We're the Hate Crew, we stand and we won't fall

[ferrumaeternum]

Last night I saw Children of Bodom for the second time, and I can hardly believe that the experience was better than the first. Before the doors opened, I told Robbie that my two wishes for the evening were that Children of Bodom would play "Bed of Razors" and that I could somehow get my bra to Janne for his keyboard. Little did I know, all that would happen and more. Some of you may remember this post from my old journal, where I first hung out with Matt from High on Fire, Job for a Cowboy, Janne, and Henkka from C.O.B.

Here’s the shortened version of what went down last night:

• Much to my dismay, Robbie found me right away because there were only a few other people waiting for the doors to open. However, this turned out to be in my favor since he saved me from falling in the pit. I also saw this weird kid I knew from high school.
• They opened to doors half an hour late, and even though I was standing at the front, they opened the other side, but I still ran and made it to the second row and center stage.
• After the show, we waited outside by the buses. I took Robbie's picture with two guys from Between the Buried and Me, but he had to leave before anyone from C.O.B appeared. First Henkka and Jaska came out, and I got my picture taken with them.
• Then Alexi came out for only two minutes, and I didn't have time to get his autograph or a picture.
• When almost everyone was gone, I called my mom to pick me up as the buses weren't running anymore. After I got off the phone, I realized Janne was standing in front of me. I went over to talk to him, and he said he recognized me in the crowd during the show. I ended up giving him my bra, which will be featured in the front of the collection on his keyboard stand at tonight's show in Columbus, Ohio. Then he invited me on the bus.
• I was extremely freaked out, sitting next to Janne, across from Roope and his girlfriend, and one down from Alexi, nonetheless drinking their beer. It was very interesting that in addition to the roadies, Janne and Roope's girlfriend also speak German. We all sat around and talked, and Janne, Roope, and Alexi shared tour stories and some from their childhood in Finland.
• At 1:30 AM, I had to leave because the tour buses were also leaving. Hopefully next time we'll have more time to hang out!

And here's everything anyone would want to know about the gig and what the guys from Children of Bodom are like offstage:

I took the bus down there, since it conveniently picks up right in front of the dorms. I arrived fifteen minutes before the door was supposed to open, and while I was waiting to cross the street, one of the East Side crazies was coming my way, shouting angrily at himself, me, and the guy who was waiting with me. When he started making threats, we decided running into oncoming traffic would be safer than waiting to see what this guy was going to do. When I got inside, I saw Robbie, and tried to avoid him, which was hopeless. I also saw this strange guy I went to high school with who claimed he was going to become a bounty hunter. I ended up in the front of the crowd in front of one of two sets of doors, and had to wait an extra half hour before the doors open. Of course, they opened the other set, and I ran like mad to get a spot in front of the center of the stage in the second row. There was this guy who apparently was there last time with a mohawk who chain-smoked the entire time in front of me and a gaggle of scenesters behind me. Then we waited another half hour before The Black Dahlia Murder went onstage in a dark room, coincidentally with a red light in my eyes.

I was only really there for Bodom. I cannot stand The Black Dahlia Murder (nor their fans) and I’m just not into Between the Buried and Me. I was not surprised to see scenesters there, but not that many. They were all screaming like they were at some boy band concert, and the girl next to me was jumping up and down the entire time, fixing her hair every ten seconds which led to elbowing me in the face repeatedly. As expected, The Black Dahlia Murder sounded awful. I'm not even going to analyze it, but it sounded like a bunch of random ruckus for the sake of just making noise. All the guys were dressed in the typical scene fashion, including the athletic shorts. Their singer unfortunately took off his shirt to reveal a beer gut with 'heartburn' tattooed across it and dripped sweat on me. At that point, most of the action in the pit was just stupid, rapid behavior. I stepped on a bunch of stupid scenesters' feet that tried to take my spot, which probably hurt like hell as I was wearing cowboy boots.

Between the Buried and Me was still a little too 'core' for my taste, although their vocalist/keyboardist had a picture of Jareth!Bowie on his keyboard, which made me smile. Their bassist is also very skilled, but he was turned up so loud that he completely drowned out the guitars and most of the vocals. Their songs are also ridiculously long, so they only played three or four from what I can tell, which must be disappointing to their fans. During their set the crowd surfing picked up more and one guy kicked me in the face. The end of my eyebrow was missing after the show. Ouch. The people behind me were sticking their arms out, squishing and banging into the sides of my face at the same time, no matter how many times I shoved their arms back. I had to restrain myself from biting them. (Yes, I know that's considered assault and I wouldn't actually do it…but I wanted to!) When some of the scenesters in front of my left, we were packed in so tight that their pushing caused me to be dragged backwards. Just before the backs of my heels left the floor, Robbie grabbed my hand and pulled me up so I didn't fall over or lose my spot. As much as I didn't want to see him at the show, I was glad he was there. One girl behind me had the audacity to ask "Why the fuck I would bring a purse to a show". Honestly, I had no problem keeping it on my shoulder or the crook of my arm. I didn't want to be thrown out by telling her I was hiding a camera in there while standing in front of two security guards. And yes, most importantly, my $100 Guess bag survived.

While the roadies were setting up for Bodom, I recognized a couple of them that I met last time who were nice enough to put up with my mediocre German grammar. During Children of Bodom's opener, I waved to Janne, who raised his eyebrows, pointed and smiled. I was hoping he remembered me, since I saw him less than five months prior. Even though I had to really fight for it, I was still front and center and was in awe of being only two feet away from Alexi Laiho. I've heard some complaints about how he's sloppy live. Perhaps he may have been having off days then, because I really analyzed his fretwork. His fingers weren't fumbling at all. They moved with a fluidity that also seemed almost robotic with memorization, and he really concentrated during the more intricate parts. Alexi's vocals were particularly vicious, and he played a lot off the Milwaukee vs. Chicago mentality. One of the roadies was stupid enough to go onstage wearing a Cubs shirt. Anyway, I was really pleased with their set list. Alexi announced that this would be the first time playing this song in Milwaukee, and it was "Bed of Razors"! Janne's keyboard playing during and between songs was incredibly beautiful as usual. Roope's guitar playing - especially during "Downfall" - and Jaska's flawless and unrelenting drumming were also particularly good. As much as I love Tuomas Holopainen, Janne can fucking shred on that keyboard as well as Alex can on guitar, which really says something. Their lighting effects were also pretty cool with the robotic rotating ones on top of the speakers and the flashing rectangular ones sporadically placed around the stage, although nothing compares to some of their stage set-ups I've seen for European shows. At some point, Alexi threw a bottle of water into the crowd and it hit me in the head. Everyone was fighting for it, and I wasn't to the point where I thought I'd pass out from dehydration, so I let them have it. I was hoping I'd get hit with some of Alexi’s beer spray as I was nearly sweating to death, but it still looked awesome up close. I wish I had been able to see more of Henkka from where I was standing. Unfortunately, he didn't take his shirt off this time either. At the end, I missed slapping Roope's hand by like a centimeter, and I got hit in the head with Jaska's drumstick. I was glad one of Robbie's friends ended up with it because I wasn't about to fight for that either. I was so tired and sore by that point. Just like last time, everyone went rabid for C.O.B. and I had to fight for my spot and to breathe. I got the wind knocked out of me a few times and freaked out from not being able to get enough oxygen. This was definitely the craziest pit I've ever seen. Both my hips are badly bruised as well as the front and back of my ribs, my back is scarred from where the hooks of my bra were forced into it and my spine is killing me, my arms are battered and exhausted from trying to keep myself upright and fighting everyone off, and my neck and head hurt from getting repeatedly hit, kicked, and having my hair pulled. But being that close to Bodom is definitely worth it. My boots saved my feet from being stepped on too badly, and my leather jacked also helped any superficial damage. I was annoyed that a lot of it was because the guy standing next to me was trying to protect his girlfriend who was ironically much bigger than me. She kept whipping me with her hair, which also got tangled in my rings and nails. Most of all, it annoys me that guys think women need to be protected in the pit. It's everyone for his or her self out there. On the flipside, it's not very metal being a sissy like that and using your significant other as a bodyguard. When I was leaving the venue, one girl said she was impressed that I stayed up there. Honestly, I couldn't expect any less of myself. The only time I've wimped out during a concert is when I passed out and got trampled at Warped Tour. Otherwise, I've never left the pit, no matter how rough it got.

When I got outside, it was still raining a little and most of the crowd left. There were still about 30 of us standing outside on the sidewalk. It didn't take long for Between the Buried and Me to show up. I went over with Robbie to take his picture with their vocalist/keyboardist and either bassist or drummer. It looked like Children of Bodom were the only ones with a bus; even Job for a Cowboy has one! I was surprised that it wasn't parked in the back. I was also pleasantly surprised to find a street vendor and only paid $1 for a bottle of water instead of $4 for a cup of water inside The Rave. After a while, the crowd was really starting to thin out and Robbie and his friends decided to leave.

Then I saw Henkka, Jaska, and Alexi go from the venue onto the bus. Soon after, Henkka and Jaska appeared, and some random guy was nice enough to take my picture with them. I was very happy, since last time a drunk Janne yelled at me not to take a picture with Henkka. Both of them were very kind, as expected, and didn't leave until all of us were satisfied. When I thanked them in Finnish, they even replied back. Shortly after, Alexi came off the bus. He only stayed about two minutes, and left before I and several other fans could get my picture taken with him. One fan gave him a can of one of Milwaukee's beers and he didn't seem too pleased. Just as Matt from High on Fire said, he's a bit of an asshole and doesn't really care much about his fans. I think at some point, Roope was outside, but he went on the bus with his girlfriend. After I waited a while longer and there was only about ten of us standing around, I called my mom to pick me up because the bus I had to catch wasn't running any longer. Then I turn around and see Janne standing there. Only a few people were talking to him, so I went over, and he said that not only did he see me in the crowd, but he also remembered me from last time! He asked me how I was doing and about my life, which really freaked me out (in a good way). He even remembered my obnoxious old suitemate Nicole! He didn't remember singing to Prince with me or my ska dancing, though. Janne thought he gave me his phone number, and he was explaining that it changes with each American tour, so if I tried to call, that's why I couldn't get through. (Unfortunately, he never did give it to me.) I couldn't bear to tell him the rest, since I knew he was drunk at the time and didn't want to embarrass him. I was so giddy that I had enough courage to ask him how one gets their bra on his keyboard stand. He said all I had to do was throw it onstage, and if there was a way, I could give it to him then and there. Even though it was 40-some degrees outside, I took off everything but my Iron Maiden tank top and wrestled my bra off from underneath, which he thought was "fucking hot". The whole time I was giggling like a Japanese schoolgirl, and much to my horror, I think he saw quite a bit of side boob. He said my bra would be in front for the next day's show in Columbus, Ohio. It was definitely worth it, even though I had to run out and buy a new bra tonight because I gave him my only black one. When one of the roadies asked him for a room number, he answered in German! I couldn't believe it, and that led to us talking auf Deutsch.

Then he asked if I'd like to go back to the bus with him. I was completely taken aback. From what I hear, it's very difficult to get onto Bodom's bus. Once he reassured me before I pulled back the curtain, I realized I was the only fan on there. Before I knew it, Janne handed me a beer and even though I warned him he could get in trouble because I am underage, I was dragged to sit next to him on the couch, one down from Alexi, and across from Roope and his girlfriend. At first, there wasn't room for Alexi and I asked him if he'd like my seat. But once again, "No lady will ever have to stand on our bus." Since it was raining, Janne explained that the window behind us leaks and his solution was to line the back of the sofa with napkins, which didn't work so well. When Janne made a toast with me, he realized I hadn't opened my beer because I've honestly never had to open one before, and he had to open it for me! That was a little embarrassing. There were also plenty of German roadies scattered around an a few other Americans. The two German roadies I met last time even remembered me! Most of the people on the bus were speaking German, including Roope's girlfriend who doesn't look German at all. Luckily Janne wasn't a native speaker and also learned the language for six years, so I had an easier time understanding him. (I have a hard time understanding certain German dialects and accents, and at least one of the guys is from Bavaria, Gods help me.) He's always been easy to talk to once I get over the fame aspect because we have similar personalities and interests...and he's a Taurus. Alexi and Janne told me about how big of a problem moose roadkill is in Finland and that Janne watched a moose get hit by a car when he was little. The rest of the conversation mainly consisted of:

• How all drummers, especially Jaska, are stupid because when everyone was sick on the bus, he cranked the heat up, which he didn't realize only makes viruses and bacteria grow.
• Henkka missed a flight to Dubai, and Janne was stuck there alone and woke up in some strange person's house. He also mentioned that the only way you can have fun there is if you have a lot of money.
• That they're sick of touring America (understandable) and they're looking forward to Canada and how in the future they're only going to do Canadian shows in North America because America sucks. Although I'm sure the last part was a joke, I don't blame them and can't help but agree. I got kind of annoyed when they said Americans don't understand British or Finnish humor because I do. Roope also had the Little Britain DVD on, but it was stuck on the menu screen the whole time.
• Janne loves Japan, even though he admits it’s a very silly place. I was also surprised that Janne also knows a little Japanese and was speaking it with Roope's girlfriend.
• Iron Maiden was paid over $100,000 to play at Wacken, which isn't much considering that's about how much they rake in for standard arena shows.
• Most of the time, Roope was talking with his girlfriend, taking pictures of themselves, making strange noises, and telling everyone to lick his ass among other things. Very typical, although he didn't seem as wasted as he did last time I met him.
• One of the roadies claimed that another eats salad as slow as a cow, since cows have seven stomachs. Roope's girlfriend and I had to tell him it was four and he wouldn't believe me when I said that cows don't chew slowly even though I live in Wisconsin and spent part of my childhood feeding cows.
• Another was talking about how he did cocaine and got drunk with Izzy Stradlin from Guns N' Roses, couldn't find the hotel that was a block away, spent the entire night wandering around the city, slept until 7:00 the next evening, and got mad when the maid tried to wake him because he didn't have to be to the venue until later that night. Alexi found this particularly amusing.

When I was hanging out with Alexi, he seemed very relaxed and tired, which helped smooth over my previous opinion of him. I can definitely sympathize with him more, especially when fans are yelling to him that he's a god.

At 1:30 AM I had to leave because everyone was getting ready to depart for Ohio, so Janne told me goodbye, gave me a hug (this time fully clothed), and I said goodbye to Alexi and Jaska (although I don’t think Jaska was really in the lounge, but I’d drank most of that beer at that point) and thanked them for playing "Bed of Razors". Roope was blocking the way out, so I had to make him get off the bus, where he mysteriously said goodbye to his girlfriend. I also said bye to him, and found my poor mother waiting for me in the parking lot. Her birthday's in two weeks, so I'll make it up to her.

Set List from what I can vaguely remember:

Follow the Reaper
Living Dead Beat
Mask of Sanity
Blooddrunk
Silent Night, Bodom Night
Angels Don’t Kill
Children of Bodom
Hate Me!
Hellhounds on My Trail
Children of Decadence
Sixpounder
Bed of Razors
Downfall
In Your Face

Encore:

Everytime I Die
Hate Crew Deathroll

I think "Punch Me, I Bleed" was in there somewhere, since the intro sounded like it and I didn't recognize the rest of the song. For some reason, I just really don't like that one. I was also really happy to hear "Everytime I Die" and "Children of Decadence". Anyway, the order is probably very fucked up and I'll have to wait until more people post set lists around the 'net.

Pictures of the show will be added once they appear on The Rave's site. Hopefully I'll also be able to find some pics featuring my bra from tonight's show as well.

ETA: Pictures have been added!

Comments

[ferrumaeternum.livejournal.com]

I was also surprised. Last time I saw them, they played it last.

Yes, it was a lot of fun, but not as funny as last time when Janne danced around in his underwear. Where did you meet them when they weren't playing a show?

Lucky! I've never been backstage before. I'm sure you'll have a great time. :)

[palovana.livejournal.com]

Where did you meet them when they weren't playing a show?
It was actually pretty cool; we were on holiday in Finland last year and spend a weekend in Helsinki. We thought, we can't have been in Helsinki without havig attended a metal show so we went to see Entombed and Onmium Gatherum at Tavastia. (Was great btw!) Jaska and Henkka were there as well =) At first I didn't want to go and ask them for a pic cause I thought, they're here to watch the bands, not to have pictures taken with fans. But then I was like, fuck it, this is too great an oportunity to skip =P It was all pretty awkward though cause a friend of mine sort of hurried to ask them and all and they seemed a bit irritated, but well, I've got my pic ;)

& I haven't been backstage before either! It's all pretty exciting ^^