Mega Shinnosuke’s one-man tour Tokyo performance report arrives; Soushi Sakiyama also appears as a guest

Text by Ryutaro Kuroda
Photo by Goku Noguchi

“Pop star and rock star.” Soushi Sakiyama, who appeared as a guest on this day, posted this on X, commenting on his friend Mega Shinnosuke. While enjoying the music in a natural way, he exchanges words with listeners in a charming manner, and yet captivates the audience with his intense energy on stage. I think it’s certainly an appropriate description for Mega Shinnosuke (and he’s an exceptional melody maker). “Mega Shinnosuke ONEMAN TOUR 2024 “I want to be popular with you!!”” The tour final was held on December 8th (Sunday) at Zepp Shinjuku (Tokyo). This is a night where you can fully enjoy Mega Shinnosuke’s multifaceted character.

“I want to be popular with you!!” @Tokyo Zepp Shinjuku
I participated in “Let’s go see the sea”!

Thank you for your hard work, Mega-kun! He was a pop star and a rock star. https://t.co/hj4rmf4mph

— Soushi Sakiyama official (@soushiclub) December 8, 2024

While a house-style track was playing, the band members took to the stage one by one, and finally Mega Shinnosuke appeared and the live began. His departure, wearing a rare suit, foretells that it will be a different night than usual. Continuing the mood of SE, the first song is “ao”. Under flickering blue lights, she performed a lyrical song with an auto-tuned voice and an inorganic digital sound. A somewhat fantastical atmosphere enveloped the venue… but as if to cut through the atmosphere, Mega Shinnosuke’s latest version of hyper pop, “iPhone feat. Skaai” was dropped. The air on the floor suddenly exploded. Kenta Furuichi’s menacing 4/4 beats and Kohei Shimizu’s intense guitar playing will pierce your eardrums and shake your brain. Before I knew it, everyone was shaking their bodies.

Continuing that momentum, they turned to “Thinking Boyz!!!,” which incorporated influences from alternative rock. “Are you ready to get excited?” By the time Mega Shinnosuke asks, everyone is already excited, and the floor sways to the thrilling beat as the chorus continues today. And then there’s the pop-punk style “Sports.” Every time Mega Shinnosuke kicks a soccer ball onto the floor, cheers go up (he was a former member of the homecoming club), and the tight drums and noisy guitars lift the mood. Takayasu Nagai’s bass was excellent throughout the song, and the thick bass that shook the hips brought a happy mood to the song.

This tour reached a new audience thanks in part to “Love and U” going viral on TikTok. It seems that there are a lot of college students on this day, but when Mega Shinnosuke calls out, a wide variety of customers, from high school students to working adults to unemployed people, come out. The following two songs are performed by 1,500 people cheerily dancing.

“Tokyo Kirai☆” is a rock number that releases mixed emotions of love and hate towards Tokyo. On the screen, a music video of a figurine skating on fire in an empty parking lot is shown, and it looks like the flames are coming out from behind the drums. As I was thinking about how it felt like they were directly expressing the passion of this live performance, I became even more excited when I heard “The world will continue to turn tomorrow too.” Kohei Shimizu’s unconventional guitar goes perfectly with Mega Shinnosuke, and the guitar solo explodes as if throwing gasoline on a burning flame. There’s a feeling of something breaking in the air, and with the song “Now I’m telling you to start running”, my love for rock’n’roll comes out. Without a doubt, this was the most cathartic moment of the day.

Cool down a little with “I’ll stay like this for the rest of my life” which shows my respect for Ginkgo BOYZ. While maintaining the lively vibe, the performance allows you to listen to the songs carefully, which is appealing. What drew a lot of cheers was the collaboration with Soushi Sakiyama, who made a surprise appearance. The two knew each other and drank together on a regular basis, so they began a relaxed conversation, as if they just happened to be meeting here today, and then, on the stage where the band members had set up, they sang “Let’s go see the sea (with Sakiyama).” (Contrary to the MC’s enthusiasm, both of them were apparently extremely nervous while singing).

Their songs, which are rare in Mega Shinnosuke’s live performances, have a sense of loneliness, and have a charm that melts deep into your heart. Although he was a guest on only one song, I think his collaboration with Soushi Sakiyama was a particularly memorable performance. From here on, there is a folk section with band members included.

Mega Shinnosuke carried an acoustic guitar as in the previous song (probably an acoustic guitar that Gibson lent him indefinitely), and Kohei Shimizu also played casino. From “Come to my room,” where an unusually light ensemble sings a carefree song, to the folk-rock style of “Summer Vacation for 18 Years Old.” Overall, it was a clean performance, and Mega Shinnosuke’s melodies stood out. The song’s “Sweet Breath”, which is said to be “a love song I wrote when I was 18,” is also wonderful, and while the performance is gentle, the drums, which give off a somewhat passionate feeling, bring out the emotion of the song.

Now, as he declared, “I’m sorry for making you cringe with my sweet singing voice.I’m a guy who can dance from now on,” the final spurt goes through like a runaway train. “Love and U” has an addictive guitar loop and light rhythm that makes it danceable, and the rap part is hotter than the original song. The representative song “Togenkyo to Taxi” has been changed to an alternative rock style, and the powerful bass raises the voltage of the listener. Before they knew it, the whole venue was singing, and the whole floor was jumping up and down as they moved on to “Sweet Dream feat. Jinmenusagi.” The tension was already reaching a boiling point, and it was “Aishitel Life feat. Hatsune Miku” that reached the boiling point.

Let’s go! Let’s go! Mega Shinnosuke continues to stir, and the enthusiastic audience responds. As the dynamic drums beat, the bass swells and the guitar sparks over and over again. However, Hatsune Miku’s inorganic yet cute voice has a presence that sets it apart from the heat. What is this… explosive tension and a mysterious sense of freedom, an ecstatic moment that can be experienced at a Mega Shinnosuke live performance.

The live show passed by in the blink of an eye, and the main event ended with them singing “Dance with That Girl (feat. Chelmico)” and “Futari no Eiga.” In the former, Kohei Shimizu’s cheerful cutting is pleasant, and the ensemble in the second half, which creates an immersive feeling, is also excellent (I would love to see him perform with chelmico in a future live performance). The latter was impressed by the smart performance in which every grain of sound could be clearly heard. I think the rushing drums and driving bass kept the live performance lively until the very end.

They appeared for an encore, allowed to be photographed, and performed “Love and U” again. It’s reliable that the audience responded with even more excitement than before, as if this was the last time. Mega Shinnosuke said, “Let’s meet again,” and left the stage after singing “Eternal Boy.” After the performance, a QR code image was displayed on the screen, and there was also a stylish gift that included a souvenir photo taken during the concert that could be downloaded on the spot.

Mega Shinnosuke was the MC for that day and said that he had wanted to have the audience sing on “Kimi ni Mote Tai!!”. Compared to last year’s “Rock wa Kawaii” tour, the number of members on stage was reduced to four, which probably has nothing to do with the group’s decision to focus on singing. In fact, when it was over, I felt like the tour expanded the range of expression while still maintaining the explosive tension. The singing tour that begins in the new year is sure to be a live show that reaffirms his charm. There is no doubt that he will make further progress next year.

[Event information]

“Mega Shinnosuke singing tour “MEGA singing trip 2025””
Sunday, January 12, 2025 at Fukuoka ROOMS
Friday, January 17, 2025 at Aichi/Nagoya Live& Lounge Vio
Saturday, January 25, 2025 at Loft Plus One, Shinjuku, Tokyo
Sunday, January 26, 2025 at Osaka Loft Plus One WEST

Price: ADV. ¥3,000 (1D fee not included)

Tickets on sale now:e+ / Lawson / Pia

INFO: Live Masters (03-6379-4744)

■Mega Shinnosuke official site