In an age where younger, fresher idols dominate the scene, You Yokoyama (44) of SUPER EIGHT – a man known for his stubborn competitive streak – continues to innovate and keep pushing forward; finding new ways to challenge himself to remain relevant in the ever-changing idol world.
Fans call him Yoko. Fellow members do, too. And while heโs often the comic relief on TV, behind the scenes he has always been one to bring ideas to the table. When SUPER EIGHT started doing band performances, he didnโt stop at percussion; he picked up the trumpet. When the group lost its two main vocalistsโboth guitaristsโhe decided to learn guitar himself. Disproving that old dogs canโt learn new tricks, he showcased this new talent in his recently concluded solo tour.
The tourโs title, ROCK TO YOU, played on both his stage name and his given name, Kimitaka (kimi meaning โyouโ). But the concept went deeper than a clever pun. This wasnโt about showcasing techniqueโit was about giving his kind of rock directly to โyou,โ the audience.
From late July to mid-September, Yoko brought the show to 11 cities across Japan, his first live house tour and his first solo project in 15 years. We caught the last leg at Zepp Haneda on September 16, where 3,000 fans filled the venue, buzzing with anticipation.
Armed with just a guitar, Yoko moved seamlessly between riff-heavy anthems and tender ballads from his self-written album of the same name, almost all of which he penned. The limited-time project wasnโt just a side experiment; it was a statement of intent. Still, from the outset, he admitted to wrestling with the question: What is rock, really?
The curtain rose to his silhouette lit from behind. โI came to rock, but the meaning of rock eludes me,โ he confessed, before crashing into โใญใใฏในใฟใผโ (Rockstar). The raw opener captured the nightโs spirit: no pretense, no gloss, just electricity.
Yoko stood simply dressedโT-shirt, black jeans, pink-tinted glasses, and red leather boots. No sequins, no pyrotechnics. The stage was bare save for a few carpets and clever lighting cues. In an idol world that thrives on spectacle, he went the opposite direction. And it worked.
From there, he dove into โHERO,โ a heavier track that had fans clapping furiously to the beat. He introduced his seasoned backing bandโamong them PEACH, resident SUPER EIGHT guitarist who arranged much of the albumโbefore nearly forgetting to introduce himself, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Deliberately skipping SUPER EIGHT songs, Yoko focused on his own journey of polishing his skills. Still, he included three tracks by bandmate Shota Yasuda. โKicyu,โ which was originally a duet with Yasuda, and โcHocoใฌใผใโ (cHocolate) were reborn as guitar-driven numbers stripped of their original pop sweetness. The latter, a metaphor for bittersweet love, soared with an extended guitar solo that wept across the venue.
Midway through, he talked about self-belief: โWhen you trust yourself, others will believe in you too.โ That conviction was embodied in โใฉ็ใไธญโ (Domannaka; Right in the Middle), which he attacked with impassioned strumming and near-shouted vocalsโhis life motto set to music, and cleverly positioned at the midpoint of the set.
For two hours, the atmosphere never dippedโwell, almost. The only lull came when Yoko had to turn his back to tuck in his shirt. To fill the silence, he asked a bandmateโwho doubled on bass, keys, and trumpetโto say something. What followed was an awkward pause, then laughter that rippled through stage and crowd alike, the moment somehow making the night feel even warmer.
That warmth defined the atmosphere of the show. Between songs, Yoko cracked jokes, teased the crowd, and called for several โhydration breaks,โ toasting water bottles with fans: to his 105-km charity run, to the end of the tour, and most importantly, โto your happiness.โ
Without the distraction of flash, fans leaned into the intimacy. Unlike the cavernous domes SUPER EIGHT usually fill, Zepp Haneda put them almost within reach. The audience wasnโt just watchingโthey were part of the show. On โ้ป้ๆโ (Ougonki; Golden Era), Yoko led a lengthy call-and-response that turned the venue into one giant chorus. The crowd enthusiastically joined not just the โyeahsโ and โwoh-ohsโ โwe even followed Yokoโs playful lead in making cat and dog sounds. The songโs messageโthat your golden era isnโt behind you, it can be right nowโresonated hard.
Connection was the theme for โ็นใใโ (Tsunagaru; Intertwine), written by former bandmate Subaru Shibutani. Subaru left the group eight years ago, a move Yoko once struggled to accept. โBack then, I couldnโt imagine him leaving. I was sad, regretful. But now, both our careers are moving forward, and I can laugh about it.โ Ironically, Subaruโs departure spurred Yoko to learn guitar, which in turn made this solo rock tour possible. After this, he revealed heโll be touring with Subaru nextโa full-circle moment years in the making.
But the most intimate performance came with โใชใใฎใทโ (Onigishi), a ballad for his mother who suddenly died 15 years ago during his last solo tour. With the continuing theme of connection, the song was more of a tribute to her life rather than her death. โHer death is a fact, but her life was far greater.โ Because she lived, he was born. He grew up with brothers he loves. He met the members of SUPER EIGHT, and through them, he built the career that now allows him to stand onstage and connect with fans. He also revealed that he was deeply moved when he learned later on that his groupmates sang it during his 24-hour TV charity run. Family photos flickered onscreen as he sang, turning his private grief into that of communal meditation on love, family, and gratitude.
The encore, โๅญๅจๆ็พฉโ (Sonzai Igi; Reason for Living), tied the night together. A mid-tempo anthem, it felt like a love letter to his fans: your support is my purpose in life.
Beyond the music, his affection for his juniors shone through during his short MCs. He spoke proudly of the โYokoyama-kai,โ his informal circle of younger acts including members of WEST., Naniwa Danshi, and the group that he personally produced – Ae! group. He praised their growth, teased that Ae! group appeared on 24-hour TV far earlier in their careers than SUPER EIGHT ever did, and encouraged fans to support them. He also expressed regret at missing Yokoyama Expoโthe groupโs collaboration with Osaka World Expo 2025โdue to weather.
The Juniors, in turn, showed up for him. In the crowd that night were Naniwa Danshiโs Joichiro Fujiwara and Kansai Juniorโs Toa Shimasaki. The next day, WEST.โs Akito Kiriyama revealed on Instagram that he and Kotaki Nozomu had attended too. Yoko isnโt just a senpaiโheโs a mentor his juniors are eager to learn from, watch, and cheer on.
The setlist balanced heavy, angst-driven tracks like โ็ฅๆงใฎใใซใคใญใผโ (Kamisama no Bakkayarou; Stupid God)โthe lone cover from Ae! group, written by members Ken Kojima and Masaya Sanoโwith power ballads such as โใใคใณใปใใขโ (Poinsettia). But what tied the night together was positivity. Over and over, his lyrics insisted: itโs okay to fail, just keep going at your own pace, and trust yourself.
By the end, it was clear that Yoko had found the answer to the question he posed at the start. For him, rock isnโt about genre, speed, or style. Rock is living the way you want, and believing in yourself.
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Photo assets ยฉ STARTO ENTERTAINMENT.
You Yokoyama is now on tour with Subaru Shibutani and will appear at WEST.โs WESSIONs, a special Osaka World Expo collaboration show, on October 12. He is also set to reprise his role as Toru Yamauchi in the upcoming season of the drama ็ตถๅฏพ้ถๅบฆ (Zettai Reido; Absolute Zero).