On Nov. 25, ACME returned to the United States stage at the local rock venue Chain Reaction in Anaheim. Known for blending in visual kei aesthetics with heavy metal music, the Japanese rock band came back for its first U.S. performance in two years, featuring their new single “Y.A.B.A!”
This concert united a wide range of heavy metal fans, bringing both Western and Eastern artists onto the stage. Fans were listening to a new side of the genre as they discovered new artists to listen to. Some fans even experienced their first rock concert for the first time.
“This [was] my first rock concert and I didn’t know what to expect at all,” attendee Katie Phillips said. This is my first time ever being out in this kind of atmosphere.”
The Chain Reaction is a historical punk rock venue that’s home to many bands in LA. Entering the venue felt like walking into a moment in time, with the walls decorated in stapled band tees and doors covered in stickers, honoring all the bands that have played there before.
The show started with local rock bands Human Capital and Quietude. Then the Japanese solo artist Miura Ayme opened the set, followed by ACME’s electrifying entrance.
Human Capital, a local band based in L.A., performed first, harmonizing their instruments with the energetic vocals to create a raw and thunderous sound.
According to lead singer Dominic Godinez, the band is temporarily disbanding due to some members moving away. Godinez said performing at Chain Reaction, their final set for the time being, is a milestone for the band.
“I am very honored, especially to play with ACME and Quietude, because I’ve known about them for a while. It just feels unreal,” Godinez said.
The next local LA band that took the stage was Quietude. Quietude has been a Los Angeles-based band and frequent performer at the Chain Reaction for the past ten years, only to rise to fame for the past three years as they’ve started to take their rock metal careers more seriously. Consisting of lead vocalists Tak and Grayson, guitarist Sid, bassist Johnny and drummer Trent, the band rallied the audience with their energetic stage presence. Audience members responded with animated headbanging to the beat of the songs.
Next, Miura Ayme took the stage in Anaheim for the first time, dressed in an extravagant black and purple jacket and a black tailcoat that would float up during his performance. Fans showed their enthusiasm during his set by pumping their fists in the air and chanting along. Ayme finished his set with a duet with ACME’s lead vocalist.
“He was really, really awesome, the vibe, how they interacted with the crowd, their stage presence was amazing,” fan Elias Du said.
ACME’s performance started with a bang as they opened with “Come Back to You,” which was produced by Grammy-nominated producer Seann Bowe. Lead vocalist Chisa’s powerful vocals energized the crowd as audience members waved their hands in the air.
As the band transitioned into the middle of the set list, there was a shift in tone, moving toward softer power ballads. Fans reacted by turning on their phone flashlights and waving them back and forth to the beat of the song.
This set list had a wide range of music from elegant vocals to hardcore rock vocals and rapping. As ACME turned the intensity back up, the band parted the crowd for an aggressive moshpit.
“The strobing lighting effects when they’re about to do a really big drum hit really adds to the power of the music,” fan Junfan Zhu said.
The set finished up with Miura Ayme joining the band once more as he blended harmonies with Chisa. As the band finished up and left the stage, fans chanted “one more song!” over and over again until the band joined back on stage, ending with “SENKOU.”