First Night With Lordi – All Inclusive

At last, after five years of long waiting for an event I thought would never come, it has finally happened! Last night was the most epic night of my life, the most epic of all the concerts I’ve been to. Lordi was amazing beyond words and that makes the entire wait worth it. At last I can check off the top item on my bucket list.

So, how was it? I went out of my way to prepare for this concert, even if it meant getting ready and eating early so that nothing would come up to distract me, and that’s what I always seem to do when I attend concerts that are general admission for everyone.

We arrived at The Opera House at a reasonable time and surprisingly there was no lineup except a few people hanging outside the doors, so we stood near them chatting for hours until it was time for all VIP attendees to go inside. While most people went for the merchandise stand, I bolted straight for the stage, propped myself up in front center against the railing. I did not budge for the rest of the night.

Best seat in the house!

When I saw GWAR I was in the front row briefly but a little off to the side from what I remember. I told myself that I didn’t need to have the front row for this gig if I was going to be meeting band right after the show. But when the open space with no one against the railing stood right before me, I was not about to let it go to waste!

For the first few hours, I stood there leaning against the railing and talking to other fans who were just as enthusiastic as I was. None of them were ever bothered by how hysterical I was! Some fans even thought I was cute, mostly by my enthusiasm I’d say.

Up first came Mineta, and I had never heard of these guys, they did a lot of erotic stuff.

I was shocked when the lead singer Bella started stapling those Christmas lights to her thigh. I was like “Ouch I could never do that!” but for any band that has the guts to do anything gory, erotic, or even painful, I admire their bravery for not being afraid to get really crazy. Even Tove Lo flashed her boobs once when I saw her last week!

Next came Bookakee, another band I never heard of and another brutal one like Mineta! To be honest, I thought both opening acts were more brutal than Lordi! That being said, I wasn’t really turned on to either one of them since I’m not really into the hardcore, death, black genres of metal.

During both opening acts, I felt an uncomfortable feeling in my stomach and my left leg started to shake. I felt like Lordi was never going to come on, as time was going by so slowly. I realized my stomach was nervous because I was so excited, and even though I don’t like that feeling, that was the first time I have ever felt that way for something exciting I’ve waited a long time for.

Then, when Bookakee finished, I stood there gazing at the stage. One of the nearby fans suggested I go grab a bite or use the bathroom if I was feeling really unsteady. He even said he would save my spot, but I declined and told him I would endure whatever discomfort had came or was to come. There was no way in hell I was going to risk losing my spot by the stage even if someone was going to save it for me.

Suddenly, my nervous stomach stopped being in a knot and my heart started racing when the stage went dark and God of Thunder by KISS started playing. Lordi and I have something in common, we have the same favourite KISS song. After belting it out, each member came on the stage one at a time and I started screaming their names. To my shock, Skeletor came on the stage and by now I had gripped the railing tight ready for a helluva night.

The music started and Mr. Lordi walked on stage, I screamed louder than I ever had for any musician I love, shouting out that I loved him. In fact, I screamed that so many times he must have heard me at some point.

He was really there, right in front of me. I thought I was dreaming at first but it was all real after all.

I went crazy from beginning to end of their set, singing, screaming, and headbanging my heart out. They opened up with Let’s Go Slaughter He-Man (I Wanna Be the Beast Man in the Master of the Universe) which I expected and at this point I thought once I started singing there was no turning back. I have never lost my voice at a concert and inside I was afraid I would lose it at this one, but thank God I never did. Babez for Breakfast was the first track I did not expect to hear, if I could hear any song from that album live I’d prefer This is Heavy Metal, but that’s just me.

 It was also awesome to hear Nailed by the Hammer of Frankenstein, which I remember that single coming out during the period of my time as a fan where I had gone quiet for a bit so I really rocked out to that one. Icon of Dominance too, which was one of those songs from Get Heavy that needed its time to get me to like it.

Being directly in front and center made me truly feel like the band was captivated by my devotion. On several occasions, Mr. Lordi looked and pointed at me, and my heart pounded that he was finally seeing his Monsterlady (me!), show her love in person. Every time he looked towards me, my eyes were glued to him like he was the only one there. One of the most memorable times I remember him noticing me was during Hug You Hardcore, I started going crazy, he looked and pointed at me while singing the first verse and I felt special.

I spy Mana behind there!

Then there came the time where they played halfway through It Snows in Hell and I was prepared to belt out the song’s bridge, while imitating him. In fact I think I was imitating most of his gestures throughout the concert! Then suddenly they switched to The Children of the Night but never was I bothered by it because I like that song too.

At OX’s bass solo earlier, I instantly thought of one of my friends from Finland who loves him, and wished she was at this concert with me during that moment. Every time he kicked his legs up, I imagined Gene Simmons playing beside him.

Mr. Lordi wasn’t the only one who took notice of me during the concert. When Amen was off to the side, I gave him the double devil horns that he likes to do, and it seems that he noticed and gestured towards me that he couldn’t do it in return while he was playing. But then, to my surprise, he blew a kiss at me. You know Amen, he loves the ladies! He eventually did do his signature devil horns which got everyone cheering.

Why does he have to be so beautiful in person? 😍

By the time it got to Blood Red Sandman and Hard Rock Hallelujah, I felt it getting tighter around me as a few people tried to squeeze up to the front so they could record a video or just get closer. As much as that is a pet peeve of mine my heart kept telling me “Don’t let it get to you Emily, only focus on Lordi! Don’t let anyone take your spot! You’ve earned it, now hold it whatever it takes!” So that being said I kept my eyes on Lordi while continuing to sing, even when a short mosh pit started behind me there was no way I was going to get out of it no matter what. I held onto the railing so tight to maintain my place in the front for the remainder of the concert, and I’m proud to say that I was successful at that. When you truly love a band, you will do anything to get through something that makes you uncomfortable in order for you to have the best experience possible. I once again went hysterical when Mr. Lordi brought out his ax during HRH and spread his wings during Devil is a Loser.

For the encore it was Who’s Your Daddy they started with. I am not a huge fan of that song but Mr. Lordi pointed at me twice during it. Would You Love a Monsterman I found myself singing and screaming during the instrumentals. I even started reaching for Mr. Lordi at that point.

I didn’t catch any picks or drumsticks, and was so close to catching Mr. Lordi’s towel that he had used, losing a tussle over it. If I did catch that towel I would have rubbed it against my face like Frollo does with Esmeralda’s cloth. He would have loved that whether he knew the reference to it or not! But, above all the experience of the concert was ten times more important than collecting things to remember it by.

After that came the meet and greet which went faster than I expected and with more people attending than I expected. We lined up and the band came out from one of the side doors. I decided I wanted to go alone to really have my moment, but by the time I reached the band, I was so overwhelmed with excitement that all I could say was: “Hello, I love you guys, thank you so much!” Mr. Lordi did say hello back and I stood between him and OX. I think they understood I how happy I was, that it was hard for me to find my words. When you have waited a long time and you’re finally living the moment, it’s like you want to cry but they understand.

I knew Mr. Lordi was leaning on me, but had no idea OX was strangling me until I looked at the photo later in the car!

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to ask Mr. Lordi for a hug and I didn’t have much time to converse with them due to the high volume of people waiting. Once I talk to someone I admire, I might ramble and that would end up stalling everything, especially since they had to get back on the road soon, as there was another gig in New York the following day. Time is never enough to express your love for someone you admire, it’s like taking how long that love has lasted so far; whether its months or years, and squeezing in to the couple of minutes you have with that person. If they actually had time for conversation, then I would have definitely asked him for that hug no matter how starstruck I was. Despite me being on the verge of breaking down into a giggly fit in front of them, the band was totally chill and friendly, and that is what I love about them the most.

Now that it seems that their tour here and in the states is going well, perhaps the chance of them returning on the next tour has increased. I will definitely be there come hell or high water, and I bet they will recognize me right away. You know what they say: don’t expect everything to go the way you want it to the first time because what really matters is that this dream finally came true after all the times I cried, withdrew, fantasized, and devoted my time to Lordi. So hopefully next time I will get to hug my Monsterman, I’ll even ask my friends going with me to the gig to remind me no matter how quick the interaction with the band is. For now, I am happy that he knows I exist and how much I admire him and the band as a whole.

This has been a wonderful night, I love you Lordi with all my heart forever, thank you….for everything and come back soon. 💖💘

👽Emily

PS: Shout out to my friend Sara for helping me come up with a blog title. I sat for like, ages trying to come up with the right one and it didn’t come until you suggested I borrow one of yours, so thanks a million!