Viimeinen kiertue - photo gallery
The manuscript of my next book, Viimeinen kiertue, has now been sent to print, and it will be out on the 15th of October. Join us for the launch party the evening before at Bar Loose in Helsinki and celebrate the release together!
An Insider’s story of HIM’s life on the road
The international rock business as a workplace is as fascinating and tempting as it is unforgiving. That’s why so many end up burning out.
This book takes the reader behind the curtain of HIM’s farewell tour and recounts the band’s entire rise to fame—from the streets of Kallio to the bustle of New York City.
How did Ville Valo’s HIM first ignite its popularity? Under what pressures and personal conflicts were the major tours carried out? How did those strains affect the touring crew’s working atmosphere, and what ultimately led to the band’s breakup?
"The Last Tour" is guitar technician and author Kimmo Aroluoma’s honest, firsthand survival tale, an intense reckoning that not only sheds light on HIM, but also offers a rare glimpse into the touring life of many other internationally successful Finnish bands.
*****
While writing, I went through my entire photo archive to bring back memories from the road. I’ll be sharing a variety of pictures on this page to make the story come alive and to fill in the gaps with events not included in the book.
16.11.2006 Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
This shot was taken on November 16, 2006, in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. The Rasmus was on tour in South America, and with a day off before our show in Buenos Aires, we hopped on a ferry to Uruguay. The ride took just over an hour, and Colonia del Sacramento turned out to be an absolute gem—it instantly reminded me of Trinidad, Cuba, which I had visited just six months earlier.
Here’s band’s drummer Aki Hakala and me, wandering the city, unwinding, and enjoying a rare, worry-free moment—without a single thought about the backline or stage setup waiting for us at Buenos Aires Personal Fest the next day.
28.6.2010 Moscow, Russia
This shot was taken on June 28th, 2009 in Moscow, backstage at Olimpiysky, after a three-week tour in Russia. The line-up featured Scorpions, Alice Cooper, The Rasmus and Kingdom Come. Alice was clearly the most legendary star of the tour, and he was kind enough to invite our whole entourage backstage and offer us the chance to take a photo with him. I took mine, but this pic features Aksu Rönkkö, who at the time worked as The Rasmus’ monitor engineer. The following year, I worked with him on a HIM tour before he began his longtime collaboration with Nightwish.
The tour itself started off hectically. Alice Cooper’s production manager Cesare Sabatini ran the show, and it took us a few gigs to earn his trust and prove we were a quick in-and-out crew with minimal hassle. Scorpions were hugely popular in Russia, and we got along nicely with both the musicians and their crew. Kingdom Come’s singer Lenny Wolf, on the other hand, was by all means the epitome of the ego-driven lead singer stereotype. He played with his band overtime, forcing us to do our changeovers in the minimum possible time.
Looking back now, only good memories remain as this trip was a unique chance to see Russia from Vladivostok to Moscow, something that sadly is no longer possible for reasons we all know too well.
1.4.2010 Cleveland, USA
This photo was taken on the 1st of April, 2010, at the House of Blues, Cleveland, during the Screamworks tour. Singer Ville Valo had an endorsement deal with microphones, and due to the busy schedule we did not have time to arrange a photoshoot, so the crew tried to take photos of Ville with his Sennheiser microphone.
I think this is the only photo I’ve ever taken of him, even though we shared decades of moments together. Needless to say, this one was not chosen, as it was taken with my 1st-generation iPhone, which did not have the best camera possible. I don’t recall if another pic was chosen, but this still stands as a relevant moment from that tour.
3.6.2010 Nürnberg, Germany
This shot takes us back to June 3, 2010, at Zeppelinfeld in Nürnberg, Germany. I was on tour with HIM, gearing up for the festival season, which kicked off the next day at Rock im Park. The gear had just arrived from the USA, and we spent the day prepping everything for the shows ahead.
Back then, we used four Laney tube amplifiers—two in use, two as spares. You don’t see rigs like this much anymore. Here, it’s set up in its stage position, with the amplifiers behind the cabinets.
2.8.2011 Helsinki, Finland
This picture was taken on August 2nd, 2011. At that time, I had been touring nonstop for six years, gone through a divorce, and burned myself out with work. That summer, I got the chance to work at a Custom Shop guitar store, which became a real turning point in my life.
My daughter was only three years old then, and after seeing how much fun we had together in the shop—and how much I enjoyed helping musicians with their sound and gear—I decided to buy the store and become an entrepreneur. That adventure lasted, in various forms, for the next twelve years.
I truly believed my days as a touring guitar tech were behind me, but little did I know. Still, this move marked the beginning of something new and steady, and this picture will always remind me of that feeling.
5.8.2011 Pori, Finland
This photo was taken on August 5th, 2011, in Pori, Finland. My colleague Karri Virtanen and I were finishing up the festival setup for Michael Monroe during the tour for their incredible Sensory Overdrive album. Karri worked as a drum tech and also took care of Michael’s saxophone, harp, cables, and more. Back then, the band relied entirely on rental gear, provided by Backline Rental Finland.
This show also marked my last one with the band before stepping away from touring and buying a music store in the heart of Helsinki.
23.10.2017 Phoenix, Arizona
This photo was taken on October 23, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona, on the first day of HIM’s farewell tour. It’s a true “calm before the storm” moment, just before our gear arrived and all hell broke loose.
The first day of an international tour is always a real struggle—trying to pull all the gear together while being jet-lagged, of course. Pictured here is my colleague Kari Reini, who worked as the tour’s drum tech. Facing away from the camera is our monitor tech Viltsu Haapala. Kari’s laugh is genuine, but he hasn’t seen his rental drum kit at this point yet…