Helloween: YouTube Theater - Inglewood, CA - 5/1/26
German power metal legends Helloween announced their 40th anniversary tour. In 2025, they released their seventeenth studio album “Giants & Monsters.” If you’re into metal, you know Helloween who has influenced some of the most legendary bands and newer bands that are coming out. The last to second stop on the tour was at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California. Support for the tour was the Finnish power metal band Beast in Black. With the venue nearly packed to sold-out capacity, heavy metal maniacs were ready to lose their minds to one of metal’s best bands.
The lights went out and the packed venue cheered as the members of Helloween came out. The first song performed was one of their best songs, “Mard of Time.” This song hadn’t been played since 2018, and it was amazing to hear it live again. After that, the 13-minute song “The King for a Thousand Years” was played and that too hadn’t been played since 2011. The show was off to a great start, and things were just getting heated up. During the performance of “Future World,” the audience was singing along to the chorus as it is another one of Helloween’s best song. One of the best surprises from the show was that they played “Twilight of the Gods” because that song hasn’t been played since 1987. Hopefully that song gets played on their future shows regularly because it’s easily one of their best songs. Singers Michael Kiske and Andi Deris took a quick break and left the stage. Guitarist and founding member Kai Hansen took the stage and went back to his roots from the first Helloween album when he handled both guitars and vocals. He played and sang “Ride the Sky.” All the members put on lots of energy into their performance. No matter where you looked, the fans looked ecstatic to be in the presence of metal legends. With lots of material to work with, Helloween played more greatest hits like “I Want Out,” “A Tale That Wasn’t Right,” “Halloween,” “Eagle Fly Free,” and “Dr. Stein.” After over two hours of pure heavy metal, it was sadly time to call it a night. To end their set, Helloween played “Keeper of the Seven Keys.” The song is normally fourteen minutes, but they cut the song down to just the final verse of the song. The show came to an end with all the members coming front and center stage to thank the audience for coming out and bowing before them. Helloween always puts on an amazing show and should be seen by everyone who is a heavy metal maniac.
