BABYMETAL - Headbanger Live @ Legend 1997 Apocalypse (Reaction!)

[@Killem911]

As Su-Metal once said, “Don’t think, just feel” which harmonises super well with most Babymetal songs. This song is simply about a 15 year old going to her first concert and being all excited but recognising at the same time that the fun times of childhood are over and the serious life now begins. This particular show from 2013 was just insane if you think about how young the girls were back then. The song was the first of the three last songs of the show followed by “Akatsuki (unfinished)” and “Death” (a song that usually used as an opener but for this particular show used as the closing song). It is great to see how much you enjoy Babymetal and you are correct, they are so much better live. Looking forward to you next reaction so keep them coming!

[@Grington300]

Good reaction. 'Headbanger' is about a girl going to her first metal concert on her 15th birthday ... but there is more to it. 15 is a significant birthday in Japan, that is when compulsory education ends, so she is having to make the first big life decision - continue to further education, start a career or something else. She has to come to terms with the fact life will never be the same, she will never be considered as a child again and those first 15 years of her life have passed by so quickly, so she is etching this special night of her 15th into her heart so she will never forget. At shows on or near their own respective 15th birthdays, half way through the song Su ceremoniously handed the mic and stand over to Yui and Moa and they each took over lead vocals for the second half of the song while Su took their place in the choreo hyping the crowd. 20 is the next significant age in Japan, that is when they come of age to officially become an adult. On her 20th birthday at the Legend M show Moa once again took over lead vocals for 'Headbanger' with a change of lyric to " ... this special night of my 20th ...". You are absolutely right about BABYMETAL being even better live than in the studio - and you have a whole load more songs to hear yet, each one different from the last. I would suggest 'Megitsune' next.

[@cuttysark8017]

This Legend 1997 concert version of Headbanger is awesome, - it's not the ending of the concert, but it is the beginning of the end. Together with Unfinished Akatsuki and Babymetal DEATH it forms a great finale and tells the story of Su's transformation into a metal goddess. So to get the full effect you should listen to them all in order. The Freddie Mercury mic stand has a DNA helix on it and you will see that repeated in the opening to Babymetal DEATH. The concert was to celebrate Su's 16th birthday which was the day before and at the end, as Su climbs the stairs, you will see "Happy Birthday" written on the bassist's head. Earlier in the year Yui and Moa had celebration concerts for their 14th birthdays. Headbanger is a bittersweet coming of age story about a 15 year old school girl going to a concert and braving the mosh pit, while knowing the freedom of the moment won't last long and vowing to remember the night and the feelings. It's used to celebrate BM birthdays and both Yui and Moa have taken the lead in it for their birthdays. If you want to be really wowed I recommend "Road of Resistance Live in Japan" and if you want to be confused listen to "Tales of the Destinies" which is BM doing Dream Theater inspired prog rock...seriously.

[@watcher2554]

Basic concept of the song is a 15yr old girl going to her first Heavy Metal Concert; getting all dressed up, headbanging the night away and collapsing at the end. When the song was recorded, Su was only 14 and was already use to going to concerts...just being ON the stage instead of watching them from the crowd!! This performance was the 3rd to last song of the concert. Some have been calling the last 3 songs at this concert the 'Trilogy of Death'...and I won't go into the full meaning yet as its a bit of a spoiler. But when Suzuka collapsed at the end of this song, it leads into the following performance, a ballad, of "Akatsuki (Unfinished Ver.)" and then the show closer "Babymetal Death" Glad you are having fun with Babymetal and as always.... Put your Kitsune UP!! Po!

[@kane128]

You should check out BabyMetal Death from this same concert...

[@SuperMilner1]

Such an awesome live band, I’m a 59-year-old rock and roller and I’ve Been to at least 60 concerts, and never seen anything like BABYMETAL! I haven’t seen them live yet but I will see them live before I die if I have to go to Japan! Really enjoy your reactions and may the Fox God 🦊 bless you along with our Queen Su! Kitsune’s up!!🤘🏼🦊🤘🏼🦊

[@AlexPSage]

10 Babymetal Years Flag hung in my entertainment room 🤘🏼went to their concert back in September of 2019 where they played here in SLC and holy shiz it was AWESOME!!! I wish I could have gone to one earlier back with the original 3 girls back when there were just the 2 albums but hey, it was still a great concert 😎

[@moalisa2086]

Great reaction and it’s so nice to see more people liking Babymetal. And it’s mutually beneficial, because we can revive that same moments when each of us discovered them, as you are doing right now.

[@keiju.6289]

Absolutely! And by the way, awesome profile picture.

[@timberhead2069]

Each of them sing the last part of this song when they reached their 15th birthday. Yuimetal has the cutest growl.

[@BlackArr0w]

True, BabyMetal fans are so dedicated, that's incredible! And you know what always blows my mind? This Legend 1997 show was their first big show, with about 8k people, and was in december 2013, even before they released their first album (that was in march 2014)!! Want to see another crowd being commanded by Su? This time a non-Japanese one, look for "Distortion" live at Download 2018 :D

[@rickwagner-]

⚡ 💀 💕 / 🤘 Even though Su has a beautiful soprano voice, I love that she sings a lot of this one in a lower register. That always sounds great. 'Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!' was one of their early hits. I was thrilled to see it live when it returned to the setlist in 2019. This is from the same concert as the official video for 'Gimme Chocolate!!', Legend "1997" from 2013, just a day after Su's sixteenth birthday. After the first nine songs with the Babybones pretending to play, the encore featured five songs with live backing from the Kami Band, including this one. The song is about a girl taking the train to see her first heavy concert on her fifteenth birthday, so it's something Su could relate to, while not being about her specifically. Although many folks like to think this song is about attending a Metal show, that's not specified in the lyrics. A Visual Kei concert might be more likely.

[@jakemuller8626]

We know Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!! or "Head-bangya!" is a reference to Visual Kei fan girl, bangya, but since the official MV got the neckbrace homage to Yoshiki from X-Japan, most certainly this is about a 15 yo fan girl attending her first metal concert. 🦊🤘

[@rickwagner-]

@@jakemuller8626 I disagree. It's not specified in the lyrics. I would agree that the music video expanded on the theme and added more Metal references.

[@jakemuller8626]

There are many songs not specifying anything in the lyrics but many references lead fans to get to know what is about, some not, but in this case I don't see this song is about any other type of concert, but whatever, is not wrong to think that is about it, wether you agree or not.

[@autohmae]

@@jakemuller8626 The Fox God messenger loves being ambiguous so people can have their own interpretations.

[@jakemuller8626]

@@autohmae 🦊🤘

[@CHRISCONTEPSS]

Thank you for your terrific reactions Sebs-Metal! 🤘🦊🤘 This song, "Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!" (yes that is the actual spelling) , the next one called "Akatsuki unfinished" (acoustic) and the show closer, "Babymetal DEATH" are a legendary trilogy known by "The One" as, "The Trilogy of Death". *Imagine this hyped up crowed now coming down to connect with the story of Idol singer Suzuka Nakamoto being chosen by the Fox God to sacrifice herself to the light to become Su-Metal; a metal goddess and leader of the "Metal Resistance". This is followed by a theatrical ending that makes the likes of Alice Cooper look like Mr Rodgers. #notacult 🤘🦊🤘 🤘🦊🤘 You will really thrill your Babymetal followers should you do the next two songs (in concert) order to finish this show (Legend 1997 -referring to year of Su-Metal's birth. * This show was the day before she turned 16. . . . . . . . .. It may be the most epic concert closing in Rock/ Metal history. 🤘🦊🤘 🤘🦊🤘 In fact this whole thing is indeed a music theater project that should be seen as much as heard. The crowd interaction is indeed built in. That is why Babymetal refer to the fan base as "The One" and cheer, "We are Babymetal". It has been said in interviews this refers to the fans, the girls, and the Kamiband as all together creating the experience that is, Babymetal. They view the audience as part of the band.🤘🦊🤘 🤘🦊🤘You nailed that! Hope you will check out more of this! 🤘🦊🤘 PS . . To quickly find English translations of song lyrics, just google "Du-Metal". He also includes cultural references and notes to help non native folk understand the songs. I suggest you pull up lyrics and read them over before playing the video as it appears you are missing some of the performance to read the lyrics on another monitor. Kitsunes UP!!🤘🦊🤘

[@flugelhornoldman1362]

Nice & thanks again from Japan 有難う💛。Your twitter tells you are residing in Utah, right? BABYMETAL performed in your state on Sep. 28, 2019 during their 2019 US tour. In this video, you heard the crowd shout some words at 06:02. The words are "ki-e-ro 消えろ!" meaning "get out of here!". This shout in Japanese comes out wherever they go on this planet and whenever Su-Metal directs her mic towards crowd. Of course, excited American audiences did it at the Union Event Center in Salt Lake City (You can find fan-cam videos in KZbin). Now in 2021, eight years after this filmed in 2013, BM played this song in all of 10 BABYMETAL BUDOKAN Concerts with Su's matured voice and Moa's more agitating moves. I enchanted to headbang at the venue ヽ(^o^)丿

[@JMxx6204]

Great reaction. Astonishingly great band. Having seen them live a number of times I can confirm they are beyond belief. Su is an extraordinary singer.

[@rah2287]

Great reaction as always. I love your appreciation for these young ladies and their world class band.

[@nichtwitzig]

Legend 1997 (Makuhari Messe 2013) Best Musical Act (Neo Awards 2014 and 2015) Best Live Act (Loudwire Annual Music Awards 2015 and 2017) Best Live Band (Kerrang! Awards 2016) Best International Band (Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award 2016) Best International Band (Alternative Press Music Award 2016) Best Live Act (AIM Independent Music Awards 2016) Best New Talent (Revolver Music Awards 2016) Most Devoted/Dedicated Fans (Loudwire Annual Music Awards 2015-2017)

[@martinmetal7481]

Great show from start to finnish . Su just 16 and Yui and Moa 14 it's 100% effort all the way no half hearted performance from them . 🤘🦊🤘

[@kevinhiggins7838]

Pikachu’s favorite band. That’s a great idea… making cardio enjoyable.

[@crimson0119]

Just putting it out there, Su's got that Death Glare is cuz shes pissed that Moa and Yui got to play with the smoke cannons, while all she gets to do is just hold the mic. 🤣🤘🦊🤘

[@TheTeufelpanzerVI]

Great reaction! I see it has been explained below, so won't get into that...but Babymetal is a band that brings a smile to my face and metal at the same time. Just awesome!

[@dingjk5630]

That microphone stand is one of the three hallows of Babymetal. Watching the MV, you know how fun it is to go to the BabyMetal concert. Thanks for your great reaction.

[@moonfloweryellow3130]

I think the three hallows of BabyMetal are 1. NECK BRACE 2. MIC STAND 3. SU-METAL'S CLOAK 😁

[@GenTzu]

@@moonfloweryellow3130 #4 - the death stare!

[@moonfloweryellow3130]

@@GenTzu #5 - tantou microphone (Su) #6 - skeleton hoodie (Yui &Moa)

[@bons244]

Go checkout the MOA-BANGER version - performed on Moa's 20th birthday, and she gets to be the lead vocals for the 2nd half of the song. You'll hear how both improved in their performances.

[@jamesmcclung153]

Awesome reaction. There are still some Babymetal songs that I never looked up the lyrics and I'm ok with that. Some aren't. I've seen a couple of reactors really struggle with not knowing the lyrics. It's ok to look them up after or on a second listen.

[@lencooke944]

Hi Sebs, another great Babymetal reaction. There are numerous comments below that explain what the Headbanger lyrics mean. They are mostly correct, so you will now have a good idea of what Headbanger is about. As with all Babymetal songs, and I mean ALL (I include Gimme Chocolate in this) Babymetal songs, there are much deeper undercurrents and layers in each song in their discography. And, unusually for a metal band the underlying theme is positive or inspirational. Babymetal was formed to blend J-Pop and metal with the view to attracting younger people, particularly young girls, to heavy and metal music, as their producer believed that metal music was considered to be aggressive and male dominated. Their producer wanted to show that there was space for young women in heavy music. This was so successful that Babymetal is credited for creating their own genre of metal music "Kawaii Metal". Today we see many successful female Japanese metal bands that have loosely built their popularity on Babymetal's foundations. Because Babymetal began when the three girls were so young their production company protected them like proud parents. They were not to be objectified and their songs had to be age appropriate. For example, their first single Doki Doki Morning, where Su, Yui and Moa, sang about girls getting ready for school, choosing hairstyles, nail polish and how exciting the whole day would be. All of this sung to crushingly heavy metal music and delivered with kawaii choreography. This is getting really long, so Sebs, i will leave you with that. I look forward to your ever-quickening descent into the fox hole. Welcome to "The One".

[@alifputra2066]

Babymetal - Rondo of nightmare

[@r1learner178]

Good reaction man, you have an open mind which is good for you and you aural pleasure.

[@garytruex9336]

You should watch the official vid., as it explains a lot. We see how she is summoned by the Messenger of the Fox God and tasked with bringing Metal to the World. I also remember reading that the "Get out of here" reference was a "dig" at the "haters". Perhaps a Kobe-metal Idea. You might find this hard to believe, but early on, BM was getting a fair amount of push-back by the hard-core metal heads.

[@tracemcclintock1513]

You should check out Black Babymetal (it's just Yui and Moa, no Su) "Onedari Daisakusen", "Sis Anger".

[@jaglemans6778]

I generally only watch Babymetal reactions. Yours are some of the best.

[@Gdpud]

Are you n a treadmill!? (thats the usual question posed at the keyboardist on the Rammstiern Paris 'Du-Hast' video!) :D

[@kianmetaru]

I've watched this about a hundred times n it still gets me stoked 😅

[@cu_0510]

Good reaction.I like it

[@keshanizm]

This is banger!’ 🤘🤘🔥🔥

[@projectcreation]

Seen this performance countless times and I’m still blown away every freaking single time.

[@docmetal8194]

Excellent! More BABYMETAL please!! Arigatou! 🦊🤘 #notacult

[@Slytherkins]

🤘🦊🤘

[@seregamolodets5286]

🍅💀🍅 🤘🏼🦊🤘🏼

[@josephdoo]

😂🤘🤘🤘

[@gmac6503]

Man, before I even watch this I'm hyped up over how much I know you are gonna blast off and fly into babymetal heaven. Here we go.

[@noelsan6369]

BM-Arkadia reaction

[@jakemuller8626]

🦊🤘

[@tommyo2450]

And that folks is how you do it!

[@stevechevy3382]

Nice reaction. Do yourself a favor though. Check out the lyrics either before or after you watch the video. It can be very distracting trying to do both. As Su-metal says "Don't Think, Feel". Enjoy the moment which is part of what this song is about. I'm sure after that performance you're ready for more cardio. I'm enjoying your journey through the Babymetal galaxy of music.

[@FC-od3hu]

just wondering: did you have the lyrics translated in real time?

[@edamameme1789]

You should hit up one of their concerts when you can. The productions are insane and the crowd is amazing. edit: The producer actually came up with the idea for this band because the girl who is the lead singer was always a loud singer and her voice would punch through all the regular instrumentation for stuff like pop music. So he said "She's a loud singer, she just needs loud music" and they brought in the metal band to play for her and that was it.

[@brutalshow3364]

🤘👻❤️🦊🦊🦊❤️👻🤘

[@jeremywasinger6732]

Next review please: Road of Resistance, Live in Japan. One of the best performances I have ever seen.

[@moalisa2086]

He already did it: it was his first reaction ever to Babymetal. But it got blocked on KZbin. It is still available on his Patreon. It was hilarious. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing and listening and just kept repeating: “who are these guys?”

[@road-runner]

Great reaction, thanks! This is an early and awesome performance. And "Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!" is a total classic. Yes, they totally know how to work the audience. Their crowd control is insane! I see you are choosing the classics first so your next one should be "Megitsune" for sure...But, if you want something different and newer... here: "Kagerou" (Live compilation with Kami intro): kzbin.info/www/bejne/oH6sqXx9bqmoiLs Until next time!

[@FromUtah]

Hey, Sebs. Are you really in Utah? So is this Babymetal Fan. We should meet and talk. I'm sure you've read everyone else's descriptions about the song. Now that you know what it's about, you should check out the official Music Video. So many directions to go from here. Welcome to the fox hole. #notacult

[@t_siroto4166]

Nice reaction. Akatuki, Ijime Dame Zettai, Headbanger, all of them. However, it is not at all. Please more Babymetal. A wonderful solo is recommended. "Rondo of nightmare"

[@rantingrodent416]

Have been enjoying your Babymetal reactions. Their energy seems like a great fit if your exercising while you listen. When looking up lyrics for Babymetal, your best bet is to search for the "Du-metal" translation. Japanese Babymetal fan that teaches English for a living. He posted in depth translations of all of the songs from the first two albums with some extra commentary and cultural context. Really handy. One thing I love about this song is how seamlessly it goes from super heavy head-banging intensity to a kind of emotional ending

[@randybethune5854]

How many miles a day do you walk?

[@レビメタル]

🦊🦊🦊

[@DaElfer]

i think moa and yui have burned 50x more calories than you did in this one video alone lol

[@randybethune5854]

Please dont use the term "metal" in association with what I just witnessed.

[@ViVaLaRan]

save the lyrics for the end bro :p

[@cjkoehler]

🤘🦊🤘

[@r01dtox15]

🤘😁🤘