Kenshi Yonezu Impresses with Sold Out Show at the YouTube Theatre
Written by: Ephney Tsai
Kenshi Yonezu performed a sold out show at the YouTube Theatre on Sunday, April 6th. Despite or perhaps because this was his first show in Los Angeles since his 2009 vocaloid and 2012 official debut, the crowd was passionate, jumping up and dancing along with upbeat tracks, and swaying their arms in the air for slower ones. Uniquely, the show implemented a no-phones policy and no lightstick policy, forcing fans to truly live in the moment and savor the music.
Though originally slated for an 8pm start time, the show was pushed back to 8:30pm, and eventually began around 8:45pm. Yonezu performed with a live band consisting of a keyboardist, drummer, guitarist, and bassist, and also had an impressive dance team as part of several upbeat performances. The singer performed with a large screen as a backdrop, which portrayed patterned graphics during some songs, solid colors during others, and video clips during some, too. Throughout the show, the soloist made sure to take a few moments to pause and express his gratitude towards attendees, though unfortunately he did not have a translator with him to help non-Japanese speaking fans understand. Regardless of the language barrier, his constant bowing and "arigatos" were plenty enough for everyone to understand his humble gratitude.
Yonezu performed some of his best-known songs, such as "Lemon," "Peace Sign" from the anime My Hero Academia (僕のヒーローアカデミア), and "Spinning Globe (地球儀)" from the Hayao Miyazaki film The Boy and the Heron. However, the most energetic song of the evening was undoubtedly one of his newer tracks, "KICK BACK," from the anime series Chainsaw Man (チェンソーマン). Just with the first two notes of the song, the audience erupted in cheers, jumped to their feet, and got ready to sing and cheer along as the lights turned red. Though fans were already enjoying the show prior to this song, the energy hit an all time high during this stage.
Filled with various ballads, jazzier tracks, rock tracks, and more, the show was the perfect embodiment of Kenshi Yonezu's versatile talent and legendary history of chart-topping music. Although the show ran just under two hours in duration, the memories it created for fans were certainly unforgettable.
