The music event "matsuri'25: Japanese Music Experience LOS ANGELES," which brought together singer Ado, dance and vocal unit "Atarashii Gakko!," and music unit "YOASOBI," was recently held in Los Angeles. WOWOW, which will broadcast and stream the event on March 29, released a report on the event along with comments from Ado and the other three artists.
The event was held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on March 16th (local time), and was organized by the Culture and Entertainment Industry Promotion Association (CEIPA), which will hold the MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN, Japan's largest international music awards, in May of this year, to highlight Japanese artists of world-class quality and promote their appeal to the world.
The opening act was YOASOBI, who also performed at Coachella last year. They performed hit after hit, including their debut song "Racing into the Night," which was the first song in Japan to reach 1.1 billion plays, and the final song, "Idol," brought the audience together with the customary "Oi!" call.
Next up was Atarashii Gakko!, who attracted a total of 110,000 people on their world tour last year and also performed at Coachella. They performed 11 songs non-stop, including their new songs "One Heart" and "Free Yourself," which were shown for the first time, as well as "Otona Blue," which has been viewed over 3.3 billion times on TikTok.
The last performer was Ado, who has many passionate fans overseas and is about to embark on the biggest world tour ever for a Japanese artist, with over 500,000 attendees in over 30 cities around the world. With animation on a large screen as a backdrop, she sang a total of 10 songs, including her hits "Sho", "Shin Jidai" and "Usseewa". During "Aishite Aishite Aishite", Ado and the fans screamed together, bringing the excitement to a climax.
The event will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Prime and WOWOW On Demand from 6pm on the 29th. All songs performed by the three groups will be streamed uncut. Additionally, delayed viewing will be available at movie theaters nationwide on March 29th (6pm), April 6th (1pm), and April 10th (6:30pm). The price is 4,200 yen for all reserved seats.
◇Comment from Ado
--Please tell us your thoughts after the event.
It was so much fun! It felt like a dream to be on the same stage as my favorite bands, YOASOBI and Atarashii Gakko!. I hope we were able to create an unforgettable night for everyone who came to the event.
--What are the highlights of this performance?
The set list is packed with Ado's "classic" and "indulgent" performances. There are songs with even more changes to the choreography and vocal arrangements than in her previous live performances, so I think it will be well worth a watch.
--Please give a message to those who will watch the video of this performance.
I think it was a very worthwhile concert for everyone who came to see me, and also for those who were seeing me perform live for the first time. And of course, YOASOBI and Atarashii Gakko!' performances were also amazing. I hope you will burn the special night that these three groups created into your memory!
◇Comments from Atarashii Gakko!
--Please tell us your thoughts after the event.
We thoroughly enjoyed our first overseas performance of the year! Los Angeles is a place filled with so many encounters and memories for us, where we lived together and produced our EP! We are very happy to have had the opportunity to perform live with Japanese artists here! We look forward to our energy continuing to resonate around the world.
--What are the highlights of this performance?
We performed our new song "One Heart" released this month and our latest song "Free Yourself" for the first time live! There are other things to look forward to that are unique to this concert! Please enjoy our youthful days in LA!
--Please give a message to those who will watch the video of this performance.
The energy exchange with everyone in LA was so much fun and exciting. Please enjoy the three Japanese groups performing together overseas with high quality images, high quality sound, a big screen, and high volume! And we look forward to the day we can meet you at a live concert!
◇Comment from YOASOBI
--Please tell us your thoughts after the event.
As YOASOBI, we have never had the chance to perform at an event with other artists outside of festivals, so it was a lot of fun. We were the opening act, and I think we warmed up the audience for our next Atarashii Gakko!. We don't separate the world from Japan, but we hope that our music will reach people all over the world as we continue to do our best, and we want to deliver it to as many people as possible. And I was really happy that so many people came to see us in America this time.
--What are the highlights of this performance?
We put a lot of effort into the costumes. The theme was pure white, brand new. We wanted to deliver the J-POP we have perfected to everyone in LA in a brand new state, without any embellishments, and we wanted to connect with everyone through music, so we made these costumes.
--Please give a message to those who will watch the video of this performance.
I don't think you get to see a lot of live performances in LA, so I hope you'll be able to see the different kind of excitement you get from Japan and the communication with the audience, and get excited about those aspects as well.
