In the midst of the pandemic in 2020, a German metalcore band dropped a high energy, fast breakdown, intensely screamed, goofy ass song called “Hypa Hypa.” The music video was blasted with color, the band was in zany outfits and wigs, and they were just having fun. While we were all sulking in our houses dreaming of going back outside, this song swept the internet like a storm, giving us a reason to stand up and dance, head bang, and lose our minds (in a good way), rocking out to new music again. This was my first introduction to Electric Callboy. Since then, the band has kept the momentum going with iconic singles over the last six years that have quickly grown their fanbase. Electric Callboy is now back in the United States for their Tanzneid World Tour, making the third stop of the tour at the world-famous Kia Forum. Fans came dressed as characters from different music videos, and you could feel that this was going to be a night to remember.

Opening the tour was a fellow outrageous performer known as Scene Queen. Scene Queen is known for her feminist themes and strong personality when it comes to her lyrics. Kicking the night off with her newest song “Manicure,” Scene Queen was already singing about getting her nails done so that she could strike down a man who was treating her girlfriend wrong. Not one to play into the subtext, she is in your face about what the songs are about. To the fans that were familiar with Scene Queen, they were eating up every second of her performance: dancing, singing, and letting the man hate flow through them. Scene Queen flaunted her bimbocore music with songs like “Pink G-String,” “Barbie & Ken,” “Pink Whitney,” “MILF,” “Track Suit,” “Pink Rover,” “Pink Panther,” and ending with her iconic song that called out an entire genre of music, “18+.” Scene Queen did not let the giant stage of the Forum go to waste, working it from side to side and making sure each person in the crowd was aware she was the one commanding the stage first, while the boys got to come second.

Up next was a more straightforward metalcore band from Sydney, Australia, known as Polaris. Opening with their song “Dissipate,” Polaris were there to get the crowd moving and the pit spinning. Vocalist Jamie Hails screams with passion and intensity that you can feel the underlying rage fester inside yourself, waiting to explode. Guitarist Rick Schneider and Jake Steinhauser brought the heavy riffs that ripped through your eardrums and ignited the rage that Hails planted inside of you. Daniel Furnari’s drumming is what truly set the fans in motion in the crowd, giving them the beat to move their bodies to. This was when the first of the crowd surfers started to send themselves barreling over the barricade. Polaris blasted us with songs like “Inhumane,” “The Remedy,” “Overflow,” “Masochist,” “All of This is Fleeting,” “Hypermania,” and ending with “Nightmare.” Polaris may not have had the girlie gimmick, or brought the party like our next band, but they did bring a solid set of metal music that anyone would want to rage in the pit to.

It was then time for our headliner. As a huge banner hung across the front of the stage and the band started to perform “TANZNEID” behind the curtain, the excitement grew in the crowd. Once the curtain dropped and Electric Callboy burst onto the stage, the crowd erupted, sending the pit spinning at a blistering pace while bodies started coming over the barricade. Electric Callboy are known for their exuberant outfits and started the show wearing puffy, space-like jackets that made them seem like they were from a distant peaceful future.

With their second song, the Los Angeles crowd was treated to a special surprise as Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 came out on stage to join the band for a cover of Sum 41’s song “Still Waiting.” As confetti rained over the Forum, we were losing our minds to this one-of-a-kind performance. I have never seen fans go as crazy for this song, but we knew we were seeing something special. After Sum 41’s retirement, drummer Frank Zummo joined Electric Callboy as their touring drummer. He even took a moment to embrace his musical brother Deryck as he gave a quick speech about how special it is to be playing the Forum together, as Sum 41 never got that opportunity.

As we got more into the set, the costume changes started to come: from lycra leggings and workout gear for “Hype Hype,” to train conductor overalls for “Tekkno Train,” ’80s workout shorts and tanks for “Pump It,” and their disco ball helmets for “RATATATA.” With everything going on stage, the band kept the momentum going throughout their set, and the fans gave all their energy back to the band.

Another unique moment occurred after drummer Frank Zummo finished his drum solo: co-vocalists Kevin Ratajczak and Nico Sallach popped up in the middle of the Forum floor with a piano. They guided everyone to sit on the floor like we were at a campfire as they serenaded the crowd with their song “Fuckboi,” before going into a heartfelt cover of “Everytime We Touch.” While the interlude of the song played, the boys pushed their way through the crowd to hop the barricade and get back on stage to unleash hell with the breakdown they put into a love song.

Electric Callboy was nothing but nonstop fun, whether it was hard-hitting metal music, an electronic DJ’d rave break, or heartfelt moving music. They built a set that featured new and old songs like “MC Thunder,” “Neon,” “Hurrikan,” “All The Small Things,” “Revery,” “Hypercharged,” “Mindreader,” a medley of their early music, “MC Thunder II,” “Elevator Operator,” “Spaceman,” and donning the white tracksuits and bowl cut wigs for “We Got The Moves.” Electric Callboy just gave one of the best shows of the year, hands down.

I’ve been a fan of Electric Callboy since their “Hypa Hypa” video during the pandemic, and their music has always been something I will put on when I just want to hear something fun and upbeat. I’ve seen videos of their live shows and dreamed about being in the crowd for it. It finally happened, and the show exceeded expectations. The fun and zany presence that not only the band, but the crowd brings to the show, makes you feel like you are part of the performance. This is only the third stop on the Tanzneid World Tour, so there are many more places Electric Callboy will show up. Even if you don’t know the music, you are guaranteed to have fun at this show. Don’t have any regrets about a show you wished you went to. Go be part of one of the best shows of the year.