Ville Valo

Neon Noir tour with co-headliners Black Veil Brides

Ville Valo and Black Veil Brides are no stranger to working together. The pair recorded a cover of Sisters of Mercy’s ‘Temple of Love’ earlier this year to aid in the co-headlining tour announcement. Niagara Falls, NY was lucky enough to be included on the first leg of the Neon Noir tour. The large theatre was tightly packed on the steamy September evening.

***Black Veil Brides – Rapids Theatre, Niagara Falls, NY***

The night began with Orlando, Florida natives, Dark Divine, to get the crowd fired up. Complete with face and body paint and ripped-up black clothes, they were ready to rock. The performance, lights, vocals, and instrumentals immediately set the tone for the night ahead. Ville Valo was next to take the stage, but before he even got on stage, his fans were riled up, eager to see the former HIM frontman take the stage. VV performed 13 songs, six of which were songs from his HIM catalog. Of course, his lighting consisted mainly of his iconic pink and purples and a variant of his iconic signature ‘heartagram’. Valo has a distinct and almost haunting voice that lulls you in. The band played the show with precision and flawlessness, but at the same time, they appeared somewhat distant. On stage, there wasn’t much visible communication between Ville and the band or between the band and the audience. In the future, it would be beneficial to invest a bit more in this aspect. The absence of a keyboard player in the lineup was confusing. Those that have seen Valo before know he has always been a humble, low key performer letting the songs do his talking, and this hasn’t changed.

When the time came for Black Veil Brides to begin, the crowd started a chant: “Black! Veil! Brides! Black! Veil! Brides! Black! Veil! Brides!” The chant lasted a good while before the audience began to lose their breath, but then the lights went out and the intro music began. They opened up with “Crimson Skies” off their 2021 album The Phantom Tomorrow. The production and light show were absolutely stunning to view. However, that did not outweigh the performance of the band. Jinxx, who plays a variety of instruments for the band, switched out his guitar for his violin for a couple of songs, and he sounded amazing. Jake Pitts (lead guitar) and Lonny Eagleton (bass guitar) also put on a great performance. Andy Biersack (aka Andy Black) put on a great vocal performance in addition to his high energy movements on stage. All the way in the back, but definitely not forgotten, was CC, the band’s iconic and super talented drummer. The setlist was a mix of old and new and truly showcased their evolution as musicians while creating a seamless flow of music that kept the crowd engaged from start to finish. Tracks like “Rebel Love Song”, “Torch”, and “Knives and Pens” had fans singing along at the top of their lungs, creating a sense of unity and shared connection among fans. As the night drew to a close, Black Veil Brides left the stage, but the crowd’s patiently waited for an encore. They returned with “Lost It All”, “Fallen Angels”, and “In the End”; bringing the concert full circle.