This year, a new music festival was born. Produced by SUPER EIGHT members Shota “Yasu” Yasuda and Tadayoshi “Tacchon” Ohkura, “The ONE ~One Sound, One Life~” reunited four sets of artists from STARTO ENTERTAINMENT over two days at Yokohama Arena to perform a total of 26 songs. The setlist featured not only original tracks belonging to their respective groups, but also fan favorites initially performed by agency mainstays such as NEWS, SMAP, and SHONENTAI.
Among the artists present during the event, we had:
- Two members from SUPER EIGHT, with Yasu, of course, as the event’s lead, who punctuated each set with a collab before ending with a solo portion, supported during one song by Tacchon.
- Three members from WEST.: Takahiro Hamada, Tomohiro Kamiyama, and Daiki Shigeoka.
- Three members from Travis Japan: Kaito “Chaka” Miyachika, Kaito “Machu” Matsukura, and Noel Kawashima.
- And the Junior group B&ZAI (Ryo Hashimoto, Rei Yabana, Taiki Konno, Rinne Sugeta, Katsuki Motodaka, Yujin Suzuki, Hoshiki Kawasaki, and Michiharu Inaba)
On paper, this sounded quite similar to the classic COUNTDOWN festival that reunites all the STARTO talents and mixes them into “Shuffle” units to perform a few songs. This time around however, the goal was to give each artist the opportunity to perform in a different style that their fans might be used to, outside of their groups’ color. If groups like WEST. and B&ZAI are used to performing during music festivals, others like Travis Japan have made dance competitions their specialty. So, how do they mix together on one stage?
The mood was set right away by the natural chemistry these stars all obviously have. While they were initially gathered by and around Yasu for this occasion, there was no visible hierarchy per se. The Juniors were performing on the same level as their Seniors, who have been in the game for decades. Seeing them having fun on stage created a brotherly atmosphere where they could each confidently express their passion for music.
For the individual sets, each formation focused on a particular music style, with B&ZAI working primarily Rock.
They rearranged nostalgic songs like “SHAKE” or “Weeeek” with a fresh take and incorporated more unusual instruments to the mix, like saxophone played by Rinne Sugeta and violin played by Michiharu Inaba. Draped in their pink and black grungy gear, their high energy was infectious, and they navigated the line between rock band and more classic pop idols beautifully. Yasu joined them for a performance of “象”, well balanced between the members singing while heavy special effects were used, with smoke and strobing lights dancing on a red and blue background.
The unit then moved to a more bubblegum side with their catchy summer hit “なつ♡あい”. No more instruments—this time, the eight members of B&ZAI were showing a cuter side of their idol self, with more choreographed dancing and a sweet pop melody that quickly became a fan favorite.
Following the pre-debut group, Travis Japan took the stage for a ride to a musical theatre-inspired set. Starting with a medley of Shonentai songs, with red curtains on the screen and sparkly white suits, their dancing was smooth and controlled, going from Fosse-inspired jazz routine to more contemporary sexy moves. The mood was relaxed and chilled, far from the powerful dancing their fans are accustomed to, and they also graced our ears with an acapella rendition of “まいったネ 今夜”, with snapping fingers for rhythm. The trio then transitioned to a band version of their debut song “JUST DANCE!”, taking the opportunity to walk around the stage and interact with the fans. Seasoned from their travels and workshop in the United States, they also incorporated English adlibs in their MC, with Matsukura teaching the Japanese audience how to pronounce Travis Japan with an American accent, before bringing the energy back up with “Underdogs”, a fun song with more of a pop melody and heavy towel twirling on the menu.
Their collaboration with Yasu and B&ZAI‘s Rinne, Michiharu, and Hoshiki was on a SUPER EIGHT’s classic, “Dye D?”. This song fits perfectly with the musical theatre vibe, with its gothic vampire aesthetic and coffin displayed on the screen behind them, and sultry choreography from Travis Japan. This was an instant classic for the ages.
After a short MC, the last unit to come on stage was WEST., with a more urban sound, colourful 90s-inspired aesthetic and neon coloured lights on screen, led by Tomohiro Kamiyama’s rapping. A strong entrance —with his rendition of “WESTraight”—for a group that might be more known to a larger fanbase for their impressive comedic skills, showing the diversity of their portfolio.
Never leaving humor too far, however, WEST. did not miss a chance to create viral moments—and this time, their group intro mimicking Travis Japan’s earned the gold medal. They may be solid performers, but they never take things too seriously, which is what makes them so unique and lovable. They then moved to a sweet and soft love ballad, “あじわい“, with Takahiro Hamada on the guitar and beautiful harmonies before getting the audience to sing with them on “間違っちゃいない”. The intro of the song put WEST. fans to work singing the melody, quickly followed by the entire arena, while Daiki Shigeoka was on the piano and Takahiro and Tomohiro were on the guitar. Each member has a very distinct vocal grain, which made the mix interesting with a rendition of only three members. Takahiro has a stable and strong voice, while Daiki has more of a soft pop higher tone, and Tomohiro‘s husky tone brought depth and character to the piece.
The final set was a solo one by our festival Leader and Producer, Yasu. There was something very captivating about his performance that made me very nostalgic. He came on stage with only his guitar, which had trouble working at the beginning. He immediately started to banter with the staff and the attendees, before performing a few songs in acapella with a strong and powerful voice. Such a tiny figure having such a huge presence on that stage. Yasu’s set was about focusing on acoustic music. He created a more intimate showcase ambiance, punctuated by fan interactions. The audience was clapping the rhythm as if he had no instruments, which created a back vocal for him when there was no music playing. It was a true demonstration of what an experienced artist can do by himself once he has the fans’ trust.
In some way, it worked so smoothly that it almost feeled rehearsed in the best way possible, like a flash mob happening in front of you with artists and fans becoming one single voice.
Two guests came during his section, the first one being Tomohiro, with matching sunglasses and hairstyle. Since SUPER EIGHT and WEST. have been working together for so long, the aura was brotherly and cozy when they sang “わたし鏡 “. It’s very candid and heartwarming seeing them perform together that you would never know they are in different groups.
Then, Ohkura joined Yasu on stage for a short MC to talk about the production of the show and indulge in a duet while the latter played the guitar, with the acoustic band playing in the background for them. Yasu’s set was comprised of carefully selected songs from SUPER EIGHT, which added to the nostalgic feeling I got from watching him perform. I was reminded of everything the group went through:
I remember the golden age of their start.
I remember Subaru leaving the group
I remember when Yasu got sick.
I remember when SUPER EIGHT coached their Juniors WEST., Naniwa Danshi, and Ae! group.
And now, all these years later, he’s performing in a darkened arena that is only illuminated by an ocean of blue penlights with strength and humility. A true lesson of resilience and passion.
This music festival was very much to his image: waves of strong and soft melodies, held together by the audience’s love. Older and newer generations united by their passion for music, and creating this new space for different fandoms to also mix and merge into one.
The end of the show had all the artists join on stage for a few famous tracks like “ええじゃないか” by WEST., “Yume no Hollywood” by Travis Japan and “Can do! Can go!” by V6. I looked around the audience, singing and cheering and … Is that Legendary star choreographer Travis Payne I see on the balcony, jumping around during his proteges’ song?! Wow, this is the festival that keeps on giving!
The last song, “The one Day”, was performed with everyone on stage. It’s a feel-good type of song with a light fresh melody that will lift up your spirit and make you hop on your way back home, perfect to wrap this first edition with a smile.
In the end, the festival had nothing to do with a COUNTDOWN; this was a shared space to perform their work, but also to collaborate with each other on songs they would otherwise never really get the opportunity to do. Overall, a real treat for the fans that I can only hope becomes a regular annual event.
Written for Dumpling Box by Ayano.