My kids have never been to a concert before, and this past weekend at Rock on the Range in Columbus, the J-Pop/Metal band Babymetal was playing (no idea who Babymetal are? Just google them. They have plenty of videos. I'd recommend 'karate' as a good starting point.) My kids happen to love their music and they had been bugging me about it ever since the found out they were going to be playing so close to us.

Well, it so happens that I actually like Babymetal as well, so I broke down and agreed to take them. My wife was a hard pass on seeing the show, so I had to recruit my sister to come help me, but after getting back I'm glad to report that it was fantastic! My kids had no idea what to expect, but they ended up loving the energy and the noise of live metal. Sure as hell beats getting drug to a One Direction concert or something like that. I actually had a great time as well. Those girls worked their asses off up on the stage, the lead singer has a helluva voice, and their band was tearing it up. Yeah, J-Pop and Metal is an odd combo, but it was a load of fun to go see.

Sadly, my photography skills suck, and I didn't get any decent pictures while the show was actually going on. The best I could do was grab a couple shots after the crowd broke up:



My wife helped me and the boy gear up for the show with some old eyeliner and hair gel respectively:



Most of the ink got rubbed off by my boy rocking out up on my shoulders, but his 'hawk stayed up the whole time. Got him lots of high-fives as well. All in all it was a good trip, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience for the kiddos to see what a big music event is like. The only downside is that I've had their music stuck in my head all day long...and I don't speak a bit of Japanese! Rock on Babymetal!

- Bret

Well, that was interesting.
Now it's stuck in my head as well.

Was it with the live band or the skeletons?

Live Kami band. You can actually find full streams of their set at Rock on the Range on YouTube. Some group was streaming it professionally, and there are a couple decent rips out there. I’m not sure it was their best of the tour, but it was still good. Apparently the drummer is having trouble with tendinitis, and posted a pic of him icing down his left wrist immediately after the show.

However, if you see some of the earlier performances of Tattoo you can tell Su-metal is getting more comfortable just thrashing during the breaks in that song. She was really letting go in Columbus!

Googled and watched a few videos. Wow.

Interesting, and the girls are cute, but don't think I could sit through an album or a concert...

Maybe if I knew japanese ?

quote:

Originally posted by SBrooks:
Interesting... but don't think I could sit through an album or a concert

Agreed.

Worth watching a YouTube video or two, but not something I'd listen to for an extended period, or on a regular basis.

(I love most metal, but this style doesn't work for me.)

It’s definitely not for everyone. I happen to love it, so I had a great time. Not being able to sing along is a bit annoying, but if I’m honest I mis-hear half of what English-speaking metal bands are saying and I really only get the choruses right anyway! I’m more of a sound guy than a words guy I guess.

Over time, I ended up looking up the lyrics and translations. It’s a lot of girl-power with some death metal mixed in. Like, gimme chocolate is basically the girls worrying about getting fat if they eat even a little piece of chocolate and then saying, you know what? Just eat the damn chocolate.

- Bret

I'm taking my boys (6 & 7) to see Imagine Dragons at Red Rocks this summer. Their first concert as well! I bet your kids will remember dad taking them to their first concert for the rest of their lives...good for you!

The music is good but their vocals have me clawing at my ears in 30 seconds.

Lol! Yeah, J-pop can have that effect on some folks. I felt about the same way listening to the band Smashmouth: I liked the music, but the lead ‘singer’ always sounded to me like someone tossed a bucket of half-broken See-‘n-says into a washing machine.

- Bret

Listened to a few more & it's catchy.
Filing away in the guilty pleasures file.