Sabaton @ House of Blues Sunset Strip (West Hollywood, CA) on May 2, 2014 [Photos]

Sabaton’s showmanship won the crowd straight away. Fans sang along while singer Joakim Brodén’s antics and ear-to-ear smile energized the audience as the band worked the stage, pulling out all the stops. The 45-minute set was a mix from the band’s 15-year timeline, including “To Hell and Back” from the forthcoming album Heroes.

Broden and the band hit brought a seven-year old boy onstage to jam with the band on the last song, “Metal Crue.” Broden handed the kid his trademark mirror-lens sunglasses, and humorously apologized to mom and dad in the audience for “any foul language”. Some may be surprised that Sabaton is a kid-friendly band, and they proved to their audience that they’re all about the party, be it arena or small club.