never young beach Concludes 10th Anniversary with First Nippon Budokan Performance
never young beach held a solo concert at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on Dec. 8. This performance was held as a way to conclude their 10th anniversary since formation. Approximately 8,000 spectators visited the venue to see never young beach's first Budokan performance.
Appearing in Matching Suits Reminiscent of The Beatles
The opening DJ was keyboardist Yu Taniguchi, who has a deep friendship with the band. He created a comfortable atmosphere in the venue with a wide selection of songs centering on tracks selected by the members. When the venue went dark, Kento Suzuki (Drums), clad in a suit, appeared on stage alone. Sitting at the drum set, he greeted the audience, saying, "Welcome to the Budokan. We are going to give it our all, so please sing, dance, and enjoy yourself until the end!" Then, from stage left, Keigo Tatsumi (Bass) and support members Takuro Okada (Guitar), Yosuke Shimonaka (Guitar / DYGL), Yuma Koda (Piano, Keyboards), and Yuma Abe (Vocals) appeared one after another while playing. All members wore tight suits reminiscent of The Beatles' Japan tour performance held at Nippon Budokan in 1966. The band logo written on the huge signboard behind the stage, created for the Budokan performance, was also designed as an homage to The Beatles' Japan tour. Amidst loud cheers from the entire venue directed at the stage, the memorable Budokan solo show opened cheerfully with "Rarirariran."
Performing a Long-Awaited New Song Mid-Set
never young beach played lighthearted songs such as "STORY," "Kanashii Koto Bakari," and "Motel" in succession from the beginning, then performed the live standard "Chotto Matteyo" at the perfect moment. They continued by playing the speedy country rock song "Mainichi Shiawase sa," raising the tension in the venue. Crossing the runway extending from the center of the stage, Abe saw the excitement of the audience up close at the center stage and showed a beaming smile, saying, "It's amazing, Budokan! I'm happy, it's like I'm a popular person!"
Smoke filled the stage, and amidst a fantastical atmosphere, the performance of "Hasu wa Saku" began. The tone of the pedal steel played by Okada added a nostalgic color to the song. In the middle block, slow numbers such as "Hasu wa Saku," "Kaze wo Fukasete," and "Kokoro no Mama ni" were prepared, tightly condensing the charm of the current never young beach, which has gained maturity as a rock band over the 10 years since its formation.
When Abe announced here that they would perform a new song he had written for the first time in a while, voices of joy rose in the venue. The new song "Sansan" started with an elegant piano melody played by Koda. In a spotlight reminiscent of a Showa-era singing show, Abe held a handheld microphone and let his deep singing voice resonate sonorously. When the band joined the performance all at once in the middle of the song, applause broke out spontaneously.
Last Spurt with a Barrage of Standard Songs
Abe shouted, "never young beach! Tonight! We won't let you go home!" over the band's performance, and the live show entered the second half with "Doudemo Iikedo." In the middle of the song, Okada and Shimonaka moved to the center stage and unfolded a fierce exchange of guitar solos. After "Oh Yeah," the band performed live standard songs such as "Amari Ikanai Kissaten de" and "Nanka sa" in succession, as if making a last spurt. During "Akarui Mirai," gold tape was grandly fired. For "fam fam," the audience swayed their bodies happily to the light shuffle beat. Shimonaka strummed his guitar wildly on the center stage, and the final song of the main set, "Owakare no Uta," began. Wild rock 'n' roll, just like garage punk, rang out through the Budokan.
The encore started lively with "Pink Jungle House." During the MC, Tatsumi recalled the past, sparked by an episode where he and Suzuki happened to go into a studio together recently, just the two of them, similar to the first studio the band ever entered. When he said, "It's been 10 years since then, and I never thought so many people would come to watch us," loud applause was sent their way. Continuing, never young beach performed "Natsu ga Sousaseta," which they said was the first song the band ever made. After finishing singing, Abe muttered regretfully, "We prepared so much, but the actual performance ends in a flash." During the nostalgic "Kaerou," a chorus of "Kaerou" (Let's go home) by the audience rang out through the venue. Finally, never young beach performed the refreshing up-tune "SURELY," hyped up the venue, and left the stage. The heat in the venue did not subside, and in response to the thunderous applause, the members appeared on stage for a third time. They delivered the new medium-tempo tune "Dayo" and brought down the curtain on their first Budokan performance.
Setlist
"never young beach 10th Anniversary Live at Nippon Budokan" Dec. 8, 2025 Nippon Budokan
01. Rarirariran
02. STORY
03. Kanashii Koto Bakari
04. Motel
05. Chotto Matteyo
06. Mainichi Shiawase sa
07. Hasu wa Saku
08. Kaze wo Fukasete
09. Kokoro no Mama ni
10. Sansan
11. Oh Yeah
12. Amari Ikanai Kissaten de
13. Nanka sa
14. Akarui Mirai
15. fam fam
16. Owakare no Uta
17. Pink Jungle House
18. Natsu ga Sousaseta
19. Kaerou
20. SURELY
21. Dayo
Source: Music Natalie
*This content has been translated from Japanese into English using machine translation. We apologize for any mistakes in the current version, and will update accordingly.