(This post concludes my reaction to BABYMETAL's performance during their World Tour 2023 at Zepp, KL, 4 June 2023. If you start here and scroll downwards, the sequence will be in reverse order. If you prefer the sequence to be chronological, first scroll about 13 entries down to my 'Megitsune' review, then work your way back up.)
BABYMETAL gifts us with one final number to finish a 14 item set. The performance in the featured video (above) is the capstone to the showcase that riveted the band's place in metal canon. Sonisphere, UK, 2014, a major rock music festival, marks a glorious piece of historic lore in which an unknown band comprising a trio of uncomfortably kawaii underage frontwomen singing pop in a foreign language accompanied by a face-melting metal band got unexpectedly bumped up from the fringe event, and on to the main stage in front of 60,000 presumed hardcore metalheads. After immediately becoming the talk of the town, the band gained a beachhead from which to conquer the world.
Was their success really that unexpected? Well, even at this young age (14-16 years), the girls are already entertainment veterans, having performed in front of large numbers of paying audience for at least 4 years, if not more. The Kami band behind them is jaw-droppingly metal. Their performance package is tried and tested: the choreography is well-rehearsed, polished and perfectly coordinated; the trio's vocals are strongly melodic, and delivered with powerful conviction; their stage presence captivating. By this time, they've already picked up a global following through their MV releases on YouTube, 'Gimme Choco' being their most viewed. And judging from the display of a white neckbrace and a BABYMETAL flag from the audience (7:22) they probably have more friends in the crowd than they gave themselves credit for.
This song, 'Ijime, Dame, Zettai' (bullying, [to] stop, forever), represents a core value the band has embodied since its beginnings. Its use of metal to carry songs of positivity, encouragement, and cheer was a radical departure from what metal was 'supposed to be about' back then. Experimentation, innovation and adaptation still keeps this band fresh and relevant, even forward-looking, today.
Back in KL, the performance is over. SU calls, 'we are...?' To which we respond, 'BABYMETAL!!!' Then instead of the usual chorus of 'see you', she goes, 'berjumpa lagi', which is still literally 'see you again' but in Berhasa. It's a tiny, but heartwarming gesture to recognize the country that has welcomed them, on this effervescent and thoroughly memorable night of my mid-fifties.
No comments:
Post a Comment