YOASOBI LIVE IN THE USA at Shrine Expo Hall, Los Angeles

Ayase and Ikura, the duo behind YOASOBI, didn't have much time to catch their breath after touching down in the US. While they attended a White House dinner for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and performed at both weeks in Coachella Valley, their team also managed to squeeze in two stops in Los Angeles and San Francisco during April. After the success of these explosive events, they’re now set to perform in New York City and Boston in August.

The popular J-pop pair are plenty familiar with Southern California after performing at 88Rising’s 2023 Head in the Clouds festival. In front of several thousand dedicated fans, they treated lucky ticket holders to an unforgettable night. At the sold-out night at LA’s Shrine Auditorium, concert goers stood for hours to find the best position within the Expo Hall to see YOASOBI live. Before each person entered, staff handed them a pair of 3D glasses, which made the stage backgrounds pop out behind the band.

As the clock struck 9:00 pm, the crowd excitedly chanted at the top of their lungs as YOASOBI took to the stage in Y2K-inspired street wear. Joining the two members was their supporting band: bassist Yamamoto Hikaru, guitarist AssH, keyboardist Zacro Misohagi, and CROSSFAITH drummer Tatsuya. They started off with the electronic rock single from their album The Book 3, Seventeen. The song warmed up the audience with YOASOBI’s signature sound. Immediately transitioning to the opening song for "Gundam: The Witch from Mercury", the group showed no signs of stopping their high octane trajectory.


“Good evening, everyone! We’re YOASOBI from Japan,” said Ikura after taking a pause in between songs. The two members had reportedly studied English in preparation for their US events, and they spoke directly to the fans with clarity. “Nice to meet you everyone! We’ve been looking forward to finally meeting all of you guys tonight. Last summer, we had our very first performance in the US at a festival. We’re happy to be back so soon for our own concert. It’s like a dream come true.”

After a quartet of heart-tugging songs, the background screen asked the crowd to finally put on their glasses to enjoy the pop out designs. Cheers erupted as words and animations danced around the band and into the air. From the cheery, electrifying jolts of Biri-Biri to the nostalgic longing of Mr., Ikura’s vocals flowed like the lyrics that surrounded her. Beckoning onlookers to get lost in the forest of characters, the haunting rhythms of Moshi mo Inochi ga Egaketara had fans swaying.

“Every YOASOBI song is inspired by a novel. Just like you would take a deep dive into a story, I want you to feel the music with your body and soul,” commanded the singer. While a sea of stars and lights appeared onscreen during the "BEASTARS" ending theme, Yasashii Suisei, a parallel sight took over the front of the stage as the crowd waved lights from their phones. Although the ballad requires a level of control for its breathy vocalizations, Ikura showed no sign of fatigue. When the song came to an end, Ayase took some time to speak to the crowd with a call and response.

Thanking everyone for coming to their show, he took out a prepared script with his words of gratitude. “I’m not good at English, so I wrote a letter. This is our very first solo concert here. I was very worried if we could even sell tickets. But I’m very happy to be here. We sold out our tickets! This is different from performing at a festival such as Coachella, so please enjoy it to the very end! Let’s sing, dance, and make this a perfect night together!”

As soon as he said his last words, the band pounded out the first two notes to their next song. "Wotagei" dancers frantically adjusted the colors on their light sticks for the incoming behemoth, Idol. As intense and demanding as the song is, Ikura was well prepared for the "Oshi no Ko" opening track as she sang it endlessly in 2023. There’s no denying its zeitgeist status, and the crowd on the Expo Hall floor sang in unison alongside Ikura. Once the animations on the backlit screen ended, a short hush fell in the hall. Known for turning “novel into music,” YOASOBI’s largest source of acclaim within their discography is undoubtedly their anime song contributions. Appropriately, the next section of songs continued the anison power hour as they supercharged through "Frieren"’s Yuusha, and "BEASTARS"’ Kaibutsu.


With only a couple of songs left before the end of the concert, Ikura revealed she had also prepared a letter. “Ever since I was a kid, I had a dream of becoming a singer and coming to LA. Being able to hold a solo concert and spend time with everyone here makes us very happy. Thank you all for making our dreams come true,” Ikura expressed before moving onto the next song. “We will continue to work on our path and bring you new music so we can meet again. The next song is about struggles and hope. Anybody who is chasing their dreams has encountered this. I believe this every single day we spend pursuing our goals has led us to this moment.”

Her heartfelt speech moved the audience as they sang the chorus of Gunjou together. Closing out the main portion of the set with the sentimental track Heart Beat, the band took a deep bow in front of rolling credits. Of course, no one expected the show to truly be over until YOASOBI performed their hit debut single, Yoru ni Kakeru, as their encore.

Set list

01. Seventeen
02. Shukufuku
03. Halzion
04. Suki Da
05. Ano Yume wo Nazotte
06. Tabun
07. Biri-Biri
08. Mr.
09. Moshi mo Inochi ga Egaketara
10. Yasashii Suisei
11. Tsubame
12. Idol
13. Yuusha
14. Kaibutsu
15. Gunjou
16. Heart Beat

Encore

17. Yoru ni Kakeru

YOASOBI will be returning to the US this summer, playing a show at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on August 6th and another at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston on August 8th. Tickets for both dates are currently on sale here.

Check out more photos from their show in LA in the gallery below.