Seitaro Tanaka/Billboard Japan
Gen Hoshino’s POP VIRUS WORLD TOUR After selling out shows in China and the US, he returned to his home country on Monday and Tuesday (December 9 and 10) for his only Japanese show at the Yokohama Arena.
Following a special one-night collaboration at Chiba Makuhari Messe last December, the J-pop producer joined Grammy-winning DJ and music producer Mark Ronson on stage for a double-headlining show.
Ronson took it a step further from last year’s DJ-only setup, bringing in a string section, playing numbers with guitar and keyboards, and drumming for a packed crowd.this feeling late at night The artist also brought Australian singer Daniel Merriweather to the stage for a live performance of their 2007 collaboration hit “Stop Me.”
Hoshino then joined Ronson on acoustic guitar to accompany him in a beautiful rendition of the Oscar-winning “Shallow” a star is born Hit the latter co-written content. The British-American artist then switched to DJing for the remainder of the show, performing hits including Billboard’s No. 1 of the decade, “Uptown Funk,” and “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart,” a collaboration with Miley Cyrus.
Just as he did in Shanghai, Hoshino kicked off his session with the tour’s title track, “POP VIRUS.” Speaking of recent trips to Shanghai and New York, he yelled “I’m back!” to a jubilant crowd of 13,000 who flocked to see his music in Japan for the first time since his trip to the dome earlier this year meeting.
The 38-year-old star satisfied fans with hits including “SUN,” “Koi” and “Idea,” while also performing live for the first time from tracks from his latest EP, Samesuch as “Ain’t Nobody Know” and the title track superorganism It sparked a warm chorus from the audience.
During the encore, Hoshino invited Lawson back to the stage, and Lawson appeared with a guitar in his hand. The two shook hands and sang together Hoshino’s upbeat disco-funk pop song “Week End,” turning the stage into a giant dance floor.
“You know, music is so much fun,” Hoshino said cheerfully, promising to the applauding crowd that they would “see each other again with a smile.” He ended the Yokohama special concert with the hopeful pop song “Hello Song”.
Hoshino will travel to Taiwan on Saturday (December 14) for his POP VIRUS WORLD TOUR Stopped at Legacy MAX in Taipei.
