[Live Report]YOASOBI sings Japanese chorus at San Francisco performance

In April 2024, YOASOBI performed at Coachella Festival and held a one-man live in America during that time, but they chose The Concert Hall, which has a sense of history and tradition, as the final stop of their American tour. It was Warfield.

YOASOBI has delivered performances from various venues such as construction sites, offices, Nippon Budokan, arenas, Zepp, etc., but even in overseas halls, the words “SOLD OUT” are posted on the entrance signboard, and goods are also sold. There was a long line.

A complete change from the pop and rhythmic sound effects, the aggressive beat shakes the floor with a sound that sounds like glass breaking. When composer Ayase, vocalist Ikura, and the rest of the band appeared on stage, the audience packed into The Warfield erupted in enthusiastic cheers. While looking over the scene with satisfaction, Ikura took his position on the lift at the back of the center of the stage and gradually ascended while looking over the floor.

“Welcome to YOASOBI’s Show!!” and the intro phrase of the first song “Seventeen” rang out, and the voltage in the venue increased even further. The next “blessing” will take it to another level. This opening, which follows the flow of the tour held at six Zepp locations in Japan from January to March of this year, is perfect for getting a feel for the aggressiveness of current YOASOBI live performances. After performing at the 2023 festival , which was his first live performance in the United States, ikura talked about the joy of returning with a one-man live show this year, and in between, he stylishly performed “Halzion” with a stand microphone. Show off. During “Suki Da”, the chorus and claps brought the venue together. “Ano Yume wo Tracing”, which begins with an a cappella song, is one of the only songs that has a high number of streaming plays even overseas, so it naturally sparks a sing-along. The following song, “Maybe,” is also a song that is highly recognized overseas. It has become a common sight at overseas live performances to hear loud cheers as the mellow song begins.

Once the members on stage disappeared, a giant curved LED in front of them displayed a signal to wear the “POP OUT GLASSES” handed out upon entrance. This is also a 3D production that was a hot topic during the “POP OUT” tour, but you can feel the commitment of YOASOBI’s live team in bringing it to America and making it happen. Starting with “Biri-Biri,” a collaboration song with Pokemon, a huge IP that is extremely popular among people of all ages and genders here, the seated audience enjoyed swaying their bodies to the chorus of Lalala, “Mr.” and “Novel.” “If I could draw life,” which fully expressed YOASOBI’s concept of “making music into music,” was expressed through words and images, and clear singing voices and crying guitar solos echoed throughout the mortar-shaped, high-ceilinged venue. They will perform “Gentle Comet” and fill the entire venue with a peaceful atmosphere with “Swallow.” The audience enjoyed the literally transcendent production of music, images, songs and performances, while occasionally reacting loudly to the images that popped out through the glass.

“In the next MC, Ayase livens things up with Japanese call-and-response, saying things like “Good evening,” “Nice to meet you,” and “I’m hungry.” In the letter she had prepared, she talked about her experience on this trip to the United States, and with the encouragement of “Let’s make perfect night together!!”, she became an “idol”. The performance of this song, which entered the Top 10 on the Billboard Global chart and made YOASOBI’s name known globally, is probably one of the most awaited moments for today’s audiences. After raising the tension of the venue with their roaring cheers and enthusiasm, they performed the popular anime theme songs “Yusha” and “Monster” in quick succession. The band’s performance became especially intense, and the venue was shaking with excitement.

Next, it was Ikura’s turn to read the letter. They expressed their joy and gratitude that so many people have listened to and spread the music of YOASOBI, which was born in Japan, in the United States, and that they were able to spend time together at a live performance like this, and performed “Gunjo.” The lyrics, “What you have accumulated will become your weapon,” and “All you have to do now is enjoy yourself,” are powerfully persuasive when combined with the image of them confidently performing in their own way, even in a place far away from their hometown. In the following song, “HEART BEAT,” the audience, who may have various roots, hummed the Japanese lyrics projected on the stage. The main story ended on an extremely emotional note.

Another characteristic of overseas live performances is the immediate encore and calls for “One more song!!”. You can also see a sense of accomplishment on the faces of the members who appeared in response. They confidently introduced their debut song “Yoru ni Kakeru,” saying, “I’m sure everyone knows the next song,” and once again caused a chorus of choruses in Japanese, and the approximately 90-minute live came to a swift end.

YOASOBI easily completed a hectic schedule of 3 stages at Coachella and 2 one-man live shows in two weeks. As the incident was covered by many local media and SNS, not only the song but also the recognition and presence as an artist has become extremely high and strong. In August, in addition to the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, where he had already announced his appearance, it was also announced that he would be holding one-man live shows in New York and Boston.

***YOASOBI official site