REPORT | Sekiguchi Shingo tender tour 2025 Deluxe Edition

Text by Takanori Kuroda
Photo by Sachiko Yamada (origami PRODUCTIONS)

Guitarist Sekiguchi Shingo, who released his album “tender (Deluxe Edition)” in February this year, held the final performance of his nationwide tour “tender tour 2025 Deluxe Edition,” which began at Chikusa Cultural Small Theater in Aichi Prefecture, at Shibuya WWW, Tokyo on Thursday, June 12th.

The tour’s Nagoya performance

“Tender (Deluxe Edition)” is a deluxe version that is the sequel to his second solo album “Tender,” released in December 2023. DISC 1 features 12 songs from “tender,” while DISC 2 includes “Good Day feat. Max Jenmana,” a collaboration song with Max Jenmana, which was released exclusively for streaming in December last year, “Mint,” which was born from the previous tour, and “Elevator Lover,” inspired by the live show. According to Sekiguchi, with this work, which is “imaged as a spin-off of Tender,” he held a lively and intimate stage with guest members on the day.

The band members, commonly known as West Side Tokyo Band, are Muraoka Natsuhiko (Key.), Nakanishi Michihiko (Ba.), and Imamura Shintaro (Dr.), who are familiar to Sekiguchi. First, we start with “Mint.” The tight and groovy drums are intertwined with fat synth bass, and then simple chords are repeated. When Sekiguchi played a cool melody with a light wah-step crunchy guitar, he felt the illusion that the temperature, which could be said to be early summer, had dropped for a moment.

“We’ve come, the tour final. Let’s have fun!” he said greeted him, and then performed “Slowboat.” The raided back rhythm section, the rolling electric piano, and the guitar with a strong singing spirit gradually increase the temperature of the ensemble, whilst suppressing the intonation. With occasional grandeurs of excitement, loud cheers erupted from the floor as the chaotic climax reached its chaotic climax. Starting with a mellow, nostalgic guitar with plenty of echoes, North Wing begins, and before you know it, you’ll be poured into Nakanishi’s tricky synth bass solo. Don’t be out of control, Muraoka fights back with an organ solo and develops into a soundscape of screams, and the audience is only increasing in excitement.

“No, I’m so much fun I don’t want to talk,” Sekiguchi said as he looked over the floor, and the audience was filled with warm laughter and applause. He asked the members, “Would you keep coming?” and then he replied to “Claps.” Imamura gives out a tribal beat, and the hand clap naturally spreads. After a full excitement with a session between the audience and players, Sekiguchi finally strummed his guitar in a slitting through the air, and a loud cheer erupted once more. It was like a mysterious creature that sound itself was, and my body started moving on its own as it writhes throbbed.

In a completely different way, in “Everyday I feel your heart,” Sekiguchi sings a crazy, mellow melody. They also performed “Elevator Lover” and “Raincoat”, then went to the session corner with the guest musicians. The first person to appear was Soejima Toshiki. Just recently, Eric Clapton mentioned his name as the “Japanese guitarist who is currently paying attention to” and made a big news. Sekiguchi and Soejima have long been friends, appearing together on their YouTube channel, but this is the first time they have been on stage like this. “I’ve really not decided anything today…” he said, and then covered Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t she lovely” with just two people. A sigh sigh blew out from the floor as they looked at each other’s distances and mixed the sounds as if they were having a conversation.

The next guest is his friend Kan Sano. “If I’m going to do it with Kan-chan, I really want to listen to the song,” Sekiguchi said, and performed the collaboration song “Really?” by Kan Sano and Shin Sakiura. Can you hear it? Kan Sano urges the audience to sing the chorus, “I can hear you” in a dialogue, and in response, Singalong rang through the venue. What an intimate atmosphere.

We brought West Side Tokyo Band back to the stage, and from here we went to the final sprint with the band set. The film continues with “Good Day,” where Sekiguchi’s whisper voice chokes in his heart, the title track “Brilliant,” the album released in 2015, and the danceable name of “Dance,” which features powerful four-beat rhythms and light guitar cutting, and the main story ends with a nostalgic middle tune “Tender Rose.”

During the encore, Sekiguchi performed the sound source for “Guitar Solo Challenge,” which he had been recruiting for on social media. This involves playing guitar solos freely to the track sound source of “Elevator Lover”, selecting eight people from the people uploaded in the video, playing them at each performance, and Sekiro has a “virtual session” accordingly. On this day, he was a 9-year-old guitarist.Solo by Akarinwas chosen, and a passionate session unfolded as Soejima watched. In addition, West Side Tokyo Band, Soejima, and Kan Sano also joined in the middle to perform “Origami Song.” The day’s live performance was concluded.

As the album title “Tender” symbolizes, Sekiguchi Shingo’s music has the “gentle power” that crosses the boundary between the stage and the floor and connects the mind. It was a night that reminded me of this in my heart.

Setlist

1. Mint
2. Slowboat
3. North Wing
4. Claps
5. Everyday I feel your heart
6. Elevator Lover
7. Raincoat
8. Isn’t she lovely w/ Toshiki Soejima
9. Really w/ Kan Sano
10. Good Day
11. Brilliant
12. Dance
13. Tender Rose
En1. message
En2. Elevator Lover Guitar Solo (Guitar Solo Championship ver.)
En3. Origami Song

[Release Information]

Sekiguchi Shingo “Raincoat (Paul Grant Remix)”
Release Date: 2025.06.25 (Wed.)
Label:origami PRODUCTIONS
Tracklist:
1. Raincoat (Paul Grant Remix)