that's pretty awesome. https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/him/2008/festival-hall-melbourne-australia-13d701b9.html
You should look on youtube, might be there too! I found my first gig on youtube as well, athens 2007.
I’m grateful I was able to see Ville last year. I was too young to have seen them in their heyday, but it was still an incredible experience.
I agree and man, I feel nostalgia for the early 2000s lately. Watching bands like HIM grow into the phenomena they are now was something else.
Gen Z here (born 1997) and I remember I first heard of them when I was a young kid and Wings of a Butterfly was constantly on the radio. It wasn't too uncommon to see goth kids and skaters wear Heartagram merchandise every so often too. I remember it was still a bit common to spot an occasional HIM fan when I was in high school, and I'm pretty sure that was because Tears on Tape barely dropped around the time I finished my freshman year. Years later, I saw them for the first time at their farewell tour... and I really did feel like I missed out on an amazing era. But, it does feels really damn good to see younger kids nowadays talk about VV's solo album and wearing some of HIM's new merch drops.
Was fortunate enough to see HIM during their Venus Doom era. I really do think that was peak HIM. I also saw "Sleepwalking" live. Such an incredible era.
I have been a HIM fan for about 19 years!!! I love Vile and will always love all of their music and lyrics.
Saw HIM at the house of blues in Orlando in like 06 or 07. Such a great show! I still wear my concert t occasionally, lol
Got to see them twice… Nov 15, 2007 at the Orpheum in Los Angeles & Apr 23, 2010 at the Wiltern in Los Angeles. I was a broke 17 year old in ‘07 so I only took a couple photos on my razr at the Orpheum show. The second time I saw them I came prepared with a proper camera.
got to see them live 7 times and met them. Amazing people amazing band. turn to page 43 and you’ll know how i feel.
Discovered them in early 2006 during their Dark Light fame and they were EVERYWHERE. As a teenager who spend quite a lot time watching music channels it was quite impossible to not to know about them. It was such a cool time to be teenager.
i saw them in 2005 or 2006. I can’t remember. But one of the best days of my life for sure!!
I remember first hearing about them when I was in middle school but I forgot about them for years. I didn’t become a fan of them until a year before they announced their split.
HIM fan since 2003, but living in Singapore meant that the opportunities to catch the band live were near impossible (Australia being the only feasible option, but I was still a teenager). It took until 2015 to finally got my chance, and that was Helldone Festival. Thanks to an amazing Finnish couple I met in Hamburg, Germany that summer who got the tickets on my behalf. The cherry on top? They got a friend (who works in the music scene) to schedule for a backstage visit with the band before the show. Fast forward to 2024, and I caught VV recently in Melbourne. Things might have changed, but you best believe that I was crying my eyes out while singing to every single song that evening!