Hanoi Rocks will join Michael Monroe in celebrating his 60th birthday at Helsinki Ice Hall on 23 September. A grand finale will see Monroe joined by Andy McCoy, Sami Yaffa, Nasty Suicide and Gyp Casino in the original lineup of Hanoi Rocks. The support band will be a reunited Demolition 23.
“It’s going to be something special,” Michael told MetalTalk’s Kahmel Farahani at this year’s Hellfest festival. “A big one-off! I can’t really name names, but….if you’re any fan of music, you won’t want to miss it.”
But now the cat is out of the bag. This lineup of Hanoi Rocks last performed at Helsinki’s Tavastia on 27 July 27 1982.
“This is the only appropriate time and place for all five original members of Hanoi Rocks to get on stage to play together after a break of over forty years,” Michael said. “This is not a Hanoi Rocks reunion, but a unique part of the anniversary concert. At first, I planned to keep it a surprise, but after giving it some more thought, I realised that it wouldn’t be fair, especially to the fans, not to make this public in advance and that everybody should have the chance to be there.”
Hanoi Rocks, who influenced bands such as Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses and Skid Row, formed in late 1970, with this lineup established in 1980. They were the first Finnish rock band to make an international breakthrough, recording their first three albums with the original lineup, Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks (1981), Oriental Beat (1982) and Self Destruction Blues (1982).
Gyp Casino was replaced in 1982 by Nicholas “Razzle” Dingley, who became an integral member of Hanoi Rocks. Razzle died in a tragic accident in 1984. Unfortunately, this led to the band’s untimely demise in early 1985.
Demolition 23 are set to be the support band. Led by Monroe, they rose to great cult fame, although they only released one album, Demolition 23, in 1994 and broke up shortly afterwards. This is the first performance of the band since 1995.
The almost three-hour anniversary show will find Monroe mostly accompanied by his long-time band Sami Yaffa, Karl Rockfist, Rich Jones and Steve Conte, with several guests expected. Lights and visuals are designed by the internationally acclaimed, worldwide phenomenon, Mikki Kunttu.
Tickets are available from https://www.lippu.fi/event/michael-monroe-60-vuotisjuhlakeikka-helsingin-jaeaehalli-15236385/
