VV‘s Neon Noir lights up Peru for the very first time…
October 28th was a memorable day in Peru… The once frontman of the band ‘HIM’, Ville Valo, now under the initials “VV”, brings his show for the first time to the capital of the Inca country. After an extended tour through Europe and the US presenting his “Neon Noir” solo album Ville Valo came to South America for a 4-date mini tour.
The long-awaited concert finally took place at the Leguía Theater in central Lima. From very early on, fans arrived at the venue, waiting firmly for night to fall, at which time the theater would open its doors. Meanwhile, the audience was already warming up in line, singing the classic and iconic songs from HIM, as well as from VV’s solo album. Some of the fans were standing in line almost 24 hours before the show kicked off.
The clock showed 6:30 p.m. when the venue opened its doors, the crowd rushed to occupy the best places in the front row or to buy the official merch before it sold out.
An hour later it was the turn of Rob Blur, a Peruvian band, to bring the best of itself. The band brought post-punk with influences from The Mission, The Sisters of Mercy and The Cult, combining gothic rock with new wave and post-punk. The local artist brought a very satisfying set of 40 minutes with “Shadows” as the highlight of his show before finally leaving the stage amidst applause.
ROB BLUR
8:30 p.m. and it’s VV’s turn… The intro song ‘Zener Solitaire’ was introduced and shouts of euphoria filled the venue as the lights revealed a large “Heartagram” in the background, the band took the stage and finally, Ville Valo was in front of us. “Echolocate Your Love”, the opening song of “Neon Noir”, “The Funeral of Hearts” and “The Foreverlost” followed. The next song, “Join Me in Death”, set the house on fire with the gothic architecture of the theater fitting perfectly with Ville Valo’s music and the acoustics close to perfect, the euphoria was very high among the roughly 400 – 500 strong audience
The next tunes were a perfect mix between HIM and VV songs. “Neon Noir”, “The Kiss Of Dawn”, “Loveletting” and “Buried Alive by Love” followed. While the audience threw gifts on stage, Ville Valo always was making gestures of gratitude. “Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly” closed the regular set being one of those most emblematic HIM songs that could not be missing from the setlist.
The gig was coming to an end, VV and his musicians returned to the stage with “In Trenodia”, “Soul of Fire” and “Vertigo Eyes” but the audience wanted more and didn’t want the show to come to an end. VV came back for a second time to end the gig with “Poison Girl” and “Saturnine Saturnalia”. The show felt very intimate, in the middle of an atmosphere charged with many emotions, you simply couldn’t ask for more.
Finally, for an hour and a half we witnessed an impeccable presentation that included 19 songs. The concert came to an end with the VV musicians completely dedicated and grateful. The theater lights turned on, leaving the fans with a wealth of emotions and an ecstasy that was reflected in their faces and the debt was already paid in Peru.
SET LIST
- Echolocate Your Love
-
The Funeral of Hearts (HIM song)
- The Foreverlost
- Join Me In Death (HIM song)
- Neon Noir
- The Kiss of Dawn (HIM song)
- Loveletting
- Buried Alive by Love (HIM song)
- Heartful of Ghosts
- Rip Out The Wings of a Butterfly (HIM song)
- Salute the Sanguine
- Right Here in my Arms (HIM song)
- Run Away From the Sun
- When Love and Death Embrace (HIM song)
- In Trenodia
- Soul in Fire (HIM song)
- Vertigo Eyes
- Poison Girl (HIM song)
- Saturnie Saturnalia
