JAM Project kickstarted the road to their 20th anniversary.
JAM Project played two consecutive shows on January 25th and 26th at Tokyo’s Toyosu PIT. In anticipation of their 20th anniversary next year, the group performed songs from the first decade of their career on Day 1, and songs from the later years on Day 2. This report covers the show on the first day, which bore the title "Early numbers".
The capacity crowd, which featured fans from many different generations, eagerly waited for the appearance of the popular unit consisting of the established vocalists Kageyama Hironobu, Endoh Masaaki, Kitadani Hiroshi, Okui Masami and Fukuyama Yoshiki. Fans cheered when a special video documenting the 19-year history of the unit began playing after the lights blacked out. Finally, fans saw the silhouettes of the members appear behind the stage screen.
Okui’s lead vocal ignited the fans’ anticipation as the opening song SOULTAKER started. After the stage was unveiled, the group immediately thrilled the fans with their passion-filled vocals and flawless choruses. Fans enthusiastically responded to the progressive hard rock song by shouting and fist pumping with their red glow sticks in hand.
Already on the second song CRUSH GEAR FIGHT!!, the unit succeeded in waking up the heroes inside of their fans’ hearts. With each member being a powerhouse musician with polished skills, the unit’s superb vocals both embodied and injected the fans with the spirit of anisong, which espouses the virtues of friendship, dreams, justice, and victory. The diverse crowd jumped up at the group’s call of “Ready go!”
Afterwards, each member greeted the fans in a relaxed mood. “Please enjoy the ongoing history of JAM Project through our songs,” Endoh said. Much to the audience’s delight, the show continued with a special medley of the opening themes for the popular video game series “Super Robot Wars”. JAM Project set the fans on fire as the 10-song medley progressed to the fan favorite number VICTORY. The capacity crowd jumped up to the spirited song. During the medley’s last song, GONG, Endoh invited the fans to sing along with one of the unit’s popular live anthems. The united voices of the group’s members and the fans created yet another unforgettable moment in JAM Project’s history.
Later, the show had another special section featuring the unit’s leader Kageyama performing as DJ KG. Sometimes by scratching, and at other times by speeding up the tracks, DJ KG got fans singing and dancing to the unit’s early songs such as GET UP CRUSH FIGHTER! and Shugo-shin - The guardian. Towards the end of his DJ set, the four other members came back to the stage and they joined in on the anisong dance party.
Afterwards, they delighted the audience by performing another fan favorite song, GARO〜SAVIOR IN THE DARK〜. The fans waved yellow penlights symbolizing the main character’s golden armor. The unit’s wholehearted performance continued with Name ~Kimi no Na wa~. The members’ dynamic chorus dedicated to those who perished in battle resonated in the fans’ hearts. The shredding guitar and haunting keyboard solos and the lifting drumbeat of the song all worked together to enhance the heroic feel of the track and make the computer game theme song relatable to the real world. “We sang some songs that we have not performed for quite a few years. I can see you guys enjoying them a lot clearly from here,” Kageyama said to the fans after the song.
Afterwards, the show continued with another special medley featuring the ending themes for “Super Robot Wars”. The fans created a cosmic atmosphere by switching their penlight color to blue as Portal started to play. The tender song conveyed warmth to fans whose hearts might have also been weary from their own real-life battles with society.
During the next track, Cosmic Dance, Okui’s beautiful high note and Fukuya’s mellow vocals encouraged the fans to keep dreaming. The fans showed their support for the unit’s members by raising their hands skyward along with them during the chorus part of the medley’s last song, FOREVER & EVER. The unit’s performance once again effectively captured the spirit of anisong, encouraging their listeners to believe in and fight for a better future and a peaceful world. After the medley, JAM Project and the fans celebrated their unchanging bond with a heartfelt singalong during KI・ZU・NA ~10th Anniv. Ver.~.
After another DJ performance, the climax of the show began with HURRICANE LOVE, which was performed for the first time in a long time. The excited fans swung their towels together with the group, and they also let out loud cheers during each member’s solo performance. During the next song, Genkai Battle, the unit’s soul-stirring vocals charged the fans’ hearts with bravery. Red stage lights lit the venue for the last song, Rescue Fire. The fans liberated their burning heroic spirit by shouting “More! More!” out loud, following the members’ lead. “Mission complete!” Endoh and the fans saluted each other at the end of the song.
During the encore, each member spoke to the fans:
“I recalled a lot of memories while I sang our old songs. There were a lot of hard times, but now they are all parts of good memories,” Endoh said.
“We made a good start towards our 20th anniversary. I’m 50 years old now, but I believe that I have more potential both musically and physically,” said Kitadani.
“I joined JAM Project after the unit had already started activities. I finally became confident enough to feel as if I was also an original member. It is hard, but also wonderful to be able to continue with JAM Project for such a long time,” Okui said.
“Looking at the old pictures in the opening video, I thought to myself that I was much skinnier back in the day,” Fukuyama said, making the fans laugh.
“It is very touching for me to see fans from all generations supporting us. I see this 19th year as a part of our 20th anniversary. We will have our 20th anniversary show in a big venue. We will work hard with our staff and make good songs for it. Please support us,” said Kageyama.
For their encore, the unit first performed A-ROCK Denno Wars. “Let’s give the final burst with this song!” Kageyama’s shout started off SKILL, and the fans enjoyed making a sword swinging pose with Kitadani during the song. The unit had the fans jump up and shout “More! More!” during the killer number. During the finale of the show, Kageyama thanked the band, the unit’s members, and their record label Lantis, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. “Because of your support, we can go beyond our limits. Today is the first step towards our 20th anniversary. We believe in your power. Let’s run for 2020!” Kageyama made his concluding remark, drawing applause from the fans
Set list
01. SOULTAKER
02. CRUSH GEAR FIGHT!!
03. Boken O ~Across the Legendary kingdom~
04. Break Out
05. Rocks
06. Crest of "Z's"
07. GO!!
08. Meikyu no Prisoner
09. MAXON
10. Fight to the end ~Seisen~
11. RISING FORCE
12. VICTORY
13. GONG
DJ KG’s Part
14. Space Roller Coaster GO GO!
15. Legend of the Heroes
16. DRAGON
17. GET UP CRUSH FIGHTER!
18. TRANSFORMERS EVO.
19. Asu he no Hoko
20. Majin Kenzan!!
21. SHURAKI
22. Three souls
23. Bakuchin Kanryo! Rescue Fire
24. HERO
25. Only One
26. BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE
27. Kurenai no Kiba
28. Shugo-shin - The guardian
29. Hello Darwin! ~Kokishin on Demand~
30. JAM ga Mottetta! Sailor Fuku
31. GARO ~SAVIOR IN THE DARK~
32. Fencer of GOLD
33. Name ~Kimi no Na wa~
34. Portal
35. Cosmic Dance
36. FOREVER & EVER
37. KI・ZU・NA ~10th Anniv. Ver.~
DJ KG’s Part 2
38. Battle Communication!!
39. GO! GO! RESCUE
40. LONGING
41. VOYAGER
42. Dangai no Tsurugi
43. Nageki no Rosario
44. FREEDOM
45. STORMBRINGER
46. SEVENTH EXPLOSION
47. Hallelujah!!
48. REAL BLACK HOLE ~Break through~
49. Elements
50. Ryusei Lovers
51. HURRICANE LOVE
52. Genkai Battle
53. Hagane no Messiah
54. Rescue Fire
Encore
55. A-ROCK ~Denno Wars~
56. SKILL
