Open Your Arms

Chapter 19

May 31, 2003

H.I.M. put on a better performance than the last time I saw them. Ville did not forget to take his asthma medication, so he suffered no asthma attack this time.

Watching them, without having to be worried last time, was very exhilarating. It made me want to jump around and just sing and dance. Just like the previous concert, I knew all of the songs and Bam and I were able to enjoy them the whole time. 

After seeing them live, I can see why they are Bam's favorite band. I always knew that they were a good band, but I didn't go out of my way to listen to them--before I met Ville. I guess I never really gave them the chance. 

Their whole stage persona is very interesting. Ville likes singing and challenging his vocals by singing higher and lower than what the normal notes are. Linde is very, very talented at the guitar and knows just when to show off. Gas, of course, has a couple drum solos that he plays throughout the show. Sadly, the band doesn't fully show off his drumming skills. Mige is still able to hold conversations with Ville while performing and still being able to play the bass correctly. Then, there's Burton--the keyboardist--who's skills are perfectly shown in the beginning of "The Sacrament". That is probably my favorite song by H.I.M.

It's one of their new songs off of their new album and really just shows their new style. All of the previous album covers before this had Ville featured on it, but this one didn't. It was just their band's logo, which still looks nice. It's simple yet appealing. 

Ville walks offstage after thanking the band and then gives me a kiss, then immediately engulfs me in a hug. I don't have time to protest in fear that he's really sweaty, but he's not. He's surprisingly just fine. Granted, he's not wearing his beanie. 

"You did so good!" I tell him and then he smiles at me. He then steps in front of me and pulls me by my hand, away from everyone, and into his trailer in the back of the festival. We finally take a seat and he starts gulping down a bottle of beer. "You know, I should've taken a Spanish class. I always told myself that it was pointless learning a different language because I wasn't going to be needing it, but now here I am, in Spain and I don't know Spanish."

"You're getting alone just fine," He chuckles and then the door opens. 

Bam comes inside of the trailer with all of the other band members, not looking too happy. He gets really close to Ville and I who are sitting on the couch and glares at us. "You guys left without us."

"You should've been faster," Ville shrugs his shoulders and smokes his cigarette. 

"I need to go to the bathroom," I tell Ville. "I don't know where it's at, though."

"It's right next to our trailer, actually," Gas says. "Just go to the right and the Port-A-Potties are right there."

I groan. "They're Port-A-Potties?"

"Is your Royal Highness too elite to ever dare to use a Port-A-Potty?" Bam asks me with a British accent. 

"Fuck you," I jokingly say to him and Ville hands me a backstage pass to wear around my neck. 

"Come right back, okay?" He asks me. "There's some weird people around here."

I nod and kiss him. "Alright, I'll be right back." 

I walk out of the trailer and look to the right and I do, in fact, see the Port-A-Potty that Gas was talking about. I check the lock and see that it's not occupied, so I hesitantly walk inside and hold my breath, trying hard not to breathe in the scent.