JOKER Live 'GAME' Tour 2012-2013 ~OVER~ in Kanazawa AZ

Kazuki Kato and Koji Date co-starred in the smash hit musical "Tennis no Oujisama" (Prince of Tennis) where they hit it off with each other and decided to form a band; JOKER. On January 20, they held the 11th live of their “GAME” Tour 2012-2013 ~OVER~ in Kanazawa AZ to celebrate the one year anniversary of the band’s debut and the release of their first full-length album, OVER.

Despite the bitter cold outside, Kanazawa AZ was buzzing with excited fans eagerly awaiting the start of JOKER’s live. As the lights dimmed, the audience gave a loud cheer and started clapping along to the upbeat rhythm of the music. Support members Mai Imamura (drums), Katsundo Igarashi (guitar), Shotaro Mitsuzono (bass) and Tooru Yoshida (keyboard) appeared on stage, followed by JOKER’s guitarist Koji Date, and finally vocalist Kazuki Kato.

The live kicked off with the upbeat Shout! which was met with enthusiasm from the audience who shouted “hey!” as they raised their arms in the air and jumped in unison. The following song, Liar, was impressive with its dramatic melody and powerful drumbeat. Leaning on his microphone stand, Kazuki sang passionately, his clear vocals echoing throughout the venue. “Welcome to the “Game” Tour 2012-2013 ~OVER~” he shouted as Koji took center stage for the fast-paced guitar riffs of the rock ‘n’ roll song ROCKING MAN. During My Revolution, Kazuki shook his body and shouted wildly. After this, the beautiful guitar arpeggios of FLY AWAY sounded, filling the venue with a refreshing atmosphere.

“We’ve returned to Kanazawa! Together, let’s make this the best night!”. Next was the beautiful, sorrowful ballad Pain where Kazuki seemed to sing from the heart, his voice conveying the pain of a difficult love. This was followed by Break The Wall, the positive message of which was well conveyed to the audience. The song started with quiet vocals and built up to the dramatic main melody in a marvelous contrast. During the beautiful slow ballad Last Letter, Kazuki sang as though shouting, his clear voice uniting with the echo-effects of Koji’s guitar. Sweat glistened from Kazuki’s bare chest and he radiated manly charm, while Koji continued to play guitar riffs in a cool manner.

“We have three more lives left, including this one. We’ve put our souls into this tour to make it meaningful”. During Get your virgin, Kazuki moved enthusiastically around the stage, swaying his body sexily as he sang. This was met with shrill screams from the female fans who enjoyed responding to the shouts of “come on!” in the chorus. In the following Stand up!, the audience jumped in time with the heavy guitar riffs.

After talking about Kanazawa’s delicious food with the fans, JOKER started the second half of their live with Just be with you; the coupling song of their single Rolling Life. Koji played the guitar solo in a carefree manner alongside the beautiful melody of the keyboard. This was followed by Eternal Snow, which Kazuki sang as he played the acoustic guitar. The combination of electric guitar and strings created a graceful harmony, and the heartwarming lyrics and beautiful melody filled the hearts of the audience.

After this, the musicians enjoyed a jam session, playing solos one by one. The audience also had the opportunity to take photos on their cell phones. The flashing lights from the fans' cell phones filled the venue, an unusual scene as cameras are usually banned from concerts.

“Can you keep going, Kanazawa?!” Kazuki called. For Summer Breeze, fans took out their towels and waved them around, jumping in unison. The positive message of the song made everyone smile. JOKER burst their rock souls in challenger as heavy guitar riffs sounded and flashing red lights flooded the stage. When the band started to play their debut single No.1, the audience let out an loud cheer. Koji took center stage for his fast guitar solo and everyone in the audience jumped together with their hands in the air, creating a sense of unity. The impressive guitar riffs of OVER followed and Kazuki shouted “When we push beyond our boundaries, we’ll steadily progress”. As he sang, he head-banged so hard that sweat started to pour from his forehead, making his hair shine.

When the members left the stage and the venue became dark, fans called out for an encore. Kazuki and Koji soon appeared, wearing their tour T-shirts. Before launching into their last few songs, they drew from a raffle and the lucky winners won autographed photos and the chance to go backstage after the live to meet the members.

The encore began quietly with the beautiful ballad Singer, Kazuki’s sweet voice mixing with the sound of the guitar and piano. Afterwards, the tour’s support members were also introduced. “I felt we were well supported by you all during this tour. Please continue to support us” Kazuki said, expressing his gratitude. The simple melodies of Rolling Life were next, the positive message of which was clearly conveyed. “Come on Kanazawa! Let’s burn out together!” The last song was Fire Soul, which saw fans pumping their fists in the air and jumping to the powerful drums. When the live ended, the members held hands and stood in a line, bowing deeply as they received a loud applause and cheers of “thank you” from the audience. Everyone appeared refreshed after putting all of their energy into enjoying the live.

Alongside his musical activity, Kazuki works as an actor, appearing in stage performances, TV dramas and movies. He was determined to play the leading character KAITO in Senbonzakura, a musical that represents the world of Hatsune Miku’s song of the same name. The musical starts in March, 2013. Fans can look forward to Kazuki’s future activities, both as a musician and as an actor.


Set list

1. Shout!
2. Liar
3. ROCKING MAN
4. My Revolution
5. FLY AWAY
6. Pain
7. Break The Wall
8. Last Letter
9. Get your virgin
10. Stand up!
11. Just be with you
12. Eternal Snow
13. Summer Breeze
14. challenger
15. No.1
16. OVER

En 1. Singer
En 2. Rolling Life
En 3. Fire Soul