HANABIE. and Kim Dracula Sell Out Anaheim's House of Blues
Written by: Ephney Tsai
As part of their joint Spring 2025 U.S. tour, HANABIE. and Kim Dracula performed in Anaheim's House of Blues on Saturday, April 5th. The show also featured opening acts Kaonashi and Crystal Lake, creating an unforgettable lineup and evening of metal and rock music.
Fans in attendance were in for a treat, as lead singers of Kaonashi, Crystal Lake, and HANABIE. all jumped into the pit to greet them up close. Aside from that, the welcoming crowd helped crowd surfers throughout the whole show, carrying these brave fans up to the front of the stage constantly. With over fifty crowd surfers during HANABIE.'s set alone, some fans could even be seen going for multiple rounds, addicted to the rush.
As for the music, each act truly brought their A-game. Live vocals and live bands, and an explosive energy from each act kept the crowd alive and energetic. Artists and the crowds all headbanged together from start to finish. For HANABIE., their hour-long set began at 8:05pm on the dot, as each member ran on stage, did a bow of introduction, and took their place. Singer Yukina, guitarist Matsuri, bassist Hettsu, and drummer Chika all kept up their wild onstage energy throughout the set, dancing and jumping around. Dressed in their signature Harajuku style with colorful dresses and skirts and fur boots—and a jacket in Yukina's case, too—their duality and unique charm were on full display. The quartet smiled and cheered, waved, and threw hearts at their fans all throughout their hour, all while keeping up their raucously impressive music and shouts. Once their set came to an end, the crowd rotated out, with some of HANABIE.'s fans heading towards the back and allowing Kim Dracula's to take the front spots.
Kim Dracula's set was preluded with ominous organ music playing as staff reset the stage, befitting his stage name. The stage setup itself was also unique, featuring what looked like a missile as a mic stand and an American flag with his name on it. Kim Dracula focused more on theatrics for his set, kicking things off with a storyline. Mimicking an attack, he and his team needed to build a barrier to protect this area. To build the barrier, they needed a lot of energy—as much as you could get from something like a live show. This narration led to his arrival on stage, as he set off to harness energy from the audience. The singer and his unique band that even featured an impressive saxophonist started off strong and continued to uphold their own energy, allowing the crowd to feed off of it and give it back tenfold. The crowd was headbanging, moshing, and crowd surfing once more, enjoying the set from start to finish.
All in all, all four acts put together an unforgettable show full of metal excellence. Though each one fell under the same umbrella term, each artist also had their own uniqueness that stood out during their performances.
