Reaching Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the legendary German power metal group Helloween celebrated another day on their epic 40th anniversary tour across North America alongside Beast in Black.
The eurobeat-infused metal vibes started off the night as Beast in Black kicked it into high gear with “Power of the Beast.” A large portion of the crowd was already familiar with the group, and the pairing alongside Helloween seemed like a great overlap for fans of the genre.
As the only opening act, they were given a solid set length and cruise through some of the hits and fan-favorites off of their three studio albums, including “One Night in Tokyo,” “Blind and Frozen,” and the hair metal throwback “Sweet True Lies.”
Vocalist Yannis Papadopoulos let the crowd know that while they couldn’t give any sneak previews yet, the group had just finished production on their upcoming fourth studio album. They did, however, play “Enter The Behelit,” their collaboration track with Blizzard Entertainment, which garnered cheers from the audience members who were fans of the “Diablo” series, as well as the manga “Berserk.”
The power metal sound, combined with the 80s pop influences, made for both a heavy and fun time for the Milwaukee crowd in the Eagles Ballroom.
After the grimace of a giant jack-o-lantern face appeared on the brilliant LED backdrop, the visuals soared through a 3D landscape showcasing the entire discography of German power metal pioneers Helloween. The seven-member group launched into “March of Time,” from the iconic “Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part II,” to start things off.
Vocalists Michael Kiske and Andi Daris immediately traded back and forth on the vocals, and between their combined vocals and the interactions on stage it was clear that all of the members still love doing what they do. The three-vocalist lineup, known as “Pumpkins United,” features original members and vocalists Kiske and Kai Hansen, as well as Daris, who took over lead vocal duties in 1994. The change over of vocalists between songs keeps all of the vocals fresh over the 2+ hour runtime of the gargantuan set.
The lengthy set was due to both the amount of songs represented from the incredible 16-album discography and also the extensive solos from Hansen, Sascha Gerstner, and founding member Michael Weikath. While the band pulled tons of tracks from the early albums, including both “Keeper of the Seven Keys” albums, they also gave attention to their newest album, “Giants & Monsters.” “This is Tokyo” was a fun and heavy romp, while “Into the Sun” slowed things down with more powerful ballad elements.
The fan-favorite hits weren’t missing, as “Future World” and “Ride the Sky” took early slots in the set, with “I Want Out,” “Eagle Fly Free,” “Power” and “Dr. Stein” rounding out the night. Despite the encore taking the group over their scheduled 2 hours, the crowd still had the energy to keep jumping and singing along to their biggest hits. The group also kept their energy up for the full show, and it’s clear that these guys still love doing what they do best. Helloween has many years left in their already iconic career, and I’m sure the future tours will be just as exciting.
