SCANDAL from Japan at The Regency Ballroom, San Francisco

After performing in San Francisco ten years ago, SCANDAL from Japan returned for their SPECIAL THANKS tour, held across the United States and Mexico. The show was held at the historic Regency Ballroom in downtown San Francisco. Earlier in the day, JaME’s photographer took additional photos of the band at the venue.

The venue was packed to the back with fans who had been camping out since 10am. At the front, a large group of Japanese fans had flown from Japan to follow the band on each leg of their tour. Compared to the large stadium shows in Japan where it was almost impossible to get to the front, the Regency Ballroom’s intimate size provided a good view for all attendees. The predominantly male crowd was decked out in towels and t-shirts, as well as a few handmade signs that were hung between the photo pit and the stage.

The lights dimmed and the four members of the band came out to a wildly cheering crowd. They waved to the audience, each briefly crossing to the front of the stage, where fans screamed their names. Lead singer HARUNA greeted the crowd and went straight into arguably what is the band’s most famous song, SHUNKAN SENTIMENTAL, made popular by the anime “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”. The audience was made up of hardcore fans — they sang along to the songs well considering it was a show set in the United States, and they knew each specific arm movement for each song.

HARUNA, the lead singer, commanded center stage. She wore a layered outfit with a checkered skirt and sported a short haircut, making her look more youthful. The lead guitarist and backup vocalist MAMI had a short blue bob and a fishnet top. RINA the drummer was in the back, and was somehow able to stay graceful while headbanging. TOMOMI the bassist wore a baggy sports jacket and a mini skirt.

SCANDAL’s energy was contagious. For a female rock band, they were active and moved around the stage a lot, made eye contact with fans, and each member’s facial expressions were expressive. They felt more like a real rock band than an idol band. The lighting was extremely colorful and saturated with hot pinks and atmospheric strobe lighting. TOMOMI was especially active, headbanging and dancing around.

During a break in their songs, HARUNA addressed the audience in a mix of English and Japanese: “San Francisco, it’s been a long time — 10 years! I’ve missed you too much! Let’s have fun tonight!” She gave a shoutout in Japanese to the audience members who had travelled for the show. HARUNA described the places they visited in San Francisco — Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Bridge, and Sutro Tower.

SCANDAL ended their main set with LOVE SURVIVE and did a big group bow, waving goodbye. As soon as they disappeared, the audience immediately started their yells and stomps for an encore. When the band came back out, all the members were wearing their colorful merchandise shirts. TOMOMI thanked everyone for their support, making a heart sign with her hands. They played SHOUJO S and DOLL; RINA jumped up onto a riser for a guitar solo, and then was joined by MAMI who slapped the guitar in a similar style to MIYAVI’s famous guitar slapping style. The floor of the venue was shaking from all the fans jumping up and down, and there were even some people who were sitting on shoulders for a better view. For the last song, everyone with a towel started waving them in the air, while some people took their shirts off and waved those around. As SCANDAL ended the show, the audience cheered until the house lights came on.

Set list

01. SHUNKAN SENTIMENTAL
02. AWANAI TSUMORINO
03. STAMP!
04. YOUR SONG
05. SCANDAL BABY
06. PLATFORM SYNDROME
07. OVER
08. FREEDOM FIGHTERS
09. MORNING SUN
10. DEPARTURE
11. KOE
12. SISTERS
13. KOISURU UNIVERSE
14. Yellow/White
15. Electric Feel
16. TAKE ME OUT
17. LOVE SURVIVE

Encore
01.SHOUJO S
02. DOLL

Keep an eye on our Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/jame.world/) for some Instagram-exclusive photos from our photographer's pre-show photoshoot!