We are finally at the long-awaited tail-end of the BABYMETAL/Dethklok Tour. The US-based tour began at the end of August and runs through mid-October.
It's been a good six months since tickets went on sale, right before I went to Japan for the first time this year. I learned of the tour only a few minutes before boarding the plane and was unable to purchase a ticket. By the time I resurfaced in Tokyo many hours later, practically everything was gone.
Given that BABYMETAL toured Europe with Sabaton earlier this year, it was inevitable that they'd be hitting America as well. I don't think anyone could have guessed they'd be working with a name as big as Metalocalypse's Dethklok, though.
The remaining shows for the tour include Salt Lake City and Vancouver, followed by a run down the west coast of the United States. Of note is Sacramento's Aftershock Festival, which has a penchant of attracting Japanese bands. Both BANDMAID and NEMOPHILA played at last year's Aftershock, and this time around, we have BABYMETAL and HANABIE. Following Aftershock is a sprint into the desert in Las Vegas and Phoenix, and then, the last shows of the tour.
The two-night finale takes place on October 11 and 12 (Wednesday and Thursday) at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, CA. Originally, it was just a one-night affair, but after the original date sold out quickly, a second show was added. I actually stood around in a store in Tokyo so I could buy a ticket. I'm sure the shopkeepers wondered what I was doing standing near a wall for so long. Fighting for tickets, that's what.
Both BABYMETAL and Dethklok should need no introduction, each having been active for over a decade at this point.
BABYMETAL released their long-awaited new album "The Other One" in March. They had released singles from the album, once per month, as a build-up prior to the release. The album is quite good and shows that the group has evolved way beyond their name.
Dethklok released their own new album, "Dethalbum IV," just over a month ago. Dethklok's music is decidedly much, much heavier than BABYMETAL, given that they are a death metal band with all the growls and blackness that you can expect from that genre. I've been a fan of Dethklok ever since I saw the very first episode of Metalocalypse where they make coffee, of all things, very metal. That first album has a special place in my heart and songs like Thunderhorse and DethHarmonic are ones I hold dear. Dethklok has transcended their origins as "just" a band meant for an animation. "Dethalbum IV," much like their other albums, is more than enough to stand on its own. Horse of Fire and SOS stood out for me on the album and I think they'll earn their way into my musical rotation.
For this tour, founding members Sumetal and Moametal are joined on this tour by Momometal, who officially replaced Yuimetal earlier this year. Yuimetal officially departed the band in 2018. Momometal was part of a trio of candidates and won her position over two other experienced performers from the groups Sakura Gakuin and Morning Musume. Momometal herself hails from Sakura Gakuin.
As of right now, I'll be attending the finale alongside another of our members, Sal. We'll see you there. Expect a follow-up article in the days afterward.
The entirety of the tour dates is as follows:
8/30 Houston, TX - 713 Music Hall
8/31 Dallas, TX - Southside Ballroom
9/2 Orlando, FL - Orlando Amphitheater
9/3 Atlanta, GA - Coca-Cola Roxy
9/5 Nashville, TN - Nashville Municipal Auditorium
9/6 Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater
9/8 Pittsburgh, PA - UPMC Events Center
9/9 Wallingford, CT - Toyota Oakdale Theater
9/10 Alton, VA - Blue Ridge Rock Festival
9/12 Philadelphia, PA - The Mann Center
9/14 Boston, MA - MGM Music Hall at Fenway
9/15 New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom
9/17 Sterling Heights, MI - Michigan Lottery Amphitheater
9/18 Toronto, ON (CA) - RBC Echo Beach
9/20 Grand Rapids, MI - GLC Live at 20 Monroe
9/21 Chicago, IL - Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
9/23 Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life Festival
9/24 Milwaukee, WI - The Rave/Eagles Club
9/25 Minneapolis, MN - The Fillmore
9/27 St Louis, MO - Saint Louis Music Park
9/28 Omaha, NE - Steelhouse Omaha
9/30 Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
10/1 Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
10/3 Vancouver, BC (CA) - PNE Forum
10/4 Seattle, WA - WaMu Theater
10/7 Sacramento, CA - Aftershock Festival
10/8 Las Vegas, NV - Pearl Theater at Palms Casino Resort
10/10 Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Theater
10/11 Los Angeles, CA - YouTube Theater
10/12 Los Angeles, CA - YouTube Theater
