Live at Budokan: Red Night is the first live album by
Babymetal. The album was released in Japan on January 7, 2015 by BMD Fox Records and
Toy's Factory, and in Europe on October 30, 2015 by earMusic, featuring audio from the first live performance at
Nippon Budokan on March 1, 2014.
Background Live at Budokan: Red Night was announced alongside the video release
Live at Budokan: Red Night & Black Night Apocalypse on November 10, 2014. The album was mastered by
Grammy Award winner
Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, NYC. Jensen wanted to produce it in a way as to enjoy the presence and live feeling of being at the venue. The album would later be released in several formats to Europe and the United Kingdom on October 30, 2015, including a limited edition bundle that came with a DVD of
Live at Budokan: Red Night Apocalypse, and a vinyl format on August 25, 2021 to commemorate the band's tenth anniversary.
Reception Live at Budokan: Red Night was positively reviewed by
Billboard Japan, stating that the work emphasized the talent of the performers over the idol appeal prominent on
Babymetal. The album was praised for the "live" sound of the guitars and drums, and the vocal performance of the three members, particularly lead singer Nakamoto, commenting that although some parts of the work had shaky vocals, it was made up by the strong performance in the rest of the album. Jensen's contribution to the album was also reviewed positively, suggesting that the band's production team's appointment of high-profile musicians prioritizes the quality of the music. The album was also described as a potential success as both a live metal album and a pop album. In Japan,
Live at Budokan: Red Night debuted at number three on the
Oricon Weekly Albums chart for the week of January 19, 2015, selling approximately 24,000 copies in the first week, and charting higher than the band's
eponymous debut album. This marked the first time in eleven years that a live album by a girl group charted in the top three positions since the
Twelve Girls Band live album
Kiseki in 2003. The album also peaked at number three on the
Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart.
Track listing Personnel Credits adapted from
Live at Budokan: Red Night booklet. • Su-metal (
Suzuka Nakamoto) – lead and background vocals • Yuimetal (
Yui Mizuno) – lead and background vocals (credited as "scream") • Moametal (
Moa Kikuchi) – lead and background vocals (credited as "scream") •
Ted Jensen – mastering
Charts Weekly charts Daily charts Monthly charts Release history ==
Budo-can ==