Ado, ATARASHII GAKKO! & YOASOBI Highlight the Best of Today’s J-Pop at the matsuri ’25 Event in L.A

Ado, ATARASHII GAKKO! and YOASOBI graced the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles for matsuri ’25: Japanese Music Experience LOS ANGELES on Sunday, March 16, the music event by Japan’s Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA).

YOASOBI opened the show, and when the duo’s name on a banner flashed on the screen behind the stage, the 7,000 fans in the audience cheered loudly. As the banner was torn down by the hand of a monster, low-pitched sounds and mysterious music played over the speakers. ikura and Ayase appeared on stage to the announcement, “Welcome to the world of Surrealism,” and the crowd shouted and waved their glow sticks to express their excitement. The intro to “Seventeen” began to play after a brief silence, and ikura said in English, “Welcome to matsuri ’25. We are YOASOBI from Japan. Get ready to have a blast tonight. L.A., are you guys ready?” Fans responded with shouts of “Oi! Oi!” and the band kicked off the event with a bang.

ikura took a moment to explain the purpose of the event, saying, “Three acts from Japan — Ado, ATARASHII GAKKO!, and YOASOBI — have come this time, hoping to enjoy great music, J-pop music, with everyone here.” She then asked the audience to light up their phones and sway to create a sense of unity, and the duo performed the poignant mid-tempo ballad “Tabun.”

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Following “The Brave,” the band performed “Monster,” a fast-paced track with thumping low beats that satisfy performed live. “As a J-Pop artist, we’ve been trying to spread our music from Japan to the world,” said ikura in English. “We are so so so happy to be able to share with all of you. Thank you very much. I love you guys. We dive into the second half. Let me see your passion, OK? You ready to go loud? Can you give us some more? Ok, let’s sing together.” The pair then went on to perform some of its biggest hits back-to-back, with the exhilaration of “Into the Night,” the unity of the chorus in “Blue,” and the energy and enthusiasm of the audience in “Idol” filling the venue. The overwhelming delivery of the last three songs proved that YOASOBI has indeed become one of Japan’s top acts whose concerts sell out instantly whenever they perform overseas today.

Following a 15-minute changeover, the four members of ATARASHII GAKKO! appeared from the audience aisle to the sound of ringing school bells, holding big white flags over their heads. When the members — SUZUKA, RIN, MIZYU, and KANON — gathered on stage, SUZUKA greeted the crowd with the sound of a trumpet in the background: “Hello everyone. We are ATARASHII GAKKO! Everybody, are you ready?” The words “Seishun Nihon Daihyo” (Youth Team Japan) appeared on the screen and the women began their set with “Change,” the members swinging their arms around and performing immaculate choreography off the bat. During “Fly High,” RIN called out, “L.A., are you ready? Jump!” and fans were more than happy to comply. For “Arigato,” each member sang while holding a broomstick like a microphone stand, or fake-played it like a guitar, playfully reminding us of our school days. The audience reacted enthusiastically to the intro of the group’s breakout hit “Otona Blue,” and the members captivated the crowd with their signature head-shaking dance and distinctive choreography.

Following a group chant with SUZUKA, who hyped up the audience calling out, “Everybody, ganbatte (hang in there)! Woo!” the women performed “Toryanse.” Fans waved their glow sticks towards the stage during the intro and danced to the lively rhythm accompanied by electronic sounds of Japanese instruments. Each of the four members called out, “Everybody jump!” “Say yeah!” and “Say change!” in time with the lyrics during the set, confidently charging the crowd with their energy.

An image of the Tokyo metropolis appeared on the screen and ATARASHII GAKKO! launched into “Tokyo Calling.” SUZUKA came down from the stage and sang enthusiastically while making her way through the crowd, regally marching back to the lyrics of “We are marching.” The women closed their set with “One Heart,” the word “SAIKO” (“the best”) appearing behind them on the screen, and the audience joined in and sang along. The lyrics “AG want to take you higher” is like the Japanese modern version of Ike & Tina Turner’s “I Want To Take You Higher,” and the song uplifts and inspires like the best kind of music.

Watching ATARASHII GAKKO!’s performance, this writer couldn’t help but agree with what Creativeman Productions’ Rob Kelso said during the press conference before the event: “The best way to integrate these [artists] is to realize we lost the last excuse. Their last excuse was it must be in English…anything in the U.S. must be in English. And that doesn’t exist anymore. Now it is ok not to be in English…let’s take advantage of that. Doors are opening again to other languages.” The members of ATARASHII GAKKO! know how to entertain the crowds at their shows overseas, encouraging call-and-response with fans using short Japanese words like “ganbatte” and “saiko,” and getting them excited in English, saying, “Everybody jump!’ and ”Say yeah!” Plus, the group’s shows never look cheap or over-the-top, thanks to the four members’ well-coordinated dance moves, SUZUKA’s vocal prowess, and the individuality of each member. Whether you’re Japanese or American, anyone who sees ATARASHII GAKKO! will be able to enjoy its performances to the fullest, and the group’s set at matsuri ’25 was a testimony to that.

Then the “Ado Box” was set up in the center of the stage for the event’s final artist, the enigmatic singer Ado, who never shows her face. The 22-year-old songstress immediately launched into her hit banger “Show,” then performed “New Genesis,” “Usseewa” (which sounded faster and more powerful than when this writer saw her on her North American tour a year ago), and “Lucky Bruto” in succession. The stage production was designed to be visually enjoyable as well, with Ado performing “RuLe” by dancing and singing while seated on a chair in her box.

After calls of “Let’s go, Ado” from the audience, the singer addressed the crowd for the first time, talking about how living in Los Angeles for a month last year was one of the best experiences of her life. She shared some episodes that showed her personality, like how she enjoyed In-N-Out burgers and going to Macy’s. “I’m proud to be able to share the stage with ATARASHII GAKKO! and YOASOBI,” she said, expressing appreciation for the opportunity to perform at the event. “I’m so happy that you’ve come to experience Japanese music and culture today. It will really make me happy if you’ll continue to love Japanese music and culture. This has been a really great evening. Thank you.” She then invited the audience to sing and dance with her before performing the last song of her set, “Odo.”

It was unthinkable in the past that an artist who maintains her anonymity by never revealing her face would perform on stage in a box. But it’s true that many people listen to Ado’s music and when she announces shows outside of her home country, many fans rush to buy tickets. This is in line with what Goldenvoice vice president Ellen Lu said at the conference that “festivals are booking with a global sense now. Because that is what people are listening to, so if we are to stay in touch with what people are wanting to see that is not just exclusive to the U.S. or Europe which historically has been the case. It just puts these [international] artists in front of audiences that want to see them or have never had a chance to see them.” This is why Ado was able to successfully tour the world last year, and is set to embark on her second global trek this summer at even bigger venues including arenas.

The three acts that performed at the matsuri ’25 event all had previous experience performing live in North America, and it was a luxurious and precious experience to be able to see them at once. It was an evening that surely made fans want to support other Japanese artists that will follow these groups and go on to perform on the world stage.

—This article by Tomoya Ogawa first appeared on Billboard Japan

 

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