Japanese pop duo sensation, Yoasobi, made an upgraded return in Singapore for their CHO-GENJITSU (“SURREALISM”) Asia Tour 2024-2025.
Yoasobi performed at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 22 and 23 February 2025. It was already hot since the first night on Saturday, accurately depicting the meaning of their group name which means “night-time play”.
As the stadium lights dimmed and a 10-second countdown appeared on screen, fans eagerly demonstrated their excitement by rhythmically waving their brightly lit pensticks. They were ready to welcome Ikura and Ayase to the stage.
As the intro played, red lasers and smoke amped up the atmosphere as the name YOASOBI appeared on screen. It was then dramatically torn apart by a huge, clawed, furry monster with diamond eyes staring directly at the crowd.
Ikura: “Singapore, are you guys ready?!”
Ayase and Ikura suddenly appeared on stage, hands raised high in the air, followed by a respectful bow to the audience. They then launched into an electrifying performance of “Seventeen” (「セブンティーン」).
Lasers flickered through the air, accompanied by the monster, smoke and pyrotechnics, and fan chants were heard as the band played.
Ikura’s voice was stable and clear, and the guitarist rocked it out on the sides of the stage too.
YOASOBI, dressed in hooded and mismtached patchwork clothes, continued with another catchy tune, ‘The Blessing’ (祝福, “shufukufuku”). Composer-producer Ayase’s expression on stage truly expressed how grateful he was to be performing on stage as he urged the crowd to clap along to the beat.
Fans were seen enthusiastically performing wotagei as the duo transitioned to the next song, “UNDEAD” Ikura moved to the extended stage, showcasing her high-pitched vocal prowess along with her cute expressions. Interestingly, despite the song’s title, the LED screen depicted them “feeling alive” in the monster’s mouth.
Ikura: “We are YOASOBI from Japan!”
With their hoods down and pink and white colours on stage, YOASOBI introduced themselves with bright smiles on their faces.
YOASOBI expressed their wish to hear the fans’ voice, and for the crowd to enjoy dancing and singing along with them. ‘「New me」’ was accompanied with lyrics and the music video on the LED screen. The duo waved at fans and wrapped them up with sweet and warm melody.
This was followed by the endearing tune of ‘Mister’ (「ミスター」). Ayase stepped up on the stand and encouraged the crowd to clap along. The city pop song, which tells the story of an android’s desire for their owner, was vividly brought to life through the stage design, with Ayase’s raised platform depicted as a microchip.
It was nice to see the band members enjoying themselves, and Ikura greeting the fans seated at the sides.
The light tempo of ‘Mou Sukoshi Dake’ (もう少しだけ, “Just a Little More”) was up next, and accompanied by an urban scape of skyscrapers visited by the monster on the screens.
As the spotlight focused on Ikura, the pensticks glowed white for the next song, ‘Probably’ (たぶん, “Tabun”). Ayase wanted to engage the crowd, so he brought out his phone and demonstrated waving it with the flash on. Vertical white lights flashed on stage, adding to the beautiful ambiance.
Ikura: “Can Can La!”
Fans were super receptive to YOASOBI and reacted automatically as the duo conversed in Japanese. Enthusiastic and energetic reactions ensued as Ikura showed off some Singlish.
They performed a high-pitched song with ‘Halzion’ (ハルジオン, “Philadelphia fleabane”), followed by moody pop synth of ‘Monotone’ (モノトーン). The instrumental and Ayase’s interactions with the audience were the highlight of this segment.
With stars in the background, we were transported to a beautiful space with ‘Comet’ (優しい彗星, “Yasashii Suisei”). Apart from Ayase and Ikura, the audience was also hit by the pull of the guitarist’s solo.
YOASOBI continued with a daydream experience with an acapella to ‘Tracing that Dream'(「あの夢をなぞって」, “Ano Yume wo Nazotte”), before being joined by the rest of the band. The loud fan chants and impressive band solos added to the magic of the moment.
They took a moment to introduce each of the band members and expressed their happiness at seeing an even larger audience than the previous year. Ayase stepped down from the DJ stand to greet the fans face to face. YOASOBI praised the enthusiastic crowd and continued chatting in Japanese about their Asia tour.
YOASOBI: “Let me see your energy, ok!”
The fans definitely showed off their loud cheers as upbeat rock number ‘Monster’ (「怪物」, “Kaibutsu”) played. It was accentuated with red lights, lasers, pixelated screen like the music video, and with their hoods back up.
The high energy continued with ‘The Brave’ (勇者, “Yuusha”), which was the anime opening of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. The symbolic meaning was subtly showed through the scenes of flowers on stage.
Fans were humming along, and the guitarists gathered together and rocked it out with the drummer.
It was then finally time for their smash hit song, ‘Idol’ (アイドル), which ignited the loudest chants from the fans. The heartfelt shouts of the crowd calling out “Oi! Oi!” rang through the stadium, with coordinated penstick movement to the strong beats. The rap was definitely as addictive as the beat.
YOASOBI expressed their amazement at being able to perform in Singapore, sharing how excited they had been even before departing from Japan. They thanked their fans for their support.
Then, they proceeded to “share the beat of your heart” with ‘HEART BEAT (心音). YOASOBI led a sing-along with the audience with the help of the lyrics on screen, as the fans were captured on camera. Ayase and the audience clapped along to the sentimental stage.
The sing-along continued with ‘Ultramarine’ (群青, “Gunjō”), and Ikura and the band members showed hearts to the fans at the sides. The positive and hopeful song and a burst of confetti was a fitting finale to end the night.
Fans called for an encore with “One More Game!”
YOASOBI and the rest of the band returned to ‘Stand on the Stage’ (舞台に立って, “Butai ni Tatte”) for the encore. The YOASOBI logo twinkled on stage as Ayase’s heart eyes gazed at the audience, while Ikura played a white electric guitar as she sang. Some fans affectionately dubbed her as “Ikura the rock” following the anime.
YOASOBI continued to engage with the audience in Japanese, noting that many fans seemed to understand them. They playfully teased the crowd by asking them to guess the final song of the night, building excitement for the encore.
The duo had changed into their yellow and green merch shirts, and asked the audience to stand up and enjoy themselves ‘Into the Night’ (夜に駆ける, “Yoru Ni Kakeru”).
The duo, known for creating songs inspired by short stories, became an instant hit with their debut song, an apt way to end the night.
YOASOBI and the band members took the time to say thank you to the fans as the end credits played on screen.
The two-hour long concert featured non-stop performances, with each song that conveyed its powerful messages to the audience.
#YOASOBI_ASIA #YOASOBISG #YOASOBI
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