Helloween Returns to San Antonio After 37 Years
Photo by Oscar Moreno
Back in 1987, MTV released Headbangers Ball, a three-hour TV show featuring heavy metal music videos that became hugely popular as the genre rose in the late ’80s and early ’90s. As the show’s popularity grew, the idea of a Headbangers Ball tour came into high demand. Enter Helloween. Along with Armored Saint and Grim Reaper, the trio toured across the U.S., making their first appearance in San Antonio at the fabled Randy's Ballroom. Their success was so great that Headbangers Ball brought Helloween back, this time with Exodus and Anthrax at the Sunken Gardens Theater in 1989. It was the last time the German power metal pioneers appeared in the Alamo City.
Fast forward 37 years, and the group found themselves at the Aztec Theater as the second stop of their 40-year anniversary tour.
From their 1989 lineup, it appears that third guitarist Sacha and drummer Dani are the only non-original members, with Dani replacing the late Ingo Schwichtenberg on drums and Sacha joining as a third guitarist in the early 2000s. Andi, Kiske, Kai, Michael and Markus still hold their places and play better than ever. The energy was unmatched, as metalheads of all ages, some sporting Headbangers Ball tour T-shirts, could not stop singing along to hits from all eras of their catalog, including “March of Time,” “I Want Out” and “Future World,” among many others throughout a marathon two-hour set.
Kiske and Andi’s voices remain strong, alternating back and forth between songs. Sacha Gerstner and Kai Hansen’s riffs are timeless. Taking on vocals on occasion, his presence is powerful, matched with Michael Weikath’s scorching solos, especially during “Halloween,” pure perfection. It was a thing of wonder to witness Markus’s tap solo during “Eagle Fly Free,” all held together by Dani Löble, who had enough dexterity to deliver an awesome drum solo near the midway point of their set.
As their encore began, metalheads of all ages in the mosh pit encouraged others to crowd surf, held on to each other in song and sang the final three songs of the set. From within their community, it kind of hit me: the culture bands like these have cultivated over four decades has bred a new generation of listeners who unite as one large family. I was welcomed into their group, carried a few bodies myself and picked people up when they fell, just like everyone else. Helloween may be one of power metal’s pioneering forces, but the community that has supported them ensures their legacy will endure for generations to come.
