REVIEW: Babymetal, Dethklok, Jason Richardson at Hammerstein Ballroom | 09.15.2023

Show Reviews

Sep 17

Written By

The co-headlining tour of Babymetal and Dethklok, officially and affectionately known as the Babyklok Tour, played New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Friday night. The pairing of these bands seems crazy on paper – a Kawaii Metal band and the most brutal band in the world on the same stage? Yet at the same time, though, it weirdly sounds like a perfect combination. And it was, as the sold out crowd would confirm time and time again throughout the night via their persistent and raucous applause.

THE SHOW

Tour opener and guitar virtuoso Jason Richardson kicked off the evening with a set of fretboard-melting instrumental jams. Accompanied by a backing “band” of tracks that he triggered himself, Richardson showcased a true mastery of the guitar; the ease of which he was able to do so further displaying the depth of his talent.

Richardson’s guitar playing was hypnotic to watch. His hands were moving faster than I could even comprehend yet he played each note with delicate precision. Richardson triggered vocal tracks for a couple of the songs, including “Retrograde” which features Periphery frontman Spencer Sotelo, but otherwise he let his guitar do the talking.

Up next was Dethklok. I never thought I’d actually get to witness the “world’s greatest cultural force” in person. It was hard not to expect Toki, Skwisgaar, Murderface, Pickles, and Nathan Explosion to take the stage themselves. But while they didn’t do so in human form, show creator Brendon Small along with Nili Brosh, Pete Griffin, Laura Christine, and Gene Hoglan channeled the character’s musical spirits and performed the songs masterfully.

The band opened as one would hope and expect with “Deththeme.” It was a goosebump-inducing moment to hear the song being performed live as the intro to Metalocalypse played on a screen above the band. The members played in near darkness, visible only by their silhouettes as the focus of the crowd’s attention was directed towards their cartoon counterparts on screen.

This struck an interesting balance. I was fully immersed in the visuals, my mind in the world of Metalocalypse, while feeling also present in the moment as I appreciated the sheer power of the band’s live performance. I was also laughing my ass off at the interstitial videos featuring concert tips from Facebones, Dethklok’s lovable band mascot.

Dethklok’s 16-song setlist included classics like “Awaken” and “Thunderhorse” as well as a few new tunes from the band’s latest release, “Dethalbum IV.” The new album coincided with the release of a new movie, “Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar,” which is out now on Digital and Home Video. If you haven’t watched it yet, do yourself a favor and make it a priority to change that. It’s hilarious. And brutal. One would expect nothing less.

When the lights went dark and an intro video gave way to a giant Babymetal logo, the crowd lost their collective shit. The backing band took the stage and launched into “BABYMETAL DEATH,” while the trio of Su-Metal, Moametal, and Momometal stepped in sync towards the center of the stage. This was my first Babymetal show, and my first Kawaii Metal show for that matter; I was blown away by the experience.

Watching the trio doing choreographed dances with smiles on their faces while simultaneously delivering thrashing, in-your-face Metal anthems was a uniquely epic juxtaposition. The crowd, myself included, loved every minute of it.

Babymetal performed their new single “METALI!!” while a digital Tom Morello joined them on screen for his unmistakable guitar contributions. The band’s career-spanning setlist also included “PA PA YA!!” and “Road of Resistance,” among others.

The Babyklok Tour continues through mid-October, wrapping in Los Angeles with a two-night stint at Inglewood’s YouTube Theater.

THE SHOOT

There are nights that are standard, run-of-the-mill shoots - first three songs from the pit for each band and that’s that. Then there’s nights full of various logistics that demand your attention and strategy. This was one of those nights.

Jason Richardson’s set was the standard in that the photographers got the first three songs from the pit. Given that Richardson was playing solo, I already had plenty of shots after the first song, so songs two and three were more for fun than anything else. It was an easy, relaxing start to the night.

Dethklok’s set was considerably more challenging, as we shot the first three songs from the soundboard while the band played in near darkness. An understandable decision on both fronts, as the intended focus is on video rather than the band. I tried to focus on both the screen and the band together, but it didn’t stop me from trying my best to grab some traditional band shots, capturing the members’ silhouettes along with those of the crowd. This was a fun challenge, and I'm happy with the shots I got.

Babymetal was a much easier shoot. The lighting was perfect and the video screen was used to enhance the crowd's focus on the band’s performance, creating a plethora of amazing moments that were a thrill to shoot. Shot from the pit, we were also allowed five songs to shoot as opposed to three, which provided more than enough time to get the shots that I needed.

Three bands, three sets of rules, but a thrill to shoot them all the same. It was one of the most fun live shows I’ve shot in quite some time. I've got a busy week coming up next week with Everclear, Better Lovers, and the mighty Mars Volta, plus more - catch you at the next one!