YOASOBI is hot off their first weekend of performances at Coachella. The festival has become a mainstay of California music for quite a while, and they've been bringing more and more Japanese acts.

Now, personally, I prefer solo shows over festivals. At a festival you're given anywhere between 30 minutes, maybe 60 at max, and that'd be a long set. It can feel a bit rushed and you're limited to how many songs you can do. I will admit festivals do allow you to see a bunch of acts in one weekend, and maybe discover new ones you hadn't seen before. A solo show, on the other hand, allows you to do what you want, set up as you want, and gives you a lot more flexibility and creative control. You can really go over the top.

YOASOBI at the Shrine Auditorium was exactly that. They pulled out the stops.

Here I was, up late in Japan, and I saw something curious.  

A friend had posted a BABYMETAL/DethKlok show in San Francisco.  I hadn't heard anything about a stop in San Francisco.  Granted, BABYMETAL was going to perform at a festival in Las Vegas, but nothing else.  Dethklok would be on tour but skipping San Francisco (sadly a common thing for tours nowadays). The Babyklok tour had officially ended last year.  So what was this?  

Night one of Coachella had the back to back combo of YOASOBI and Hatsune Miku. Coachella, out in the deserts of Indio, California, has been bringing over a number of Japanese talents for the past few years. Previous years have featured Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Perfume, Joji, Utada Hikaru, and more.

SiM, who we last saw live at Crunchyroll Expo in 2022, is embarking on a world tour in support of their latest album, the PLAYDEAD World Tour.  They'll be spanning the United States starting on April 19 in Seattle, WA, and ending on May 24 in Boston, MA.  

April is becoming a little crowded. We have SiM and Crystal Lake on tour, Babymetal with two dates in San Francisco, and now, YOASOBI.

The Nippon Budokan is one of Japan's storied venues.  Originally built for the 1964 summer Olympics, it has also functioned as a concert hall for many famous names.  The Beatles, KISS, X Japan, Mariah Carey, and many others have played upon its stage.  And now?  Nemophila.  

NEMOPHILA's third album, EVOLVE, has arrived, and just in time for their Budokan show next month. Cram it into your head because at the very least we'll be hearing "Night Flight," if not other songs.

It's been a good last two days. I've just returned from Los Angeles after catching NEMOPHILA's show at the Echoplex for their Seize the Fate tour. The day prior, I also attended the San Francisco show at the Great American Music Hall. I spent just over a day in Los Angeles before heading home, and here I am, typing away. I very rarely do a back-to-back sprint during the same tour but in my opinion, NEMOPHILA is worth it.

I just came back from LisAni this past weekend and I'm going back to Japan for more.

I find a lot of music through the YouTube algorithm. KILLT MELT LAND came on my radar a few months ago and I have been waiting for an opportunity to see the band live. When I found that some of their upcoming shows were going to be on favorable dates for me, I decided to make the dive.

And thus, the Babyklok Tour has ended.

After almost two months and over two dozen shows later, BABYMETAL and Dethklok have gone from coast to coast and then some.