I got back from one of the Band-Maid concerts last night and I really became a fan last night… I 100% believe that this has to be one of the best band in the world right now. Obviously still coming off my “Live-Hi”, but man did Band-Maid put on a performance. This post will be my mini-review of the concert performed at The Fillmore in Charlotte, NC, and a quick introduction and background on BAND-MAID. I highly recommend anyone no matter the genre to check Band-Maid out. I really want these girls to get even bigger, because these girls are amazingly talented. My only regret is that it took me 10 years to find these girls, I wish I heard of them sooner so I would’ve gone to way more of their concerts. I just hope their popularity increases even though it’s been 10 years and I will have more opportunities to go to their concerts.
First, let’s give these girls a quick introduction and background information (Don’t worry, I will keep it short…hopefully).
Band-Maid Official Youtube Channel: BAND-MAID - YouTube
Band-Maid Community Documentary If You Want To Know More About Them: Ohrenje - YouTube
Official Band Maid Website and Discography: DISCOGRAPHY | BAND-MAID Official Web Site
Band-Maid is a miracle band that was created 10 years ago. What I mean by miracle is that from when this band was created to how they got here, these girls are extremely lucky and the way they form the band was certainly something you can only see in movies. Watch the community documentary if you want to know how the band got formed and how they manage to escape the band getting broken up due to low popularity. The band was saved because in their “supposedly last album” one of their songs went viral in the western part of the world (USA) on Facebook and their “supposedly last album” became their new beginning.
Band-Maid is doing a US 2023 Tour and is in a lot of music festivals like Welcome to Rockville Fest and Lollapalooza.
Recommended Songs For You To Listen:
Summary
From Now On:
BAND-MAID / from now on (Official Music Video) - YouTube
Influencer:
BAND-MAID / influencer (Official Music Video) - YouTube
Unleash!!!
BAND-MAID / Unleash!!!!! (Official Music Video) - YouTube
NO GOD (Official Live Video)
BAND-MAID / NO GOD (Official Live Video) - YouTube
Manners, BLACK HOLE (Official Live Video)
BAND-MAID / Manners, BLACK HOLE (Official Live Video) for J-LOD LIVE2 - YouTube
カタルシス “Catharsis” Acoustic Ver. (Official Live Video)
BAND-MAID / カタルシス "Catharsis" Acoustic Ver. (Official Live Video) - YouTube
Honestly just listen to their 2021 Album “Unseen World” and their 2022 album “Sense” and go from there 
Alright, quick introduction to the Band Members:
Summary
MIKU Kobato (Rhythm guitar/backup vocalist) -
Miku is the founder of Band-Maid and can be considered the leader of the group. Most people say Band-Maid does not have a leader and that is true in a sense because every band member shine and depending on the song will take the lead. Miku was a country girl that wanted to make a career with music. She was an underground idol in her starting career while working as a Maid Cafe for a side hustle. Her underground Idol group was called Lil cumin… its a flower ok. Miku was not feeling the idol life and if you are watching Oshi no Ko right now, the idol life is definitely a hard life. So Miku quit her Idol career 2 years later and talked with a label about starting an all-girls rock band. Miku for some reason is obsessed with Maids and I guess she really liked working at that Maid Cafe. She made it a requirement that all members had to wear Maid outfits, call the fans Master and Princesses, and call her newly formed band Band-Maid. Fast forward, Miku gathers a lead guitarist, drummer, and a bass player. Later in the Band-Maid career, they recruited a lead vocalist because Miku feel like her voice didn’t fit the type of music they wanted to make. I believe Miku and Kanami write most of the songs for Band-Maid. Miku’s lyrics are amazing. Her wordplay to blend Japanese and English is amazing. She like to use a lot of Japanese puns to make them sound like English lyrics. The lyrics will have multiple meanings depending if you are looking at it from an English perspective or a Japanese perspective. Miku did not know how to play the guitar at all and had very minimum knowledge of playing the guitar when they first started out. Miku was originally supposed to be the lead vocalist, she found that her voice wasn’t fit for the type of music they wanted to make. So they recruited a lead vocalist Saiki. Either Saiki or Miku will have to play an instrument or they will recruit another member to Band-Maid. So Miku decided she would play the guitar. Her choice of guitar was the Zemaitis guitar. She even has a custom Zemaitis guitar just for her. It’s sold out, but her custom guitar went for I think $6 - $8K. It was obvious in their earlier albums and songs that Miku was very new in playing the guitar because she did very basic riffs and would just focus on vocals on some of the songs and not play the guitar. When I learn this, it made me smile because of 2 reasons. 1, she is like IRL Kita Ikuyo from Bocchi the Rock! Just like Kita, she didn’t know how to play the guitar in the beginning, but with talent, determination, and the will to keep playing, she got good with the guitar really fast. 2nd reason this made me smile is because you can see the fruits of her labor 10 years later. If you listen to the 3rd album to the current album, Miku is playing some really sick licks now. Even in their live performance, Miku is not good enough to play face-to-face with Kanami. Out of all the members, I think Miku and Akane improve the most in their careers and will continue to grow into rockstar legends. I almost forgot to mention, but Miku for some reason wants her image to be a pigeon. She has a custom pigeon print guitar, and pigeon print pick, and always says “Po” when she talks in Japanese and English. Hearing her say, “Are you having fun, Po?” live at the concert made me think, “OMG, she really does talk like that”. Miku is like an IRL anime character, she says Po at the end of every sentence and is very energetic. Miku is the main MC and always talk to the audience during intermission. She has this weird thing called Omajinai Time and will bring the Maid Cafe to her audience. I have never seen so many grown men says “Moe Moe Kyun Kyun” in my life LMFAO. And then, after Moe Moe Kyun Kyun, we went back to head bangin to their badass songs. Miku is definitely a character. I want to say Miku’s sound signature for the guitar turn up a lot of distortion. That is why I feel like Miku riffs are usually pretty dark and very crunchy.
KANAMI (Lead Guitarist) -
Kanami is an amazing guitarist from the start. Kanami, Misa, and Saiki were very talented from the start. Kanami is the 2nd member to join the Band-Maid band and was the only member that did not have an issue wearing a maid outfit. The band likes to make jokes saying that Kanami has a 2nd personality when she holds a guitar. Seeing Kanami live, they are right. Kanami plays like a demon-possessed. From a shy girl to a demon with her back arch, pointing her guitar straight to the heavens while shredding every note to the audience. When it’s guitar solo time, she makes sure to get to the center stage and show off why she is the lead guitarist. Kanami favorite guitar to play live is the PRS guitar. In 2016, for their album “Brand New Maid” Kanami started writing the music for Band-Maid. Both Kanami and Miku write their songs for Band-Maid. I want to say Kanami writes the music and Miku write the lyrics. Kanami sound signature is more of a clean bright guitar sound and she plays very aggressively. Not as crunchy as Miku, but her guitar licks are clean.
AKANE (Drums) -
Akane and Miku are imo, the band members you can easily tell have improved the most over the last 10 years. I believe Akane is the 3rd member to join the band. Akane was a good drummer when she first joined Band-Maid, but always had an issue with high BPM songs that use twin pedals. You can hear the obvious difference between their earlier album like “Brand New Maids” to their current album “Unleash”. Her speed with the drums is just insane now. Most of the Band Maid songs before 2016 were an average of 150 - 180 BPM. When Kanami started writing the music for Band-Maid, she wanted to make more fast pace songs. Listen to any of their songs before 2016 and then listen to “Black Hole”. You will hear the fruits of Akane’s improvement. It is said that Akane would play the twin pedals every she goes even though there is no equipment to build up her muscle memory. Akane is truly like fine wine where she just gets better as more time pass by.
MISA (Bass) -
Misa is IRL Kikuri Hiroi from Bocchi the Rock! Misa is a drunk bassist and is probably a lot of people’s favorite member of the group. Misa is the 4th member to join Band-Maid. Misa loves drinking in front of the crowd and is known to have some whiskey near her during live concerts. She also doesn’t like wearing shoes during live concerts. Misa imo is probably one of the most talented people in Band-Maid. Misa also helps out in writing music for Band-Maid and writes the drums and Bass part of the music. From the bass player’s review videos I watched, many of them were impressed with Misa’s style of play, especially for the type of music they play. Misa’s bass play is more on the jazz side and she can transition from a pick style to a slap style. I think Misa is the foundation of the music for Band-Maid. Misa really brings emotion into the music and her bass play really captivates me during the songs. I really love her bass solos from the newer songs, “From Now On” and “Influencer”. Misa parts are probably one of my favorite parts in the music and Misa as a musician is probably one of my favorites.
SAIKI (Vocals) -
Saiki is the last member to join Band-Maid and is the face of Band-Maid. She is a model/singer, so whenever new merch comes out, Saiki is the model to advertise their products. All of the band members really love Saiki and always talk about how great she is as a band member and as a friend. Out of all the band members, I connect with Saiki the most because her interest is similar to mine. She likes fashion and is a big sneakerhead just like me. Saiki’s style of singing is more of a strong approach. Her voice is not sweet but has more power and authority than Ado’s. Saiki had to get throat surgery in 2017 because she was losing her voice. After the surgery, Saiki’s voice was fixed and she was slowly getting back to the original powerful voice she had in the beginning. Saiki also started participating with Miku in MC and became more active in becoming the face of Band-Maid. Saiki’s vocals and Misa’s bass play were one of the first I noticed that were incredibly good when I first listen to Band-Maid. And I still think to this day that Saiki and Misa are my favorite parts of the music for Band-Maid.
Mini Concert Review at the The Fillmore in Charlotte, NC 2023
Summary
I will go ahead and just list the Pro and Con in the beginning and will take about my experience after.
Pros:
*Good setlist, I was able to recognize most of the songs
*The equipment was good enough
*VIP crowds were mostly amazing, singing along with the girls and jumping with them was fun
*High energy from the crowd
*A little aggression from the crowd in the beginning, but everyone was very polite in the front row
*The lights and so much head banging made me feel like I was on drugs and I felt like passing out in the 2nd set lol
Cons:
*Was not used to standing/jumping for 3 hours like that, lost feeling in my legs
*Equipment was good enough, but wish Saiki had a higher-quality microphone
*Small venue, cramped like sardines
*It smelled, but the scent of beer and vape took over, so it wasn’t that bad afterward
*I am a small guy, so was blinded for stage left (Misa and Miku were at stage left). I only had a view of Saiki, Akane, and Kanami at the center and stage right
*A lot of people have their phones out and recorded their performance rather than head-banging to their music. The front row was a lot better as there were probably only 3-4 people that did that near me. But behind me in the crowd was people constantly having their phone out.
I bought the Ultimate VIP package on Band-Maid because I really like their latest album “Unleash” but didn’t know anything about that band. So I lock myself in a dungeon for about a month and became a Band-Maid fan before the concert. My favorite album from Band-Maid is the 2 newest album which is “Unleash” and “Unseen World”. The rest of the album I am unfamiliar with, but I did at least listen n to each album at least once before the concert. Ultimate VIP Package got me a cool bag, some kind of eyewear to cover my eyes for sleeping, poker cards, and a signpost card from the Band-Maid members. There was Food & Beverage Vouchers, but not for alcoholic drinks. I didn’t use it because I didn’t want to throw up in the concert knowing from past experience. The true reason for paying 5 times the ticket price for Ultimate VIP is early access. I came to the venue at around 5:50 PM ET and got into the venue around 6:05 PM ET. I bought my T-shirts, CDs, and blu ray from their other concert at a high price. Of course, you buy those merchandise to support the artist, so I feel it was worth it. Thanks to the early access of being an Ultimate VIP Member, I was able to snag the 3rd row near stage right. There is no seat assignment, you just stand wherever you want. It is a really small venue that could fit around 700 people. Stood there until around 8 PM ET when the show starts. The band member each got on stage not saying a word. They got in position really quickly and just started playing. The opening song was “DOMINATION”.
Band-Maid- Open/ DOMINATION (Live) 5/22/23 @ Underground Charlotte, NC - YouTube
Saiki started hyping the crowd and man it’s been a while lol. I can feel the music playing through from head to toe. I had to adjust my body and ears to the loud music and I just instantly lose myself in the music to not think about how loud it is and just started moving my body. It has been a while, so I was bumping into people sometimes, but everyone was cool around me, no mosh pits at least in the front row. The first set played some recognizable songs for me. If I get the songs confused with the 2nd set, my bad. I will go ahead and just mix the 1st set experience with the 2nd set experience since they kinda blended in in my memory. From favorite songs from the first 2 sets were “Bad Manners”, “Black Hole”, “From Now On”, “Sayonakidori”, “Warning”, “Dice”, and “Sense”.
“From Now On”. I really felt like the only guy jamming to “From Now On”. Maybe because it had no vocals or the song is too new that there wasn’t a lot of excitement from the crowd. But, I was jumping and head-banging throughout that entire song. My favorite thing about being in the front row is the dedicated fans were near me. Next to me was a tall bald guy that was singing every lyric on every song and was making similar gestures to Saiki. In front, at the rail, there was a bearded man that I felt was leading the crowd. I watch his gestures and pretty much mimic the songs I was not familiar with. That bearded man was clapping for the slow songs, we know when to raise our fist into the air, and was head banging on beat. I was really lucky in my position to be surrounded by these hard-core Band-Maid fans. I felt like the people behind me didn’t have the same energy as the people in the front row with me. We were really getting excited and sang along with Saiki in her songs. During the 2nd set around intermission, Miku was doing Omajinai Time. She says Moe Moe and we say it after her. She said Kyun Kyun, we say that after her. We did that for like 10 - 20 times. Then she said Band-Maid, and we all shouted Band-Maid. Did that 5 times getting louder than the last and they started playing. In one of the intermission, Kanami asks the crowd a few questions and we raise our hands to her response. It was a little hard since her accent was thick. I like it better when the band speaks Japanese, but it is understandable they speak English in America. When they talk in English except for Miku, they talk really slowly. Miku can talk in English pretty well pace and it was very easy to understand Miku when she was MCing.
I don’t remember which song was the 2nd half of the 2nd set and the last set. There is 3 or 4 sets in a whole. In one of the songs, Kanami and Misa switch positions with each other. I had a view on Misa and made me really excited for some reason. Even though I wasn’t too familiar with the song, I just felt like jumping to see Misa play her bass. Misa and Kanami really like getting near the crowd and seeing Misa play the bass really close got me near fainting. Honestly, I didn’t want to faint cause I saw Misa, but I guess because of the environment. I remember in the 2nd set, one of the songs had a yellow light blinking on and off. I remember my vision was getting blurry, and light-headed, and my head wasn’t on planet Earth. It might be because of the heat and I was dehydrated from screaming and jumping for like 1 - 2 hours, but that was pretty cool. I came back to my senses when they started playing their fan’s favorite song “Memorable”. I needed that slow song to gather my energy again during the middle of the concert. After the song Memorable, was intermission. I think Misa was MC now and ask the crowd on their favorite beers.
Last set was the best set. It had the highest energy, my favorite songs were playing, and everyone was singing with them. I favorite from the last set was probably, “No God”, “Influencer” and I think “Unleash” was part of the last set. During one of the sets they played “Unleash,” it was really fun singing “Dan! Dan! Di, Di, Dan! Dan!” with the crowd. Whenever Saiki says “emotion”, I would remember jumping and crashing my head toward the floor. Of course, No God plays and the crowd instantly turn up. Akane starting off the song with drums gets everyone excited.
I don’t remember how the concert ended. I was limping from jumping too much and was on the verge of passing out. Luckily, I took a Uber there because I thought I was going to get drunk, but instead got “Concert Hi” from the excitement and crowd. When I got home, drove my car to Wendy’s, and got a ghost pepper chicken sandwich (no lettuce, no tomato) with a blueberry pomegranate drink. Took a quick shower and pass out on the bed. Woke up 12 hours later and felt like writing this.
Favorite songs in the show, "From Now On, “Memorable”, “No God”, “Manners”, “Sense”, “Influencer”, and “Unleash”. MVP song for me was “No God”. It was fun screaming Whoa oh oh oh and wayo wayo with the crowd and Saiki 
Overall, this concert was a lot of fun, probably only in the front row, and hopefully the Band-Maid girls will come back to Charlotte, NC in a bigger venue so I am not bumping into people when I want to jump.
Pics from the concert:
Swag Bag and Merch I bought:
“Our rock never dies ever, forever!” - Band Maid 2021
. This might be just blind obsession, but this song even though it’s only on YouTube is the most beautiful thing I ever heard and makes me feel so much joy, nostalgia, and a touch of sadness inside. Thank you so much Ado for doing this cover 
