Some shows announce themselves before the first note lands. The sold-out Palladium in Times Square was packed wall to wall, and the energy hit you the moment you walked through the door. Helloween’s 40th Anniversary North American Tour had been building toward this ultra-fast-sold-out New York stop for weeks, and tonight, the city showed up and made its position clear. Let the sing-alongs begin!
Beast in Black opened and immediately made a case for themselves. The Finnish outfit hit hard from the jump, working through a tight ten-song set that pulled from across their catalog. “Power of the Beast” set the tone on contact, and the band locked in momentum with “Hardcore,” “Sweet True Lies,” and “From Hell With Love.” By the time they reached “One Night in Tokyo” and “No Surrender,” the room had fully committed. Beast in Black arrived as a special guest and left having earned considerably more than that. Shout-out to Roger Smith for his lighting choice.
Beast in Black setlist:
Power of the Beast
Hardcore
Sweet True Lies
Born Again
From Hell With Love
Enter the Behelit
Die by the Blade
One Night in Tokyo
Blind and Frozen
No Surrender
Then Helloween took the stage and changed the room’s temperature entirely. No, actually, it was disgustingly hot in this place!
Forty years is a long time for any band. For Helloween, it reads less like a timeline and more like a living document, one that the current lineup, with Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen back in the fold alongside Andi Deris, Michael Weikath, Markus Grosskopf, Sascha Gerstner, and Dani Löble, carries with full awareness and zero hesitation. The set they built for New York honored that history without letting it slow them down.
“March of Time” opened, and the crowd grabbed it immediately. “The King for a 1000 Years” and “Future World” pushed the room forward, while “We Burn” and “Twilight of the Gods” kept the heat climbing. “Ride the Sky” arrived with its “Gorgar” interlude intact, and the hall erupted. Mid-set, the band pulled the tempo back, delivering “In the Middle of a Heartbeat” with something I didn’t expect at this show. Michael and Andi played snippets of The Beatles’ “Let It Be” and Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds.” “A Tale That Wasn’t Right” slowed the room down and held the crowd’s complete attention. Helloween did it without breaking a sweat.
“I Want Out” and “Heavy Metal (Is the Law)” drove the energy back to full force before “Halloween” closed the main set and took the roof with it. The encore landed exactly as it needed to. “Eagle Fly Free,” “Power,” and “Dr. Stein” set the table, and “Keeper of the Seven Keys” closed the night on the final chorus with the full room singing every word back. This show sounded and looked great, thanks to Martin Müller’s lighting.
oplus_1048608
New York sold out for a reason. On April 17, Helloween walked out and proved it.
Helloween setlist:
March of Time
The King for a 1000 Years
Future World
This Is Tokyo
We Burn
Twilight of the Gods
Ride the Sky
Into the Sun
Hey Lord!
Universe (Gravity for Hearts)
Hell Was Made in Heaven
Drum Solo
I Want Out
In the Middle of a Heartbeat
A Tale That Wasn’t Right
A Little Is a Little Too Much
Heavy Metal (Is the Law)
Halloween
Eagle Fly Free
Power
Dr. Stein
Keeper of the Seven Keys
Buy Helloween music and merch here:
https://amzn.to/3R6i7Y8
Buy Beast In Black music and merch here:
https://amzn.to/4mWqj9w
OMAR CORDY
Follow his work here:
Follow him on Instagram: