Editor’s Note: Bangor Daily News staffer Arlene Boyle not only survived, but is now hooked on H.I.M. With some trepidation, she took her 15-year-old daughter Kristi this month to the Finnish love metal band’s sold-out concert in Orlando, Fla. The trip was a sweet 16th birthday gift.

Would I attend another concert by H.I.M.? Absolutely. Would I wait another seven hours in the hot sun? I’d have to think about that. Was it all worth it? Yeah, in the long run it was. Did I need ear plugs? Nah! Leave those at home. Was there anyone else in my age bracket and older? A dozen or so.

First of all, for those who didn’t read my earlier piece, Kristi loves H.I.M. like I used to love the Beatles. She is in awe of H.I.M. lead singer Ville Valo like I was of Paul McCartney. H.I.M. happens to be touring the United States and Kris begged me to see the famed Finnish band for her 16th birthday. Sweet 16 is a birthday you don’t want to forget, so off we went to Orlando, Fla.

If you’ve never been to the House of Blues in Orlando, you need to know it’s mostly standing room only even if you have tickets. There are only a few balcony seats. So the first through the doors have the best chance of staking out a place closest to the stage. Which is where “Pass The Line” comes in. The purchase of $20 or more of merchandise from the gift store or ordering an entree in the House of Blues restaurant entitles ticket holders to wait in the coveted “Pass The Line” section and be ready to bolt in.

Also, you should know House of Blues doesn’t allow photos and cameras must be checked at the door. Nor is smoking allowed – unless, of course, you are Ville Valo.

After a little sightseeing around the West Side, we returned to our hotel room for a quick changeup. My daughter wanted to make sure that I’d be hip, so I did wear black. We stood in line from noon to 7 p.m. for the long-awaited performance. In the crowd, there were people of all ages, many die-hard fans, all patiently waiting to get in.

At 7 p.m., the doors swung open and Kristi and I hustled in and managed to get within 10 feet of center stage – a great location – so we thought. Within 15 minutes, we were moshed. Pushed – shoved – stepped on and elbowed before the opening act Aiden had even set foot on stage. Live and learn. But it’s to be expected at a concert like this – so I am told. So we beat a hasty retreat to the balcony where we stayed for the rest of the show. The balcony has its pros and cons. My advice: if you are lucky enough to get a balcony seat, grab it and don’t leave it.

Aiden is from Seattle, Wash., and has been together since the spring of 2003. Their music is classified as gothic rock and their debut CD is “Nightmare Anatomy.” We had purchased the album before the concert so we had an idea of what to expect. Aiden encouraged fans to jump, and they were only too happy to comply. They performed a number of songs then turned the stage over to H.I.M.

H.I.M. features heartthrob Ville Valo, vocals, songwriter and frontman; Gas Lipstick, drums; Burton, keyboards; Mige, bass; and Linde on guitar. The Finnish band recorded its first album in 1997. Their current tour is to promote their latest CD, “Dark Light.”

Ville Valo is a great writer, poet, and performer. Ville was dressed in black – black shirt, pants and jacket and wore red sneakers. As Kris would say, “He looked sooooo hot!” She was beside herself to be in the same room, and breathe the same air as him. She wrote titles to all 17 songs H.I.M. performed on her left hand and arm so she could put it all in her diary.

Unless you’ve walked through Victoria’s Secret, you’ve never seen so many bras – in all colors, shapes and sizes – concentrated in one place. Ville was bombarded with brassieres thrown up on stage by his female fans. One person threw a red necktie, which Ville picked up and wore loosely around his neck.

Mosh pits, body surfing – it all happening during H.I.M.’s concert. Security people were on hand to pick up the body surfers as they landed in front of the stage. I was naive to believe that Disney would allow this – people can and do get hurt, but I suppose a large crowd such as this would be difficult to control.

In the end, after traveling so far, we did feel a little let down to get drenched with someone else’s beer, and to wind up so far from the stage at the concert. They did have TV monitors, but that’s like watching a video.

Still, H.I.M. put on a fantastic performance. As much as Kristi has listened to their music, watched videos and DVDs, there is nothing more awesome than being in the same room with the band that you love. She has vowed that she will see them live again, and trust me, I have no doubt that she will. Ville and his band delivered!

Kristi’s birthday isn’t until June, but as she put it, this was her dream come true. By now, you may have figured out that my daughter and I have a wonderful mother-daughter relationship and this adventure was just the best for some quality, fun time together.

Kris, I hope you had as wonderful a time as I did. The times we shared together on this trip we will treasure forever. Happy Sweet 16, girl, June 20!

Arlene Boyle lives in Holden and is administrative assistant to the publisher at the Bangor Daily News.