Members of Children Of Bodom returned to the stage Thursday night in Helsinki, performing the first of two tribute shows honouring late frontman Alexi Laiho. The concert, titled Children Of Bodom – A Celebration Of Music, took place February 26 at the Tavastia club and marked the first time several core members had performed the band’s material together in years.
Bassist Henkka Seppälä, keyboardist Janne Wirman and drummer Jaska Raatikainen were joined by early guitarist Alexander Kuoppala, back with the group’s music live for the first time since the early 2000s. Lost Society vocalist and guitarist Samy Elbanna handled Laiho’s former roles on guitar and vocals. Laiho, the band’s primary songwriter and defining figure, died in December 2020 in Helsinki following long-term health issues.
The set drew heavily from the band’s most recognized material, opening with Living Dead Beat and moving quickly through staples including Sixpounder, Bodom Beach Terror and Silent Night, Bodom Night. Later highlights included Needled 24/7, Follow The Reaper and Downfall. The encore run closed with Are You Dead Yet?, Hate Me! and Hate Crew Deathroll, before a final second encore performance of In Your Face.
When the shows were first announced last October, the musicians said the goal was to honour both the band’s catalogue and their late bandmate. “We want to celebrate the life’s work of our band and at the same time the musical legacy of our friend and bandmate Alexi,” they said in a joint statement.
The Tavastia club carries particular weight in the band’s history, having hosted key early performances during Children Of Bodom’s rise from Espoo in the 1990s. Fan-filmed footage from the February 26 concert surfaced online shortly after the show ended. A second performance is scheduled for February 27 at the same venue.
The tribute concerts follow a period of renewed archival activity around the band. An official oral history book arrived in August 2025 via Rocket 88, compiling interviews with Seppälä, Wirman, Raatikainen and Kuoppala alongside other former members and associates. The band’s final live document, A Chapter Called… Children Of Bodom (Final Show In Helsinki Ice Hall 2019), was released earlier through Spinefarm.
For now, the Helsinki shows stand as focused live commemorations rather than a formal reunion, with no additional performances announced beyond this week’s pair of dates.
