[Live Report]Tears at RIIZE’s first solo performance in Japan. “2024 RIIZE FAN-CON ‘RIIZING DAY’ in TOKYO” is the first full-fledged band to announce their first hall tour and debut in Japan.

RIIZE’s first solo performance in Japan, “2024 RIIZE FAN-CON ‘RIIZING DAY’ in TOKYO”, will be held on May 11th and 12th at Yoyogi National Stadium First Gymnasium in Tokyo. On the first day of the performance, the members directly announced to the fans that they would be making their debut in Japan in September, and that they would be holding their first hall tour with 15 performances in 9 locations across the country from the end of July, making it a memorable “first” concert. Ta.

■Shotaro shouts with enthusiasm, “Tokyo, let’s go!”

RIIZE debuted in Korea with the single “Get A Guitar” in September 2023, proving the high level of expectations as it sold a million copies within one week of release. Even before their official debut in Japan, this concert was so popular that over 500,000 applications were received for approximately 24,000 seats over two days.

COLUMN

[RIIZE]From detailed member profiles to popular song explanations. What is the reason for attracting so much attention from various quarters?

Although they have appeared at events in the past, this is the first time they will hold a performance with the name “RIIZE” in Japan. It attracted the attention of fans.

The audience seats were filled with the light of orange penlights, RIIZE’s group color. An image of thunder is projected on the huge vision that covers the back of the main stage, and with the lightning, SHOTARO, EUNSEOK, SUNGCHAN, WONBIN, SOHEE, and ANTON stand by behind the vision. (Anton)’s silhouette appears and disappears. The moment BRIIZE’s voltage reached its peak, Shotaro shouted, “Tokyo, let’s go!”, marking the start of his first solo performance.

The first song is “Siren”. Wearing a jacket with the words “RISE” and “REALIZE” printed on the front, which are the origin of the group’s name “RIIZE,” the performer took small steps at high speed and rapidly changed formations. He shows off his high physical ability. Coupled with fireworks and fireball performances, the venue instantly became more excited.

RIIZING DAY IN TOKYO 🧡Day2🧡#RIIZE #라이즈 #RISEandREALIZE#RIIZE_FANCON#RIIZINGDAY #RIIZINGDAY_in_TOKYO pic.twitter.com/nj06gs47ss

— RIIZE JAPAN OFFICIAL (@RIIZE_JPN) May 12, 2024

■“Today I’m your sushi chef Won Bin (lol)”

“Good evening, this is RIIZE,” they all greeted, and Shotaro revealed that the other members had been practicing their Japanese for this day, and each member of the group decided to comment in Japanese one by one.

“I ate abura soba, and it was really delicious,” (Sungchan) said, “Today, I’m your sushi chef, Won Bin,” as he once aspired to be a sushi chef (lol). Serve with it to please the Japanese BRIIZE.

Shotaro also shouted, “BRIIZE, I’m home!” and when the audience responded, “Welcome back,” he said, “It’s been my dream to perform at a concert since I was little, but now that I’m back in Japan, I’m finally at RIIZE.” I am deeply moved to be able to hold a concert as a member of the group,” he said.

■In the planning corner, the members’ mutual love is revealed!

Next, we went to the first planning corner. The members take on the challenge of a crane game and answer the questions contained in the capsules they capture.

When asked, “If you could take one thing with you to a deserted island, what would it be?” Anton answered, “Sohee,” and Sohee shyly answered, “Anton (lol)”, and Shotaro also showed mutual love. He expressed his love for the members by saying, “Sungchan.”

When asked, “What’s your favorite sweet in Japan?”, Eun-seok mentioned the salad flavor of Jagariko, and Sungchan mentioned vegetable sticks from a convenience store, despite being scolded by the members, saying, “It’s not a sweet!” I can already see that you are there.

They also answered questions such as “Would you like to have a long break?” “What did you eat before the performance?” “Who do you respect?”, giving a glimpse into the relationships between the members and their personalities.

The second project is titled “Real-time Growth Period” and will be held in nine countries around the world, starting with Seoul, South Korea, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Taipei, Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, and Jakarta. It’s about showing the growth of the members.

This tour will be Japan’s “first” overseas performance, and Anton and Won Bin, who were eliminated from the game at the previous Korean performance and were given a punishment game, will be shown carrying out a mission in Japan.

Anton, who is often criticized for having a low voice, introduced himself loudly on the street, entertaining BRIIZE with content that was a punishment game but also showed the growth of the members.

■Performing a cover as a special stage for fans who came to the concert

After spending a peaceful time, it was time for the live performance.

Eun-seok introduced the stage by saying, “This is a stage that only the people here can see,” and then they covered One Direction’s “One Thing.” The six people line up in a row in front of a microphone stand and sing love songs, making use of the unique characteristics of each voice.

Next, they cutely delivered the pop “HAPPY! HAPPY! HAPPY!” while waving to the BRIIZEs in front of them.

In addition, he also covered “White Christmas” by SUPER JUNIOR, his senior at the agency. With RIIZE’s original dance, they performed one performance after another that “only the people here can see.”

And, this part concludes with “Love119 (Japanese Ver.)”. BRIIZE responded loudly to Shotaro’s call, “Let’s sing together!” and the catchy chorus devised by Shotaro and Won Bin was performed on stage and in the audience, making it a special version of RIIZE & BRIIZE.

PHOTO BY Miki Kawamura (Seitaro Tanaka Photo Office)

PHOTO BY Seitaro Tanaka

PHOTO BY Seitaro Tanaka

■ Divided into older brother team and younger brother team, compete seriously

Here is the planning corner again. A game of rolling the dice is played between the “older brother team”, Shotaro, Eun Seok, and Sungchan, and the “younger team”, Won Bin, Sohee, and Anton. The losing team will be forced to play a penalty game that connects to the “real-time growth period” that took place in the first half, so both teams try desperately.

There are plenty of playful moments where you can get a glimpse of how close the members are to each other, such as the members hugging each other as princesses, and Anton carrying Won Bin and So Hee on his back by himself.

As a result of the match, Eun-seok looked a little dissatisfied as he was forced to play the punishment game, but the members and BRIIZE had a moment filled with smiles.

■Delivery of new song “Honestly” with sweet vocals

After the video, we entered the final live part. When “Honestly” begins, smoke fills the stage, and the members appear through the light from the lighting. This song is a new song included in the 1st mini album “RIIZING” to be released in June, and is an R&B number where you can enjoy the sweet vocals. In a dreamlike atmosphere where the light reflected on the mirror ball illuminated the venue, the lyrics, which describe the feelings of losing love, resonated both heartbreakingly and warmly.

PHOTO BY Seitaro Tanaka

PHOTO BY Seitaro Tanaka

From there, the intense saxophone sound of “Talk Saxy” completely changed the atmosphere of the venue, and the audience excited themselves with powerful dance moves and moved on to “Get A Guitar.” BRIIZE and the members were on the same call even before the show started, and the atmosphere was perfect, creating the best sense of unity.

In addition, the music video for “Joy”, the dance number that gave birth to the group RIIZE, and “9 Days”, which overlaps with RIIZING’s image of RIIZE continuing to move forward despite their busy days, is also worth checking out. “Impossible” will be performed for the first time in Japan. However, it was hard to believe that it was their first time, as BRIIZE made perfect calls and created a stage together with the members until the end.

The members returned to the stage for an encore.

Holding a penlight in his hand and waving it, he happily sings RIIZE’s “first” fan song, the medium number “One Kiss,” and pledges his undying love to BRIIZE through the song.

PHOTO BY Miki Kawamura (Seitaro Tanaka Photo Office)

PHOTO BY Seitaro Tanaka

■Tears of gratitude for the warmth of BRIIZE…

At this point, Shotaro said, “Actually, I have some important news to tell you,” and announced, “It has been decided that we will debut in Japan in September!” The venue erupted in cheers, and Sohee appealed, “There’s still time until the release, but please look forward to it!” Furthermore, Shotaro prefaced by saying, “This is not all,” and Sungchan continued, “We will be holding our first hall tour in Japan starting in July,” and the venue erupted in joy.

It was a fitting announcement for their first Japanese original single, their first tour, and their “first” concert.

Afterwards, each member commented on their current thoughts. They talked about their expectations for the summer tour and how grateful they were for being welcomed by BRIIZE more warmly than they expected, even though they were nervous about their “first” solo performance.

In the midst of all this, Shotaro was choked up with tears and said, “I went through some difficult times during my activities after moving to Korea, but I feel happy to be able to come back to Japan and be welcomed so warmly.” I was very happy to be able to hold a solo concert as RIIZE. I hope you will continue to support me,” he said with a smile.

The last song was “Memories,” which Shotaro introduced as “a song that holds special memories for us,” and which announced the existence of RIIZE to the world. Their “first” solo performance in Japan came to a close with a refreshing pop song with a fast-paced feel that perfectly matched their fresh charm and created a new “Memories.”

PHOTO BY Seitaro Tanaka

■Conducted public interviews with the media

Before the performance on the second day, they held a public interview with the media and talked about their thoughts on their future activities in Japan.

RIIZE – PHOTO BY Seitaro Tanaka

Eunseok commented, “During yesterday’s performance, I felt that the faces of the Japanese BRIIZE members were very bright and happy.I’m looking forward to seeing such faces during the tour as well.” When asked, “What are you looking forward to in your activities in Japan?” Sohee said, “I want to enjoy hot springs in an open-air bath,” and Won Bin said with a grin, “I want to eat a lot of delicious food to gain weight.” .

A question was also asked about the scene in which Shotaro shed tears during the first performance, and Shotaro answered, “I was very moved by the way the fans welcomed me back home, and I have prepared a lot so far. “I think the process I went through came back to me all at once, and I was filled with emotion.”

EUNSEOK – PHOTO BY Miki Kawamura (Seitaro Tanaka Photo Office)

SOHEE – PHOTO BY Seitaro Tanaka

WONBIN – PHOTO BY Seitaro Tanaka

SHOTARO – PHOTO BY Miki Kawamura (Shotaro Tanaka Photo Office)

At that time, Eun-seok, who was hugging Shotaro, said, “Shotaro-san, who doesn’t often show his tears, saw me crying tears of emotion on stage, and I realized that there was this side of him as well.” It also gave me an opportunity to think about how he had been dealing with so many different feelings.”

In fact, Anton, who was crying along with Shotaro, said, “I feel like this is the first time I’ve ever seen Shotaro-san cry.When I saw him, something warm welled up inside me.The other thing is… , it was the first time for RIIZE to perform at a large venue like Yoyogi Gymnasium, so we saw people sitting far away holding placards and fans with our names written on them. Even though we were just doing what we loved, we realized that there were so many people who loved us, and at that moment, I cried. I feel like that,” he said.

Regarding his future activities, Sungchan said, “We will be promoting in Japan from now on, and we are currently preparing for our comeback in Korea. I hope you look forward to it. Also, the name of our team, RIIZE. As I said, I intend to continue to grow and make my dreams come true.” Shotaro called out, “We have a lot of things to prepare for the future, so we would be happy if everyone would continue to show interest and support us.”

ANTON – PHOTO BY Seitaro Tanaka

SUNGCHAN – PHOTO BY Seitaro Tanaka

After this concert, which marked various firsts, RIIZE will begin their full-fledged activities in Japan. As the members say, we can’t take our eyes off them as they “grow and make their dreams come true.”

PHOTO BY Seitaro Tanaka Photo Office

■Tour information

『2024 RIIZE FAN – CON ‘RIIZING DAY’ JAPAN HALL TOUR』

7/30 (Tue) Pacifico Yokohama National Hall, Kanagawa
7/31 (Wednesday) Pacifico Yokohama National Hall, Kanagawa
8/03 (Sat) Osaka/Osaka International Conference Center Main Hall
8/04 (Sun) Osaka/Osaka International Conference Center Main Hall
8/08 (Thu) Miyagi/Sendai Sunplaza Hall
8/09 (Friday) Miyagi/Sendai Sunplaza Hall
8/11 (Sun) Gunma Beisia Cultural Hall (Gunma Prefectural Civic Center)
8/13 (Tue) Okayama/Kurashiki Civic Center
8/14 (Wednesday) Hiroshima/Hiroshima Bunka Gakuen HBG Hall
8/20 (Tue) Kumamoto/Kumamoto Castle Hall Main Hall
8/21 (Wednesday) Fukuoka/Fukuoka Sun Palace
8/22 (Thu) Fukuoka/Fukuoka Sun Palace
8/25 (Sun) Aichi/Nagoya International Conference Center Century Hall
8/26 (Monday) Aichi/Nagoya International Conference Center Century Hall
8/27 (Tue) Aichi/Nagoya International Conference Center Century Hall

*Performing members are subject to change without notice. Please note.

RIIZE Japan Official Site
https://riizeofficial.jp/