Maki Goto’s live tour “Maki Goto 25th Anniversary Live Tour 2024 ~ pr∀yer ~” reached its final show at Yamano Hall in Tokyo on September 21st.
Maki Goto debuted at the age of 13 as a third-generation member of Morning Musume and became the ace of the national group. She is currently active in many areas, including as a talent, YouTuber, and VTuber.
Goto celebrated the 25th anniversary of his CD debut on September 9th of this year. In July of this year, he digitally released his first new original song in about 13 years, “CLAP CLAP.” On the 4th of this month, he released the mini-album “prAyer,” and has been actively focusing on music activities in his 25th anniversary year.
The set list for this tour will include a mix of old and new songs, from the mini-album “Aikotoba (VOICE),” released in 2011, which is comprised of original songs, to classic songs from the Morning Musume era.
This article reports on the final performance.
At the beginning of this memorable concert, the audience gathered at Yamano Hall waved blue penlights and waited for the show to begin.
The opening video of the live concert was played, and Goto appeared in the center of the stage wearing a gorgeous gold outfit with sparkling sequins.
Amidst thunderous cheers, the show opened with “QUEENDOM” from their latest mini-album, followed by “Get Your Way,” featuring cool, sharp dance moves and a powerful melody line, and the temperature in the venue rose immediately from the start.
“Everyone in Tokyo! Let’s get excited!” Goto called out, and they started playing their first single in about 13 years, “CLAP CLAP.” The audience responded to the catchy and cool song with claps and cheers.
In his first MC, he mentioned his latest album, saying, “It’s an album filled with various prayers. I want to create a place where everyone can enjoy it together, and improve each song one by one.” He then performed a brilliant performance of “Prayer,” a song that is also the title of the tour, and is filled with Goto’s feelings.
The sound of a music box completely changed the atmosphere of the venue, and Goto appeared in a silver dress and sang the lyrical ballad “Hanauta,” which she wrote herself, in a beautiful, flowing voice.
At one point in “I am,” she becomes so moved that she sheds tears.
In the up-tempo song “Hakuseki” with its beautiful chorus, she sang with a refreshing voice while waving her hands together with the audience, with the mirror ball decorating the venue. The audience was captivated by her sophisticated every move.
Afterwards, the dancers who received the baton from Goto performed an outstanding performance. The sense of unity in the venue was instantly heightened by the skills of the dancers who had been working with Goto to make this tour even more exciting.
“Are you all excited? Let’s keep going into the second half!” Goto called out, and reappeared wearing a blue-based outfit that showed off his outstanding style. He gave a spectacular performance of the upbeat dance number “BAD BOY”.
Shouting out “Let’s have some fun with a medley from here on out!”, Goto performed a medley of his most popular upbeat tunes, “EYES,” “lalala,” “Scramble,” “Age Kyoku,” and “Renai Revolution 21,” one after the other.
The atmosphere in the venue reached a climax as Goto and his fans, who have spent the last 25 years together, talked about their history. The concert picked up pace towards the end.
Goto expressed his gratitude to the fans gathered at the venue, saying, “I think I’m able to stand here on this tour thanks to the support of so many people. If I have another opportunity like this, I’d love to spend time like this with you all again, so please come and see me again.” He then sang the electronic-sounding song “Flirty Sun” before leaving the stage, bringing the main part of the show to a close.
Goto reappeared wearing a tour T-shirt and knit cap, as the fans in the venue lit up with bright red penlights and sang “Gocchin!” in unison, calling for an encore.
The tension in the venue reached its peak as Goto performed a range of songs, from her solo debut single “Ai no Bakayarou” to Morning Musume’s smash hit “LOVE Machine,” a classic that she considers to be the starting point of her career.
Goto reflected, “25 years, huh,” and continued, “The lyrics of this song express this world that I entered with dreams, my meetings with everyone, and the feelings of support I’ve had up until now,” before performing the final number, “Ivy.”
When Goto said, “I feel so nostalgic, I don’t want to leave the stage,” fans suddenly erupted into a chorus of “Encore!!”
Goto’s reaction of “Really?! Do you want to do one more song?” elicited a huge cheer from the audience. “Let’s all go crazy!” Goto shouted, and they performed “Renai Revolution 21” as a double encore, which was not originally planned. Cheering like an earthquake poured into the stage.
At the end, Goto expressed her gratitude many times, saying, “It was amazing! It was so much fun! Thank you everyone so much for everything. Please continue to follow me!” and left the stage with a big smile on her face.
Fans also called out, “Thank you too! Gotchin is the best!” and the concert ended on a euphoric note with the excitement still high.
At this live performance, Goto announced that he will be holding his first-ever bus tour in February next year, making it look like it will be an exciting 25th anniversary year for fans.
Even in her 25th anniversary year, Maki Goto continues to evolve. Expectations are high for her future success.
▼Setlist
M1 QUEENDOM
M2 Get Your Way
M3 CLAP CLAP
M4 prayer
M5 Hanauta
M6 I am
M7 Jewels
M8 BAD BOY
M9 Medley
①EYES ②lalala ③Scramble ④Age song ⑤Love Revolution 21
M10 Flirty Sun
EN1 Fool of Love
EN2 LOVE Machine
EN3 Ivy
WEN1 Love Revolution 21
・Bus tour to be held on Saturday, February 22, 2025
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