Chanmina overcomes the 'monster of Tokyo Dome,' Hiroto Nishi reads a letter in a surprise appearance
Chanmina's solo concert, "AREA OF DIAMOND FINAL," was held on July 11 and 12 at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo.
Monster of Tokyo Dome, let's go!
Monster of Tokyo Dome, let's go!
Tokyo Dome was sold out immediately after tickets went on sale, resulting in a packed house. When the house lights went down and a grand opening video of a sword soaring through the sky began, the audience cheered at the immersive world and held their breath in the tense atmosphere. A sharp-eyed Chanmina holding a silver sword was projected on the screen, and when the giant doors on stage opened, a museum-like set appeared, displaying monuments and memories symbolizing the past "AREA OF DIAMOND" series. However, as the anticipation for the live show reached its peak and the first song, "KING," began, the show was hit with technical difficulties where no sound came out of the speakers, causing a temporary suspension of the performance. Amidst the commotion in the venue, Chanmina's voice echoed, "I heard there was a monster in Tokyo Dome, is this what they meant?" The audience erupted at Chanmina's humorous and reliable talk: "Does this mean we start from the beginning again? I made a pretty cool entrance, didn't I? (laughs). It seems like there was some trouble, so everyone take a seat." After a short while, an announcement was made that the live performance was ready to resume, drawing applause and cheers.
Starting over from the opening video, "KING" began with expectations running high once again. Chanmina smiled and provoked, "What kind of things do you think I've been facing until now! Monster of Tokyo Dome, let's go!" As warning sirens blared and red lasers flew about, a powerful drum beat rang out and "RED" began. On the runway extending from the main stage, dancers dressed as spies targeting the museum's artwork captivated the audience with supple dancing. When the spies surrounded Chanmina's showcase in the center of the main stage, she disappeared, leaving an empty case on the stage. As the band's sound roared, Chanmina reappeared by jumping up into the center of the center stage set up at the end of the runway, and dropped "NG." She then said, "I won't be doing any live shows for a while after this one ends, but I want you to have the best time with me. I want to go with enough love and peace to make even the monster in Tokyo Dome dance."
"Tokyo Dome! We made it to 'AREA OF DIAMOND FINAL'! A full house! This is a truly unbelievable sight for me. You're really here, aren't you? Do you know how much I wanted to see you all," Chanmina said, seemingly still in disbelief at the sight before her. During "Princess," she unleashed a skillful rap, letting out a long tone of "I'm a princess!" in the center of dancers waving flags.
A new page etched in a notebook
After that, the LED screen displayed a video conveying how important the "notebook," in which she has written down her daily events and thoughts since she was 7 years old, is to Chanmina. For Chanmina, the notebook is the only compass leading to unknown places. Pain, anxiety, anger, ugliness, kindness, love—everything about her is in that notebook, and it was that notebook that turned the rough stone known as Chanmina into a shining diamond. As if to etch a new page right there, a giant notebook appeared on stage. As the pages slowly turned, Chanmina emerged from inside and emotionally sang "note-book."
Chanmina smiled and waved to the audience while walking down the runway singing "Good." A melancholic piano melody then echoed, leading into "Dahlia." The center stage where Chanmina stood slowly began to move. The moving stage arrived at the rear of the arena. During "PAIN IS BEAUTY," along with a massive chorus that enveloped the venue, the 27 years of pain Chanmina had carried were sublimated into a beautiful song. Chanmina strapped on an electric guitar and directed the call and response for the next song, "I'm Not OK." When Chanmina shouted, "Everyone, when you're not OK, please say 'I'm not OK.' With me!" and before the chorus yelled, "Let's go! Tokyo Dome!", a thrilling call and response of "I'm Not OK" resonated.
The makeup removal performance of "Bijin" became a hot topic during the first "AREA OF DIAMOND" held at Yokohama Arena in 2023. As the intro to "Bijin" played, cheers akin to screams echoed from the audience. The song can be considered one of the most important tracks for this live series, so much so that a bust mimicking Chanmina removing her makeup was displayed on stage during this Tokyo Dome performance as well. When Chanmina said, "Chanmina is seriously cute lately," the audience shouted back, "Cute!"
Collaborating with BOBBY 30 meters above the dome
Chanmina premiered the new song "NAME CARD," which hustles about her current situation, from her new album currently in production. After the full-fledged hip-hop number, she delivered "I'm a Pop," almost ironically. Amidst pillars of fire rising repeatedly, the sight of Chanmina spreading her arms and singing out "I'm a pop" in response to a world that questions genres was nothing short of invincible. She projected the unwavering determination of "I will play my own music" as she went into "WORK HARD." Near the end of the song, the sight of Chanmina suspended from a balloon and soaring 30 meters above the dome was truly a breathtaking moment.
Showcasing an astonishing core strength by occasionally singing upside down, Chanmina announced for the next song, "I brought a friend!" followed by the appearance of BOBBY (iKON), also suspended from a balloon. They exchanged verses while moving above the dome to the 2024 release "무중력 (harmless 無重力) Feat. CHANMINA." The two landed on the main stage and engaged in a rap back-and-forth facing each other. Chanmina hugged BOBBY and openly expressed her joy, saying, "I've been a fan of his since I was 16. I'm a successful fangirl! My favorite idol came to Tokyo Dome for me!" When Chanmina asked, "How was flying at a height of 30 meters?", BOBBY brought warmth to the venue by immediately replying, "I was scared!"
A message from Hiroto Nishi
The LED screen displayed Chanmina singing "Angel" in a room-like space set up backstage at the dome. For a split second, the back of a black-haired man was reflected behind her. Chanmina sang "Angel" on the main stage with a dance that showed the influence of the ballet she had studied since childhood, and confessed, "I love you all!" Following the words, "Welcome back!", the show transitioned into "Let you go feat. HIROTO (INI)." Then, Hiroto Nishi—who worked as a backup dancer for about seven years since before Chanmina's debut and is currently active as a member of INI—appeared on the stage at the rear of the arena area. Nishi gazed at Chanmina as she sang a scene evoking memories of when they first met, "We had nothing back then / We talked until morning in a six-and-a-half-mat room / With you, I overcame rain and hell." In the music video for "Angel," performed just prior, Chanmina and Nishi played the role of lovers, making for a brilliant payoff to the foreshadowing.
The stage Nishi stood on began to move, approaching the main stage where Chanmina was standing. As Nishi pointed at Chanmina while rapping, she showed a gentle smile. During the following MC, Nishi, modestly calling himself a poor speaker, read a surprise letter addressed to Chanmina. "Starting from nothing, the ones who were always by my side were Chanmina and the Chanmina family. Before I knew it, we became comrades, and then family. Without a doubt, this is the place that taught me what love is. Now I have my own new dreams and friends and we had to part ways, but thank you for letting me be a part of the moment Chanmina's dream came true here at Tokyo Dome with everyone again. Thank you for accepting me as a comrade. I am always on your side. Until the day we meet again," Nishi conveyed his feelings as Chanmina listened with tears in her eyes.
Furthermore, prefacing with, "Can I ask for one favor?", Nishi expressed his desire to stand on the same stage again with MiQael and GENTA YAMAGUCHI, with whom he used to perform as backup dancers, prompting those comrades to gather on stage. Nishi sat shoulder-to-shoulder with MiQael and GENTA YAMAGUCHI on stage, listening to "Never Grow Up" while crying. Chanmina smiled, saying, "I have always lived with love, and because you all kept living, we were able to stand on stage together like this again."
'LEGEND,' an autobiography-like new song
"I didn't stand on this stage early, nor did I stand on this stage late; I have come here taking it one step at a time. I started music as far back as I can remember. I've written about how I made it all the way to this Tokyo Dome. And what kind of days I have lived through, so I'd like to share this with everyone at the end to close out the finale," Chanmina said, before performing a new song of the same name as her new album, saying, "To you. To the you of someday. And to the you of the past. To the me of the past. To the me of the present. To the me of the future. 'LEGEND'." As if overlaying her half-life of running desperately with the dream of becoming an artist onto her own musical journey, she sang emotionally while transitioning her musicality through classical, rock, and hip-hop. After finishing the autobiography-like new song, she told the crowd, "You are someone's dream. You are my dream. This was Chanmina," concluding the main part of the show.
Reappearing for the encore, Chanmina led a singalong for "SAD SONG" that echoed throughout the venue, and then, with a voice filled with emotion, she shouted, "I really! Stood at Tokyo Dome! I did!! For two days! Everyone! Thank you for waiting so long! I will absolutely never lose! I will never lose no matter what happens! I want everyone to keep your shine too!" As Chanmina conveyed, "Let's definitely meet again! I love you! I really love you!", shouts of "Thank you!" rained down from the audience. Wiping her tears and waving both hands widely, Chanmina brought the Tokyo Dome performance to a close.
Furthermore, footage of this performance is available as an archived stream on U-NEXT until July 26.
Setlist
Chanmina "AREA OF DIAMOND FINAL" July 12, 2026, Tokyo Dome, Tokyo
01. KING
02. RED
03. NG
04. Sober
05. Fxxker
06. Princess
07. ^_^
08. note-book
09. Taiyo
10. Good
11. Dahlia
12. PAIN IS BEAUTY
13. I'm Not OK
14. Bijin
15. NAME CARD
16. I'm a Pop
17. WORK HARD
18. Mujuryoku feat. BOBBY (iKON)
19. B-kyu
20. Harenchi
21. Angel
22. Let you go feat. HIROTO (INI)
23. Never Grow Up
24. Hanabi
25. LEGEND
<Encore>
26. LADY
27. SAD SONG
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.