The former HIM frontman is performing better than he has in years
Last night, Ville Valo kicked off his highly anticipated Neon Noir Tour with a sold out show at The TLA in Philadelphia. The former HIM frontman packed the storied South Street venue, and he will take the stage again tomorrow for another sellout. VV’s debut solo effort Neon Noir arrived back in January. The hour-long effort has received plenty of praise from fans and critics alike. It has quietly made its way into the conversation for the best rock album the year. Now, VV is bringing the songs to life on stage in North America and fans are showing up to sing along.
Valo kicked things off with “Echolocate Your Love,” which oddly enough is the song that starts his solo record. As he strolled onto the stage, the capacity crowd erupted. He smiled, took sip of tea, and started the show.
The second song of the night was HIM’s “The Funeral of Hearts.” From there, VV would play an almost perfectly balanced set of his solo stuff and HIM hits. Not to rely too much on nostalgia, Valo gave Neon Noir its due, performing nearly the entire record. Finding that balance can be hard for an artist who goes solo; pushing their creativity into new territory while still standing on the pillars of material that garnered them the loyal fans that are buying tickets to their shows. Valo is walking this line as well as anyone can on this run.
Other highlights included “Loveletting,” “Heartful of Ghosts,” and “The Foreverlost,” as well as “Wings of a Butterfly,” “Join Me in Death,” and “Right Here In My Arms” which nearly shook the venue’s foundation. Valo capped off the evening with his solo song “Saturine Saturnalia.”
Valo looked good, sounded good, and seemed to be having the most wonderful time. He and the audience poured their hearts out last night, and the energy in the room was palpable. It took some time for VV to move into his next phase after HIM, and the results are tremendous so far.
Ville Valo’s Neon Noir Tour rolls on through May 9, wrapping up with a pair of shows at Irving Plaza in New York City. The run will see the singer make stops in Boston, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and more. A very limited amount of tickets are still on sale HERE.
