Viimeinen kiertue - Landing Page

Viimeinen kiertue

Sisäpiirin kertomus HIMin kiertue-elämästä 

Kansainvälinen rockbisnes on työpaikkana yhtä kiehtova, houkutteleva kuin armotonkin. Siksi moni polttaa siinä itsensä loppuun.

Kirja päästää lukijan salattuun maailmaan HIMin jäähyväiskiertueen kulisseihin ja kertaa bändin koko menestystarinan Kallion kaduilta New Yorkin metropolin humuun. Miten Ville Valon johtaman HIMin suosio sai alkunsa, millaisten paineiden ja henkilöristiriitojen keskellä isoja kiertueita tehtiin, kuinka ne heijastuivat kiertueryhmän työskentelyilmapiiriin ja mihin bändi lopulta hajosi.

Viimeinen kiertue on kitarateknikko ja kirjailija Kimmo Aroluoman rehellisen omakohtainen selviytymistarina, intensiivinen tilinteko, joka avaa HIMin lisäksi näkymän monien muidenkin kansainvälisesti menestyneiden suomalaisbändien kiertue-elämään.

Viimeinen kiertue -kirja julkaistiin 15. lokakuuta 2025 ja sitä saa tilattua seuraavista paikoista:

• LEVYKAUPPA ÄX
• SUOMALAINEN KIRJAKAUPPA

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• TSEKKAA TULEVAT HAASTATTELUT JA EVENTIT TÄÄLTÄ

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Haastattelut, tiedotteet ja kirja-arviot ilmestymisjärjestyksessä:

• Like Kustannuksen lehdistötiedote, 1. huhtikuuta - Lue tiedote >
• Otavan syyspressi, 20. elokuuta - Katso haastattelu >
• Custom Boards - Electronic Press Kit, 10. lokakuuta - katso EPK alta -->

• Helsingin Sanomat, 15. lokakuuta - Lue arvostelu >
• Savon Sanomat 15. lokakuuta - Lue arvostelu >
• Yle.fi 16. lokakuuta - Lue/katso artikkeli >
• Radio Helsinki Musamusa, 16. lokakuuta - Kuuntele haastattelu > 
• Kaaoszine.fi 17. lokakuuta - Lue arvostelu >
• Kaaoszine 17. lokakuuta - katso haastatteluvideo alta -->

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PHOTO GALLERY - KUVAGALLERIA

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…

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Tilaa Viimeinen kiertue -kirja suoraan kotiovellesi – saat sen näistä paikoista:

• LEVYKAUPPA ÄX
• SUOMALAINEN KIRJAKAUPPA

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