By Rachel Bui
When I arrived to the venue for the show, the line had spanned the parking lot and was beginning to double on itself, and there was excited chatter in the air. The line ended up being so long that the show was pushed back 20 minutes, just so that everyone could enter the venue and not miss the show. The anticipation was infectious, and I knew it was going to be a good night.
The show opened with Jason Richardson, an impressive metal guitar soloist. His presence was so commanding, I honestly have forgotten if there was anyone else on stage with him, or if he was playing with a backtrack. Though there was no vocals as part of his set, I was still intrigued. Since the concert I’ve added him to my playlist, and I was glad that he was part of the show.
To those unfamiliar with the band, Dethklok started as a fictional band featured in the Adult Swim cartoon, Metalocalypse. Perhaps as a result of this, Dethklok’s performance had a peculiar setup. If you’ve ever been to a Cinefilm concert (the soundtrack is performed live while the film is playing in-sync in the background), then Dethklok’s performance was like the metal version of that. Cartoons played on the screen as the band performed, and the lighting on the band themselves was intentionally dark so that you only see the silouette of the band. As someone who is admittedly not a metalhead, I found myself still entertained by the concept.
Finishing out the night was BABYMETAL, described as a 3-piece “Japanese kawaii metal band.” I enjoyed their act the most, as their lyrics were upbeat and catchy, an interesting foil to the metal track. As they sang and danced across the stage, I was entranced by the production as a whole, from the well-practed choreography to the stabilized vocals to the ever changing light design. Standout hits include “Pa Pa Ya!!” and “Gimme Chocolate!!”
