I honestly groaned a little bit when I saw that the Kanto performance for ONE OK ROCK’s tai-ban concert was going to be at Belluna Dome. It’s probably my least favorite concert venue, both because it’s far away in the middle of nowhere, served by only one train line which gets very crowded before and after the show, and while it’s a dome, the sides are open so the place doesn’t have great acoustics. But alas, what can you do? Concert venues are in short supply.
This concert tour (do we consider it a tour?) was the first time the band opened up a ticket lottery specifically for overseas residents. I actually got a couple pairs of tickets through it, so I guess the chances of getting tickets via this lottery aren’t too bad. Hopefully this will become a normal thing going forward so that more overseas fans can experience ONE OK ROCK in their home country.
I was less than enthused about the merchandise for this concert, which allowed me to arrive at the venue later than I usually go. As usual for this venue, the merch was being sold over at the area to the left of the main entrance. The photo spot and Super Dry truck were also in this lot and the lines for each were looooooong. …But not as long as the lines for the restrooms when my friends and I entered the venue. Here’s a little secret: The line for restrooms on the B1 floor are usually much, much shorter as long as staff aren’t actively directing people down there. You need to find an elevator to take you down there, and then you’ll wait maybe 10 minutes tops vs. over an hour at one of the restrooms above ground.
After the pre-concert bathroom break, I made my way to my seats. On the first day when OOR was playing with WANIMA, I sat in the bleachers on the right side, but not so far right that the angle made things difficult to see. It was a distance from the stage but I had a clear, unobstructed view of the entire arena so I had no complaints. On the second day with Awich, I was in the arena to the left of the platform stage. It was maybe about halfway back, and as is always with my luck, I was surrounded by tall people. Luckily I could still see in between heads, but it certainly isn’t fun being short sometimes.
I’m honestly not familiar with WANIMA’s or Awich’s music so I don’t think I can talk much in detail about them. WANIMA’s songs were really upbeat and their set was a little over an hour. They sang a song to thank OOR, and the vocalist Kenta talked about how it’s been 6 years since they last played at Belluna Dome. The last time they were there, they had a lot of trouble so this time is “revenge.” Kenta began drinking a can of Asahi Super Dry on stage and when he tilted the can, the bottom of it had a message saying, “ワニマもお願いします” (“please take care of Wanima too”), signaling that they want to collab with Super Dry too. He talked a little bit about Re:project and how he and Taka hadn’t talked at all after exchanging contact info, but later while discussing the project, they found out that they had lots of things in common.
Awich’s performance was interesting in that it started off with traditional Okinawan music in a nod to her roots. There were a lot of dancers and the traditional music transitioned to hip hop. Awich explained that OOR are the kings of rock, and she wants to be like that for hip hop. While her music is not the type of music I listen to at all, I was impressed with her stage presence and control of the audience. She had several I assume famous rappers join her on stage for several songs.
After the guest finished their set, the venue began to become uneasy in anticipation of ONE OK ROCK. We didn’t have to wait too long for the boys to come on stage.
Taka had his hair styled a little similar to how he had it at Nagisaen and was wearing a white shirt with a green zombie on it that read “white zombie” the first day, and on the second day he wore a gray shirt. His left hand was wrapped in a pink glove (I guess that’s his style nowadays?) . Toru wore a pinstripe suit both days, black on the first and gray on the second. Ryota had on a clean black outfit both days. Tomoya, as usual, had a customized shirt with “10969” on it.
This concert was the debut of Tomoya’s new clear drum kit and it was pretty cool. Check out his introduction of his new kit on his YouTube channel if you haven’t yet.
The first song up was “We are” but they didn’t sing the full song. While a tune that was obviously going to transition to “We are” played as each of the band members entered the stage, the song started with the Japanese chorus instead of the beginning of the song. That was slightly jarring but the audience adapted quickly. They didn’t really leave room for the audience to sing by themselves this time like they usually do for this song.
Next up was “Take Me To The Top” which immediately got everyone pumped up. There were red lights blanketing the venue throughout the song and we got some pyrotechnics near the end. The group head bang in the middle of the song was fun, and everyone cheered at the end of the breakdown when Taka screamed. We then got the Japanese version of “Cry out,” which was a bit rare since usually they perform the English version. I loved the crowd singing along to the chorus, though I kind of wish they would stop clapping during the verses.
Next was “Stand Out Fit In.” No crouching at the beginning of the song this time. The English lyrics were displayed on the middle screen and the side screens displayed the lyrics in Japanese. It was pretty cool. There were colorful paint splash effects throughout the song. After was “Mad World” which utilized a drone camera similar to how they did it at Luxury Disease Japan Tour. The audience sang along the entire time, and Taka stuck up his middle finger during that part of the lyrics.
We got a bit of a surprise with “One Way Ticket” next. It was a fairly normal performance of the song, no special arrangement or anything outside of a couple “ooh ooh”s from Taka near the end. Still a great song nonetheless and it’s been a hot minute since they performed it so I think everyone in the crowd was quite pleased with the selection.
The MCs during these concerts were very short. I think the guests had more time to talk. In fact, Taka was the only one talking. We didn’t hear a peep from the other members. Taka talked about how it had been a while since he sang the Japanese version of “Cry out” and that it was hard to decide which version to sing, and he thought he might mess up the lyrics because it had been so long. On the first day, he talked about how he met WANIMA and thanked them for performing that day. On the second day, he said that it’s not common for hip hop and rock to come together on the same stage. He was thoroughly impressed with Awich’s performance and believes she’ll play in larger venues in the future, and he hoped that she would call on them to perform at her concert when she does (perform in a large venue). Taka told us to prepared to go home with sore muscles. Yes, sir!!!
The next song was “Yokubou ni Michita Seinendan” and Taka encouraged those who knew the lyrics to sing along, which everyone obliged. There was red backdrop lighting with white lights. We got another surprise when “Always coming back” started playing. The audience took out their phone lights to illuminate the venue. You can tell that there were lots of new fans in the audience though because there was this weird clapping going on. I don’t remember there ever being any clapping during this song. Anyway…
It was time for a space warp! There was a countdown on the screen which the audience repeated. Cue “Wonder” (and more clapping). The lyrics were displayed on the middle screen with a space theme. As the song faded, we got the familiar drum beats of “Make It Out Alive.” Red lights pulsated to the beat of the drum and there was a dragon skeleton flying around the screens during the song. Taka didn’t mess up the lyrics this time. =)
We didn’t get a chance to catch our breath before Taka hyped us up for “Mighty Long Fall.” Ohhh yessssss!! It’s been so long, too long since we last got this song! Purple lights illuminated the venue and the crowd went all out. On the second day, Awich came out on stage during the breakdown and joined the guys for a collab. It was pretty cool and adding her definitely fits the vibe of the song.
As per usual, “The Beginning” followed. Everyone knows that familiar piano intro means we’re about to rock out some more. The song followed the usual formula with the clapping and head banging. I never get tired of it though. This was the end of the main set, so cue the “Answer is Near” calls.
It only took the guys a couple or so minutes to take the stage again. The played “Fight the Night” with lighting from behind so you mostly saw them as silhouettes. It really is such a solemn track. On the first day, after the song finished, Taka brought Kenta up on stage where they announced that ONE OK ROCK would be performing at WANIMA’s festival, 1CHANCE FES, again this year. Taka was then like, “Since you’re up here, why don’t you sing with us?” Lots of cheers when “Kimi Shidai Ressha” began playing. Both Taka and Kenta ran around the arena during the song. Near the end, streamers shot out. Kind of sad that OOR’s streamers never really have any writing on them so they’re not worth taking home to keep as a souvenir or anything.
They called the guest on stage, took photos, and did a short walk around while waving to everyone. The concert ending this time was noticeably shorter. On the second day, Taka made a funny kiss face at the camera and walked off the stage like a crab with both hands doing the peace sign.
It was quite clear that they were being conscious of the time. ONE OK ROCK’s set was fairly short, only about an hour and a half when their solo concerts generally run close to 3 hours. As I said at the beginning though, the venue was Belluna Dome which is in the middle of nowhere and served by only one train line. It was a real nightmare the second day because it’s much harder to get out of the arena compared to the stands where you can easily ignore the staff’s instructions and leave before they call your area. In the arena, the staff blocked the exits so you were pretty much forced to leave in order. I think it took close to an hour just to get out that day, and then we had to wait another 20 or so minutes for the next train to depart. Then you’re standing squished on the train for like a half hour or more. …Did I mention I hate Belluna Dome?
But I love ONE OK ROCK and while short, they put on another great performance! The set list was top notch with a lot of favorites and a few surprises. They had just announced their world tour a couple days prior so there was a lot of excitement from that as well. Can’t wait!
Setlist
- We are
- Take Me To The Top
- Cry out
- Stand Out Fit In
- Mad World
- One Way Ticket
- Yokubou ni Michita Seinendan
- Always coming back
- Wonder
- Make It Out Alive
- Mighty Long Fall (Day 2 feat. Awich)
- The Beginning
Encore - Fight the Night
- Kimi Shidai Ressha (Day 1 feat. WANIMA)
