When I settled into my seat for Bishonen’s 2024 tour, Gates+, at Yokohama Arena, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I knew a few details from post-concert reports from fans, namely the setlist and interactions between the members during various parts of the show, but the specifics of performances I ignored with every fiber of my being. I wanted my first Bishonen concert experience to feel special and to go into it with as open eyes as I could.
If you read my journey to welcoming member Taisho Iwasaki into my life, I did not have the best introduction to the group. I hadn’t understood their popularity five years ago nor had I engaged in much content surrounding Bishonen either. It was thanks to Act ONE that my eyes were opened to the charm of the group. Having thoroughly enjoyed their set at that time, I had high hopes for Gates+ going into it.
And, boy, did this concert exceed expectations.
From the intro video, my attention was immediately captured. From the black and white images to the music, the whole introduction to each member gave old time Hollywood vibes as the members of Bishonen got ready and dressed in suits. By the time they popped up on stage, the crowd was cheering loudly for them.
They opened with a medley of their original songs, Cosmic Melody, Beautiful Love, KichiKichi Bang! Bang! (吉吉Bang!Bang!), YOU & Bi (YOU & 美), LALA love, and with another performance of Cosmic Melody wrapping up the selection. The medley truly felt like a marathon with Bishonen trying to reach every inch of the arena that they could before the songs ended. From the main stage to the center stage to the carts weaving through the fans and even to the back stage, there wasn’t an inch of stage they weren’t singing or dancing on.
But even through all of the performing and dancing and movement that was happening before the eyes of the audience, there was one thing you could feel radiating from Bishonen: love. Their attention was always on the fans in front of them as they performed. You can feel how much they adored and appreciated every single person that was there to see them.
The first solo song of the day was Yuto Nasu, covering Think u x., a solo song of Kis-My-Ft2’s Taisuke Fujigaya. The highlight of the performance was Nasu’s dancing as well as the way he showed off his toned body during the apex of the song as well as at the end. Issei Kanasashi kicked off his solo with a bit of kickboxing before launching into a cover of ichiban by King & Prince. Issei’s rapping was by far the strongest part of the whole performance and had the crowd bouncing their penlights along to his solo.
The concert took a bit of a slow turn as Bishonen dove into a cover of SixTONES’ Watashi (わたし). The song began with absolutely beautiful singing by Taisho on one of the raised platforms placed around the arena as the other members joined on their own platforms or the stage. If a member wasn’t singing, he was dancing barefoot across their little spot of stage, and it was hard not to enjoy Naoki Fujii talented dancing on the back stage.
By the end of Watashi, Bishonen returned to the center stage to perform their original song Nee Motto (ねぇもっと) complete with smoke covering the ground to make for a dreamy performance. The set flowed into a cover of Snow Man’s Orange kiss (オレンジkiss) which found the members back on the carts to return to the raised platforms for the next song, CARNIVAL NIGHT part2 by ARASHI.
This entire song was an absolute delight for the fact that Taisho’s interactions with the crowd in front of him were so entertaining to watch. It was as if he was giving 200 percent energy in order to get the crowd to follow the movements he wanted them to do. From his facial expressions to the pure joy he exhibited on the raised platform, I was giggling the entire time I watched him. It was the kind of performance that solidified my love and adoration for Taisho as an idol.
Bishonen returned to the main stage for their performance of King & Prince’s Amazing Romance before the screen behind them announced their newest original song: Mahou no Yoru (魔法の夜). From the very first few lines of the standup bass to the piano that quickly followed, this song was pure jazz from start to finish and perfectly complemented the introduction video from the beginning of the show. Not only that but it was danced absolutely fantastically.
Although I didn’t mention this in my deep dive into Bishonen’s dance practice videos, I’ve noticed the level and quality of Bishonen’s dancing has vastly improved over time. Especially in regards to the dance practices they’ve posted over the last year or two, the level in which they’re able to crisply move from formation to formation while remaining in sync with each other is astounding. Mahou no Yoru is no exception to this increase in skill. It was hard to look away as Bishonen were sliding and jiving to the beat. It was truly the perfect way to round out the first half of the show.
The concert then entered the MC portion which started with Hidaka Ukisho waving to someone in the audience and thanking “Mako-chan” for coming once again. Due to the confusion of the other members, it was quickly clarified that “Mako-chan” didn’t exist and was a joke to start off the talk portion of the concert. The conversation weaved through various topics, including how Ukisho and Fujii looked as if they were a Harajuku couple with their red and pink hair. Fans were also able to congratulate Ukisho and Nasu on their recent college graduations. It was during the MC we learned about how Ryuga Sato was nervous for his upcoming solo performance. The concert goods for this tour were also introduced by Nasu and Ryuga while the others were away preparing for the next song backstage.
Fujii’s solo was the first song after the MC, and he performed a cover of Himitsu (秘密) by ARASHI’s Kazunari Ninomiya. Throughout the performance, Fujii was looking for a rabbit with the help of a lion, panda, and a penguin. But at the end of the song all four of the lovable animals that joined in the performance were revealed to be the other members of Bishonen! Ryuga’s solo was next, and he performed an original song, To You. His solo consisted of him playing a piano that had been wheeled onto the center stage while he sang. I do think Ryuga’s singing wasn’t as strong as he would have liked, perhaps due to his nerves about performing the piano live, but his tone and the way he held long notes was particularly beautiful.
Kiseki ga Okiru Toki (奇跡が起きるとき) was next and featured more skillful piano playing by Ryuga as the other members of Bishonen surrounded him and sang. They quickly transitioned into a rendition of their original song, Sing it, which they grooved along to. The next three songs, SHAKE by SMAP, Sakura Sake (サクラ咲ケ) by ARASHI, and Oide, Sunshine! (おいで、Sunshine!) by HiHi Jets and Bishonen found the group going up into the stands to get close to fans and give more fan service to those that came to see them.
When Oide, Sunshine! ended, the members quickly left the stage, but Taisho remained. He led the audience in a mini sing along before he launched into his original song, We’re gonna be a star, which was completely written by him. The song had a bit of a rock vibe to it, complete with soaring vocals I’ve come to expect Taisho to excel at. With his song complete, the main screen of the stage rotated revealing Ukisho sitting on a large table wrapped in a black cloth. The hip hop beats of SixTONES’ Mad Love came bumping through the speakers. Ukisho flowed across the stage, even clutching a pillow to his chest at one point before ripping it open and raining feathers down on him.
Dressed in black and gold outfits, the rest of Bishonen came out to join Ukisho to perform their song Boom SHAKALAKA that had me completely hyped and excited to watch them. But as quickly as it started, the backing track came to a crashing halt, and Bishonen transitioned into a dance break that showed off their dancing prowess. The music slowly remixed into Flicky, and the cool vibes of the show were turned up to an eleven. Complete with bursts of fire and smoke on the main stage, Flicky shot up in my ranking of favorite performances during their show with how strong of a number it was.
ARASHI’s Wild at Heart (ワイルドアットハート) was another song that Bishonen excelled at, moving to the center stand to dance along with their mic stands. The Highschool Heroes (ザ・ハイスクールヒーローズ) found them once again back onto the carts to traverse the arena, giving fans more fan service and waves. They also shoot off signed balls into the audience for a few lucky fans to take home as souvenirs! Big Wave!!!!!! found the group back on the main stage, dancing with such high energy it was hard to stay still in the audience.
One by one the members of Bishonen took to the stage to give their final greetings before performing the last song of the show, Niji no Naka de (虹の中で). They sang their hearts out before disappearing through one of six doors that had been hanging as a part of the main stage decoration throughout the show.
Fans didn’t have to wait long before Bishonen returned, dressed in their tour shirt, to sing the first song of their encore, Super Boys. They wandered throughout the arena, giving one last bout of fan service to those attending their show, before they needed to return to the main stage once more. It was at this time Taisho realized he was too far away to make it in time and started to run…only for him to give up shortly after. He took his time walking back and waving to fans while acting as if he was performing his solo once more.
Bishonen said goodbye to their fans, claiming the concert was now over, only for choruses of “ehhhhhhhh??” to fill the arena. It was complete confusion on their part as Bishonen “couldn’t understand why the fans were reacting that way.” They had said goodbye, so the concert was now over! It was a playful joking moment between Bishonen and their fans before Issei announced the last song of the show, Super Compass, the real title being Compass.
This song is always emotional and beautiful, but, from the silly addition of “super” being added to the title, it was hard for the members to keep their giggles under control at times. You could hear Nasu holding back his laughter with his first lyrics, and around the bridge you could hear the members giggling once more as they echoed the words “Super Compass” over and over into their microphones. With the song complete, Bishonen traveled to each side of the stage, giving one last wave and thanks to everyone attending before leaving for the last time.
Overall, I think Gates+ was a massively impressive concert that showed off Bishonen’s skills as well as how much they’ve grown since their formation. It is truly wonderful to look back at old concert DVDs and see how much they’ve progressed in a few years. It’s a testament to not only their hard work as idols but also how seriously they take themselves as performers. I am truly excited to see how they will continue to grow and evolve throughout their careers.
To read more about Bishonen’s other work, check out this article about their performance in SHONENTACHI last year!
Keep yourself updated with Bishonen on the following sites!
YouTube | Instagram | TikTok | X | Official website
Concert photography © STARTO ENTERTAINMENT.
One thought on “Live Report: Bishonen shows off their quintessential idol style in Gates+”