Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS’ 6th dome tour “Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS PRESENTS “JSB LAND”” started on November 18th at Banterin Dome Nagoya, after about two years.
From 2022, when we focused on individual activities, we announced our restart as a group in 2023. This tour will be held after the arena tour “Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS LIVE TOUR 2023 “STARS” ~Land of Promise~” which started in February. This “JSB LAND” is the “promised place” that the seven people and MATE (as the fans call it) have arrived at, and it is the “new form of live performance” that they are presenting.
Outside the venue is a gate with the words “Welcome to JSB LAND” written on it. Once inside, you’ll see a stage set that makes you think you’ve entered another world, and if you listen carefully, you’ll hear sounds like birds chirping. What looked like the roof of a temple could be seen peeking out from above the center stage, and many people must have been excited to see the playful atmosphere of the venue even before the performance began.
After a countdown announcing the start of the performance, an opening video featuring plants, animals, and other natural motifs was played, and a ritual-like performance was performed by support dancers. Then, seven people appeared on the center stage, and yellow cheers erupted. Ta. The live performance began with the first performance of the new song “Awakening Light” released on November 11th, and with the addition of laser-like lighting and fireballs, the excitement in the venue quickly increased.
At the beginning, there was a series of upper tunes starting with the JSB series of “JSB DREAM” and “JSB LOVE”, and the powerful performance with a total of 92 support dancers left no time to catch your breath. In the previous dome tour “Sandaime J SOUL BROTHERS LIVE TOUR 2021 “THIS IS JSB”” there were restrictions on vocalization, but of course this time the restrictions were completely lifted. The members actively encouraged the audience, and the call and response of “JSB” echoed over and over again. Particularly impressive were the members’ solos: “CHAIN BREAKER feat. Hiroomi Tosaka” (PKCZ®︎/ØMI solo song), “TUXEDO” (Ryuji Imaichi solo song), “NEOTOKYO” (ELLY solo song). The songs were performed one after another. It was not an individual performance either, the singing part was divided between ØMI and Imaichi, and all the performers also participated to make it exciting, making it a valuable content that can only be seen on this tour.
In addition, the dome inevitably creates a physical distance between the stage and the audience seats compared to the arena, but I could see the gentleness of the performers in making sure that this distance was not felt. During “ORION,” “Waking Me Up,” and “RYUSEI,” the members ride around the floor on a float, directing their eyes to each person from the arena seats to the back of the stands, as if to say, “I can see all the way to the back.” . No matter the size of the venue, they create a space that we can fully enjoy.
In the middle, there is also a “Yama Fes” part where Kenjiro Yamashita serves as MC. In addition to performing the songs, Yamashita, dressed in a suit, excited the crowd with a call-and-response style similar to Freddie Mercury, and ran around the floor on an electric bicycle with Imaichi behind him, calling it a “check to see if the venue was lively.” It’s full of highlights from start to finish. As for members other than Yamashita, Naoki Kobayashi played the guitar on “FIGHTERS,” NAOTO got the audience’s hands up during “Kaname!,” a song by HONEST BOYZ®️ in which he participates, and Tsuyoshi Iwata played “Only One For Me.” Nori delivers a sweet singing voice. It was a part where each person’s unique characteristics were displayed, and I felt that the strengths of the third generation J SOUL BROTHERS, who are active not only as a group but also individually, were utilized.
After the “Mountain Festival”, Imaichi and ØMI will sing “Powder Snow ~Eternal Endless Winter~” and “Tokyo”, and the seven members without dancers will perform “Best Friend’s Girl” and “Fireworks”, mainly ballad songs. It was delivered in a relaxed atmosphere. From there, red lights passionately illuminated the venue for “SCARLET,” and the audience once again excited the audience with a dance number. The 7-song medley includes “Angel,” “DIAMOND SUNSET,” and a performance of solo songs by Imaichi and ØMI. After the medley, “STARS”, which was delivered at the beginning of this year’s arena tour, was performed, and the fact that it was placed towards the climax also shows that this song is important for the current third generation J SOUL BROTHERS. It can be seen that he plays a role.
