PHOTOS + REVIEW— BABYMETAL 2025 ⋆ Shows I Go To

PHOTOS + REVIEW— BABYMETAL 2025

Bloodywood • June 17, 2025 • Yuengling Center, Tampa, FL • Photos by Randy Cook

BABYMETAL LIVE REVIEW

Babymetal, Black Veil Brides & Bloodywood | June 17, 2025 | Yuengling Center, Tampa, FL
Review by Randy Cook

Earlier this year in March when Babymetal announced their most ambitious North American tour yet, I had the mid-June Tampa date circled on my calendar as one that I really hoped to be able to attend. I discovered Babymetal in early 2015 hearing them on SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal channel and became instantly fascinated with the band, their look and their sound. Not too long after that auditory discovery, a work trip to Chicago coincided with Babymetal’s first ever Chicago concert at the House of Blues. With a capacity of 1000 people, the show sold out in a matter of hours, which I found out when I searched for tickets. I recall that show being the first time I ever purchased tickets on the secondary market and of course I overpaid for them, but it was a fantastic experience and one I was glad to add to my concert history.

Supporting Babymetal on this tour are the Black Veil Brides and Bloodywood. For the second half of the twenty four date run Jinjer takes over in the second slot of the night. I think it is fitting that the first place I heard Bloodywood was also on SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal channel. Hailing from New Delhi, India and categorized as nu-metal, I find their music interesting utilizing native Indian instruments mixed with traditional metal song construction to create a unique sound. Indian folk instruments such as the dhol, tabla, tumbi, and flute are not just decorative onstage, they are central to the band’s sound, driving the rhythm and adding to the melody once vocals are introduced. While I was only able to see three songs of theirs live, I thought it was a fantastic start to the night with the energy the band brought to the stage and the growing crowd’s reaction. Their sound layers heavy groove laden riffs with rapped verses, screamed vocals and growls with traditional Indian singing. I thought it was fascinating to hear on the radio, but live it took their music to another level for me, and I will certainly be on the lookout for what I hope is a headlining tour for them!

Black Veil Brides was up next and this was my first exposure to this band. I had heard of them but was not familiar with their music or their history. One of my friends, Shawn, is their touring videographer so it was a great reunion to see and catch up with him ahead of their set. Once the lights went out and those first few notes hit, I thought fast-paced metal-core. In the three songs I was out there taking photos their sound transitioned from screamo metalcore to a more melodic, gothic-inspired hard rock style. I heard soaring choruses, twin guitar harmonies, slow-building intros with crushingly heavy riffs traded off between their two guitarists and raw defiance in their lyrics. Reading about them after the show it makes sense that their musical influences include KISS, Mötley Crüe and My Chemical Romance among many other bands that I am a fan of. What I heard interested me enough to make sure I give their discography a listen as I might have missed out on a great band just by never having given them a listen before seeing them live. Consider me a new fan!

For Babymetal we would be photographing their ninth through twelfth song so that gave me an opportunity to visit my seat and sit back and take in the opening few songs of their set. As with all the Shows I Go To I am curious of the age demographics of the crowd and this show provided no real surprises. A mostly younger generation of black shirted metalheads as I looked out over the crowd when the minutes ticked down to Babymetal hitting the stage at 9:15PM sharp. The audio director had the crowd, and several of the working ushers, singing in unison to well known anthemic metal selections, before the lights went out. A Star Wars–esque video told the Babymetal story and introduced the band to the stage to a roaring crowd and pillars of flame shooting up at the front of the stage. Now it made sense why we were not photographing for the first three songs. Playing what I can only describe as a unique sound, the band refers to themselves as playing ‘cute metal’ (kawaii metal). To say I was hooked the first time I heard their song ‘Gimme Chocolate’ a decade ago is an understatement and then once I had seen the video the band produced for the song it solidified my need for more of their music. Sharing the video with friends, I had two of them describe it as “…the coolest video I have ever seen!” and now getting to photo capture that song all these years later was a surreal moment for me.

The band mixes the cheerful high-pitched melodies and synchronized group chants of the j-pop genre with a thrash metal band playing beside them. They blend the sweet sugary charm of idol pop with the raw intensity of crushingly heavy metal, delivering it all through an anime-style spectacle. It is a very visual experience centered around their dance move choreography. Add in how harmoniously their vocals blend in with the music and it is easy to be mesmerized by all that is happening on stage and on the screen behind the performers. The metal is performed by the “Kami Band”. The Kami Band is a rotating ensemble of technically elite musicians whose lineup shifts based on location and tour. Their exceptional skill brings genuine metal credibility to Babymetal’s music and live shows, transforming the group’s theatrical pop-metal fusion into a virtuosic audio and visual spectacle. On stage, members of the Kami Band are clad in dark robes and adorned with masks to hide their identity while they hide in the shadows out of the spotlight jamming out.

Just before the songs we were allowed to photograph, Alex Terrible from Slaughter to Prevail made a guest appearance on stage to perform ‘Song 3’, a collaborative song between Babymetal and the Russian deathcore band. While I was not able to see this song, we photographers could hear the roar of the crowd as we were being led out for our time in the photo pit. It was a very energetic thirteen song set and I saw nothing but happy faces as the crowd headed for the exits. After the show I found out that one of my friend’s daughters had attended the show so I asked him to ask her what she thought of the evening. Her response was “…one of the top three performances I’ve ever seen!” I highly suggest to anyone on the fence thinking about going to this show to go. It was highly entertaining, and I always enjoy the brotherhood of being among those in attendance at metal shows.

Future Babymetal tour dates can be found here.

BABYMETAL setlist for June 17, 2025:

BABYMETAL DEATH
Megitsune
PA PA YA!!
BxMxC
METALI!!
Kon! Kon! (with Bloodywood) (Jayant Bhadula and Raoul Kerr only)
Song 3 (with Alex Terrible from Slaughter to Prevail)
Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!
RATATATA
Gimme Chocolate!!

Encore:
from me to u
KARATE
Road of Resistance