After passing through Porto Alegre last Wednesday, the 16th, Helloween landed in São Paulo this past Saturday, the 19th, to perform their highly anticipated and sold-out show at Suhai Music Hall as part of the 40 Years Anniversary Tour and also to promote tracks from the album Giants & Monsters, released in August 2025.
With 57 shows performed in Brazil since their first visit in 1996, the German group returned after three years to celebrate four decades of their important existence and further solidify their relationship with the country, given the large and loyal fan base they have here.
Given this, it was already known that one of the most important metal bands in history would not celebrate its emerald anniversary without passing through Latin America, especially since 2026 marks ten years since the historic returns of Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske to the band, which gave rise to the "Pumpkins United" lineup.
Right on time at 9 PM, the atmosphere, already filled with chants of "Helloween, Helloween, Helloween," became even more energetic when the curtain with the band's name fell. As soon as "March of Time" began, the approximately 9,000 people present started singing it at the top of their lungs, continuing to do so until the end of the setlist.
The setlist featured tracks from different periods of the group, with special emphasis on songs such as "The King for a 1000 Years", "We Burn", "Hey Lord!", "Ride The Sky", "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)", "Universe (Gravity For Hearts)" and the surprise inclusion of "I'm Alive", transforming the performance into a complete journey through all eras of their career.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the German septet puts on the most entertaining power and heavy metal show currently. With memorable hits like "Future World," "Power," "Eagle Fly Free," "Dr. Stein," and "I Want Out," it's safe to say the group isn't there out of mere contractual obligation or scheduling, but rather because they're genuinely happy to perform together at every show. This is especially evident in the interactions between Kiske and Deris, who perform covers of Beatles and even Elvis Presley.
While Andi controls the audience in the palm of his hand, Michael thrills his fans with razor-sharp high notes, which have inspired great names in the genre, especially the late and unforgettable Andre Matos. The duo also made a point of praising the audience and classifying it as one of the loudest on the entire Latin American tour, closing in great style the band's last show in 2026, which returns to the stage only in June 2027 for performances in Europe.
It should also be noted that musically, Helloween sounds like a true power metal symphony, thanks to the powerful trio of guitarists Kai Hansen, Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, the likeable bassist Markus Grosskopf and the impressive and precise drummer Daniel Löble, whose solo was responsible for further driving the audience wild during the performance.
With a celebration worthy of its 40-year history, Helloween is undoubtedly at the peak of its career, and shows no sign of slowing down. On the contrary, the band is further solidifying its status as the biggest name in power metal history and will continue to enchant fans through its charismatic members who, a decade ago, began one of the greatest successes ever made in the history of heavy metal.
Check out the photos from our contributor Jaqueline Souza:
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