LORDI's EUROVISION Victory 'Party' Attended By 80,000 People: Video Available

Matti Huuhtanen of The Associated Press has issued the following report:

Thousands of Finns swarmed into Helsinki's central market square to greet their new national heroes, monster hard-rockers LORDI, as they performed for the first time in public since a stunning victory at the Eurovision Song Contest. [Watch a clip of LORDI's performance at Helsinki's market square at this location. Footage of the crowd can be found here.]

Police blocked roads, helicopters hovered overhead and people sang LORDI's winning piece "Hard Rock Hallelujah" as a steady stream of fans poured to the waterfront stage in the cold spring evening sunshine.

The monsters, who have become a colossal source of pride for the small northern European nation accustomed to losing the competition, were to perform after several warm-up bands. Organizers of the planned four-hour party, to be shown live on national TV, were expecting 100,000 people.

President Tarja Halonen, who sent a congratulatory telegram to LORDI when victory became clear late Saturday, was also expected on stage to present the group with an award for promoting Finnish music.

"I don't care for rock, especially heavy rock, but I'm so proud of the fact that Finland won the contest," said Anni Markkanen, 52, who had travelled from Oulu, 600 kilometres north of Helsinki. "I just had to come to this party."

The band has been daily front-page tabloid news, found numerous new followers and their latest album "The Arockalypse" is expected to reach platinum sales of 30,000 in Finland next week, Sony BMG Music Entertainment Finland Oy said.

Many had feared that the hideously costumed group — complete with bloody gashes, protruding horns and war axes — would tarnish Finland's image abroad. But now the media and officials openly describe the group as heroes, and even skeptic journalists apologized for not believing in their success.

Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, a hard-rock fan, said LORDI had made Finnish music known worldwide and promised government aid to finance next year's competition, which Finland will host as reigning champion.

LORDI maintains a veneer of mystery and never performs without their costumes, and has asked the media "not to destroy our work, our image" by publishing pictures of them without their masks.

In interviews and on their website, they keep to their stage names: Mr. Lordi, Kita, Amen, Awa and Ox.

On Wednesday, scandal weekly 7 Paivaa sparked a flood of protests when it published a photograph of Mr. Lordi — aka Tomi Putaansuu — unmasked, with more than 200,000 people jamming a protest website against the magazine. The publisher, Aller Julkaisut Oy, issued an apology and closed its offices Friday.

"I think LORDI are just so cool," said 16-year-old Petra from Helsinki, bouncing with excitement as she waited for the band. "My knees are all weak."

Anna Koivisto waited 12 hours by the stage tents to see a glimpse of LORDI when the group appeared earlier in the day to test the sound systems.

"I even got an autograph, so it really was worth it, she said.