Babymetal - Live Review from Orlando, FL 2024

It's November of 2024, and Babymetal have made their way to the States again. This year I attended their show at Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL on their first stop in the US, and in the same venue where I first saw the band live five years ago.

I arrived a little after six to take advantage of the free parking at that time, and by the time I made it to the venue, the line was already massive.

Waiting in line to let my voice be heard.

I made a couple of friends in line, both of whom were looking to get spots somewhere in the pit. As for me, I once again had seated tickets this go around, so I didn't have to stress over fighting for a good spot. I also saw a couple of fans who were wearing homemade Babymetal outfits, so that was pretty cool to see, too. I made my way through the merch line and picked up their Metal March tee, then found my seat and eagerly awaited the show to come.

Their opening act this year was Scene Queen. I did not care for them even a little, so moving right along. Between sets, the venue played some metal hits over the loudspeaker, including songs from Disturbed, Linkin Park, Pantera, and System of a Down, amongst others, and it was kinda neat hearing all the fans in attendance singing along to each of the songs. Then the lights went out, and the crowd erupted in cheers as Babymetal made their way to the stage.

They kickstarted with Babymetal Death, then moved on to Distortion to truly kick off the evening in a hard-hitting way. Many fans (and even the girls themselves) then busted out their towels for Pa Pa Ya, and it was an awesome sight seeing all the fans both in the pit and even in the seated area twirling their towels in the air during this song. This performance was just a blast to be a part of, and was definitely a highlight of the evening.

Maya was next, and I gotta just say, seeing this song live hits different. In fact, this might seriously be their heaviest song that I've seen them perform live yet. I didn't get to see this one on their tour last year, but I'm glad it made it into rotation for my show this time around, because this one really is a thrilling experience.

We got some solos from the Kami Band leading into Metali, and we were waving our hands through the air at Su's command (we would've also obeyed her command to get low, but alas, my section was already seated). Monochrome followed, and it's always an amazing sight seeing everyone's phones light up the venue.

Next was the big surprise of the night, as they played Time Wave, a relatively uncommon song to see them perform up to this point. This was truly a special treat to see live, and the one that's received the most excited reaction from fans online at that. It's left me itching to go back and rewatch Babymetal Begins - Black Night (where this song first debuted) ever since.

Their classic hit Megitsune was next, and this was honestly my favorite performance of the night. I was literally dancing in my seat along with the music, and the guy sitting in front of me was having the time of his life, too.

The girls took a brief break as we chanted "Fu Fu" over and over again in anticipation for Ratatata. Then they came out pointing their thumbs to the side and pushing their performance to the limit. I liked how during the "bun bun bun" part they performed the choreography from the music video, whereas in past performances they would tend to just jump around at this part and chant for the fans to jump along with them. So it was nice seeing the full choreography this time around.

And speaking of choreography, they've apparently changed things up just a bit with the dance routine of Gimme Chocolate, where now during the last set of "atatata"s, Moa and Momo step in front of Su and point out at the crowd, as opposed to stepping around her and pointing at the back of her head. It's cool to see them continuing to update their acts, which we also saw a little of during Pa Pa Ya earlier in the evening, too.

After Gimme Chocolate ended, they did a fakeout show closing routine. I don't think that anyone was buying it, though, as unlike back at The Forum, nobody left their seats after the band left the stage. Instead, we spent about the next five minutes chanting "Babymetal", and then they came back out to give us an encore performance, starting with the fan favorite Headbanger, and culminating with a patriotic performance of Road of Resistance.

Moa once again pranked Su when she was to hand Su her mic at the beginning of Road of Resistance, this time running to the far side of the stage with the mic, then rushing back to hand it to her just in time for the song to kick in. And at the end, they showed an image of the band's logo emblazoned in the colors of the American flag, as Moa and Momo held up a flag bearing this same image.

Su then thanked us and told us, "See you!", and we all screamed it back as they exited the stage, and it was time to call it a wrap on yet another excellent show.

In terms of setlist, it was really cool to see Maya and especially Time Wave. I would personally say that their previous setlists that I've seen live have been overall better, but I still left more than satisfied with what we got on this evening.

Originally I was planning to also attend their show in Hollywood, FL the following evening, but I had to sadly cancel those plans. I don't feel too bad about it though, because I'm just thankful I got to see them at all this year, and I can't wait for them to come back around my neck of the woods again. Babymetal never disappoints. See you!

Previous live reviews:
Orlando, FL and Atlanta, GA 2019
The Forum 2019
Atlanta, GA 2023