ONE OK ROCK “JINSEI x KIMI =” TOUR at Yokohama Arena

The buzz of excitement for ONE OK ROCK’s first arena tour, held after the March release of their sixth album, Jinsei x Boku = (Jinsei Kakete Boku Wa), was apparent long before the late spring shows began. Just within the past year, the rock band has held two tours, released two singles and one album, and released four music videos―altogether amassing even more fans. Naturally, a tour for the new album had been expected. Tickets for the ONE OK ROCK “Jinsei x Kimi = (Jinsei Kakete Kimi Wa)” TOUR sold out the minute they were made available to the general public. Those who managed to obtain tickets for May 26th, the final Yokohama Arena live, were in for quite a treat.

Before the show began, the energy in the atmosphere was already high. Against the black, 20-meter-high ceilings hovered an unmistakable mist accumulated from the body heat of over 12,000 attendees gathered indoors. Down below on the arena floor, where a sea of standing fans were packed into blocks, was a sound distinctly different from constant chatter. In one of the blocks on the right hand side was one particular fan sitting on the shoulders of another, waving her arms up and down fervently, working up the crowd around her to chant an enthusiastic series of “oh!”s. Shortly after, an announcement that the live would begin soon brought everyone to their feet. Once the pre-concert background music faded away and the arena darkened, a resounding roar erupted within the venue. The suspenseful, orchestral synth-filled Introduction〜Where idiot should go〜, along with dim blue lights drawing attention to the arrival of ONE OK ROCK’s members on stage, only caused the clamor to grow louder. Guitarist Toru took the right stage, bassist Ryota the left, and drummer Tomoya settled with his drum kit on the three-level platform behind vocalist Taka, who took front and center stage. A striking set of a red microphone and stand was positioned before the frontman, ready as he was.

A diaphanous, unsettling tone then seeped out from the speakers and a spry, restless guitar arpeggio coupled with a few confronting bass thuds to open the pages of Ending Story??. Taka started clapping, staring down the crowd, beckoning them to join him. Right as an onslaught of successive, sharp snare hits and a looping, ascending synth melody entered the scene, a large "CRACK!" resounded―out from underneath the ceiling burst balls filled with confetti that trickled down in waves, literally starting the night with a bang. During the verses, screens spread out across the wall behind the stage depicted hundreds of broken glass shards falling in slow motion. A change of pace came in the bridge with its rapid-fire drum rolls and anticipative strings.

“It’s that time again. Let me show you something new,” Taka teased.

“You ready?”

“READY?” The screens echoed.

“Let’s go!”

With a swagger, the frontman rapped in English clearly and smoothly to "boom, boom-kat" beats, and just as Tomoya hammered in a time-bending triplet, all of the lights in the arena swiftly dimmed to complete darkness. Within a blink of an eye, an explosion of light showered upon the arena and raunchy riffs à la Rage Against the Machine had the entire arena headbanging in unison. A tumbling ritardando and provocative, taunting guitar bend brought the show-stopping opener to an end.

“Good evening!” Taka greeted at last with arms open wide. ”We are ONE OK ROCK!”

The lights dimmed again. On the center screen popped an eye bearing an uncanny resemblance to that of the recent album’s cover. “Yokohama Arena!” yelled Taka, bringing forth an immense cheer. Immediately, a puckish bassline plunged the crowd into Deeper Deeper. This time, Ryota and Toru jumped onto their respective platforms, playing the main riff together with a stronger attitude. As the song bounced along and Taka bobbed and weaved about the stage, the eye on the screen became a grotesque, somewhat mechanized version of itself, blinking and swinging from side to side in sync with the verses’ tempo changes and then appearing on a giant ball hanging amidst the many light structures during the chorus. Once the bridge rolled in with a volatile drum break and a dirty bassline, Taka had the crowd sing along with him before all hell broke loose.

In Nothing Helps, every other beat of Tomoya’s opening elicited a collective shout from the crowd. Before long, the grinding, meandering guitar and thunder of bass and drums compelled the arena into a state of frenzy. “Yokohama, how are you?!” Taka hollered, giving way for a searing solo by Toru. The chaotic yet controlled nature of this song eventually halted as the band and vocalist punched in the last few notes with the crowd.

For Karasu, beams of red light flooded the stage to create an uneasy state of limbo in the otherwise darkened arena, all further enhanced by a muted, minor melodic riff from Toru and hesitant strokes from Tomoya. Standing still and peering over the crowd with searching eyes, Taka now carried a more serious demeanor and tone in his hushed voice. As he boosted the quick, winding melody an octave higher and a level louder, the tension in the air grew and grew until cries unleashed a chilling chorus. This newfound freedom was accompanied by a rapid time lapse of drifting black clouds and telephone wires against a bright red sky, as well as a new solo from Toru in the bridge.

Rays of light emanating from the base of the stage introduced the anthemic Answer is Near, and its aggressive riffs and battering beats encouraged an increasing mass of moshers to go all out. Then came a rich, delicate guitar arpeggio sent by the morning sun to relax the air, tiptoeing into the nostalgic C.h.a.o.s.m.y.t.h. Considering the pace of the previous songs, its unhurried disposition and breezy instrumentals felt welcome, allowing fans much needed respite―especially for the upcoming numbers.

“Third day folks, how are you?!” asked Taka, beaming. The crowd roared its approval. “Please treat us well as it is our last day here.”

Toru greeted all the different areas of the venue, each of which seemed to cheer louder than the one before, and Ryota and Tomoya asked the fans to have fun. Upon Tomoya’s galvanizing tom rolls, Taka inevitably announced that it was time for Let’s take it someday, and instructed everyone to sit or crouch down. A lively bass and leering, strewn-out guitar ramped up the tension, and then Taka gave the cue:

“3-2-1, JUMP!”

The entire arena―even the bleachers―shook.

“Let’s go one more time! Let’s go!” Taka implored.

For a little fun, after the bridge Ryota and Toru stepped off their platforms to join the frontman in the resulting chorus, jumping and hopping from one foot to the other in synchronized fashion. The energy among the crowd heightened as the driving Mikansei koukyoukyoku and sprightly Jibun ROCK increased the number of crowdsurfers and moshers alike. In the latter, Toru and Ryota could be seen running along the walkways to the far right and left of the stage, playing out to the crowd. Soon, darkness enveloped the arena again.

"Tick-tick, tick-tick, tick-tick, tick-tick." The gears of a bare clock materialized on the back center screens, soon interrupted by an omniscient voice narrating the following interspersed screens of text in English:

“Who are we to judge how it will end?
And who are we to decide how it begins?
All we can do is have faith in what comes.
So when it's time the clock strikes...One.”

And with a rippling, semi-submerging 30 Seconds to Mars-esque ricochet from Toru, an unwavering delivery from Taka, and a ghostly grid of successively flashing rows of lights on screen, Clock Strikes ticked away. Initially, the audience could only bob their heads to the increasingly frequent and accelerating beats from Tomoya and Ryota, but when the haunting yet empowering chorus swooped in, everyone was headbanging and raising fists in the air with conviction. For a slight curveball, Taka asked the crowd to sing the second chorus with him. Throughout the course of two rounds together, shy, discombobulated voices eventually emerged as confident and unified, with the vocalist holding a remarkable 16-count note to top it all off. As the bridge swept in with fine, lofty guitar strums that provided an ethereal, interestingly introspective backdrop, Tomoya’s drum rolls shifted into a solo, turning from uncertain to decisive, propelling the “woah”s cried out by both Taka and the crowd to a soaring climax. Though it was an exhausting number, its end satisfied the fans and prompted a break for the band.

When the dimmed lights burned just a bit brighter, only Taka and Toru returned to the stage. The blonde-haired guitarist settled down with an acoustic guitar and improvised a soft tune. Meanwhile, the frontman walked about the stage, telling the audience the story of how Tomoya almost didn’t make it in time for that night’s performance. Of course, on a day where the show would start at an earlier time, the drummer had turned off his cell phone the night before and overslept, leaving the band’s manager in a bind, much to the amusement of Taka. The vocalist then impersonated their stressed manager and an unabashed Tomoya making his late arrival―complete with the drummer’s posture, deep voice and Osaka accent―also making sure to mention how the other members never apologize for being late.

After discussing the upcoming marriage of a certain staff member, Taka sat next to Toru, with his lean frame hugging his knees tightly, and introduced the next song, the befitting Wherever you are. The delicate opening guitar arpeggio unexpectedly transformed into a breathtaking, fully-fledged revised version of the ballad, with the sophisticated acoustic rearrangement drawing in the crowd on a more intimate level. Another surprise appeared when Taka, with a mischievous, wide grin and a glint in his eyes, snuck in “the feelings that I feel for you all” instead of the original “you” during the chorus, causing a fit of giggles among both male and female fans. As the song progressed, audience members waved their arms from side to side and Taka ad-libbed; however, the atmosphere became even sweeter when the audience rendered the vocalist speechless by the mass of impassioned voices singing with him during the bridge, and he delightfully allowed them to take over. A final (extra) chorus performed as a call and response between vocalist and crowd sprinkled out an almost cavity-inducing, sugarcoated ending.

Though All Mine shares a similar cherished sentiment with the previous song, that night the difference between the two ballads’ moods couldn’t have been more pronounced. Against a nearly pitch black arena, the simply arranged yet hypnotic, sonorous notes of a piano permeated the air, taking a hold of and sinking into many an audience member ever so gently. Slowly, a spotlight overhead illuminated the lone figure of the frontman standing center stage, his hands grasping the red microphone stand, his head hung low, and dramatic, dark shadows cast upon his face. Behind him on a level above the screens was a slightly obscured, lit room containing the accompanying piano player. The camaraderie of the previous song faded into dead silence. Instead, it was as if the earnest, tender tint in Taka’s occasionally raspy tenor voice melted away all those bonds―all except for the one between him and the individual listener. No matter whether male or female, in that moment you were his and his alone.

A combination of otherworldly, atmospheric background music and faint blue lights then set the stage for an instrumental interlude featuring Toru, Ryota and Tomoya. Most notable was a jaw-dropping, exhilarating guitar solo akin to John Frusciante. From there, red sweeping lasers and a looming, foreboding synth melody lit the audience ablaze with the livid Liar, and its intense, taxing finale brought the vocalist to his knees.

At the beginning of another break, Toru switched from electric to acoustic again, subsequently picking away a different, more peaceful arrangement of Clock Strikes while Taka spoke briefly to the audience. A soft “We are tomorrow’s light” from the vocalist cued the lights to dim for the following song, Be the light. Piano and guitar struck the same chord, and two lone spotlights met together at center stage to shine over the frontman as he sang the first few words. Simultaneously, the Japanese translation of the English lyrics appeared on the far left and right screens, changing appropriately as the vocalist sang on. The tune then continued on its journey: weary drums that seemed to stumble were given a little supportive push by a gentle, prodding piano and warm guitar, and the lights silhouetting the band members pierced through the darkness like sunlight breaking through the clouds, burning brighter and brighter. As the uplifting coda reached its end, Taka held a fist high in the air and whispered, one last time, “Be the light.”

“It’s sad that it’s the last Yokohama Arena day of this tour,” lamented Taka. “But it’s been fun. Really, thank you, everyone.” The vocalist proceeded to explain the origins of the band’s recent album. In the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, the band members thought about the future of ONE OK ROCK and about what they should do. “Is it okay to only do music? We want to help people, too.” And so they approached this new endeavor carefully with much effort, wanting to inspire hope and at the same time ask others to think about what they can do for the future and how they will live for their future. Hence, deciding on the album name, Jinsei x Boku = (Life x Me =), and its tour title, Jinsei x Kimi = (Life x You =), was a simple matter.

Not wanting to stay on a heavy note, but still wanting to maintain their sense of duty, the band brought back the heat with the spicy, contemplative ONION! and the sizzling, wholehearted 69. Red flashing lights, a gritty bass, and a drum shuffle laced with bouts of adrenaline built the foundation for the next song while Taka alternated from one side of the stage to the other to rile up the crowd. In creating a “woah”-fest, he playfully changed its melody line every now and then and scatted for a little zest until the audience’s “woah”s earned his satisfaction. Finally, a wind-whipping guitar riff infused with the likes of high-speed chases in tight spaces flicked on the real switch for Juvenile, whose disorientingly addictive pre-chorus and “woah”-filled, headbangable bridge shot pillars of fire into the air. Crowd pleasers Re:make and Kanzen kankaku Dreamer were definitely not forgotten, as huge cheers and singing along met just the first few seconds of their introductions. As the latter drove into its bridge, the screens displayed a wild, psychedelic layering of oversaturated live footage featuring Tomoya and Toru feverishly hashing out their solos. Then trudged in The Beginning’s wistful, yet determined, piano arpeggio.

“Last song,” Taka said softly. “This is our story.”

Weary and beat at first, the theme song from the movie “Rurouni Kenshin” soon developed into a fighter; its powerful, striving chorus had everyone singing and invited waves and waves of crowdsurfers. Unfortunately, all beginnings must come to an end. Once finished, the band members waved their goodbyes and bowed as they exited the stage.

The crowd didn’t hesitate to call for an encore. Despite not being initially in sync, they filled the arena with Answer is Near’s “woah”s for several minutes ... but alas, nothing. Only when they switched to an elongated, anguished “oh” did they finally receive an answer: ONE OK ROCK returned to the stage with appreciative smiles, applauding the audience for their efforts.

When Toru, Ryota and Tomoya reunited with their instruments, Taka stood at the front with microphone in hand: “This song was about family, but now it is ours. So please, Yokohama Arena, let’s go, yeah?” Longing and unrestrained, Nobody’s Home connected with the audience in such a way that the “oh”s sang only moments earlier out of temptation were now sung with an overflowing sense of solidarity. The love didn’t stop there, though.

“Next is the last one!” Taka exclaimed.

Once again the arena darkened except for a light above the frontman. A ruminative guitar arpeggio played out as Taka’s breathy vocals opened the same as..., and upon arriving at a pause, the latter whispered, “Thank you, everyone.” Guitar, bass and drums then charged onto the scene like a force of nature, spurring a spinning Toru and Ryota and liberated lights. As an oscillating kaleidoscope of notes and beats broke open the bridge, however, suddenly, a collective gasp and countless screams reverberated throughout the arena―Taka had just jumped off the stage and was now running alongside the right side of the arena floor. The frontman high-fived fans left and right, causing the arena blocks to swell to crushing conditions at its borders. When he reached the middle area towards the back, Taka hopped onto the visual and sound effects stage and sang his heart out to the crowd: “You’ve been right here all along." Amid pounding tachycardic beats and surging chords, he quickly jumped off and ran around the other side, climbing onto the main stage just in time for the following chorus. “Thank you, Yokohama Arena!” cried Taka as the tune finished.

But the show wasn’t over yet.

After the band expressed their gratitude for the crowd, bowing deeply, the main screen switched to live footage shot from backstage, capturing the band members as they exited the main stage while the instrumental-only version of the same as... played in the background. Walking towards the camera, Taka gave a thumbs up, Toru did the universal rock sign, Ryota put on a dapper smile, and Tomoya, despite a rather tough face, was silly and flung his arms all over the place. The camera continued to follow them. At one point, something Tomoya said made Taka smack the drummer upside the back of his head, making the crowd laugh. However, when the four arrived in front of a room labeled “ONE OK ROCK member room” the viewer knew that the show was reaching its end. One, two, three members walked in. Taka was last. As the frontman was about to close the door, he turned around, looked at the camera, sighed and then pouted with sad eyes. Finally, he put his hand over the room’s sign, smiling as he patted it, took one last look at the camera and then closed the door. The ONE OK ROCK “JINSEI X KIMI =” TOUR credits soon followed, scrolling down the screen.


Setlist

00. Introduction〜Where idiot should go〜
01. Ending Story??
02. Deeper Deeper
03. Nothing Helps
04. Karasu
05. Answer is Near
06. C.h.a.o.s.m.y.t.h.
07. Let’s take it someday
08. Mikansei koukyoukyoku
09. Jibun ROCK
10. Clock Strikes
11. Wherever you are
12. All Mine
13. Liar
14. Be the light
15. ONION!
16. 69
17. Juvenile
18. Re:make
19. Kanzen kankaku Dreamer
20. The Beginning

Encore
01. Nobody’s Home
02. the same as...