The live report for the TETSUYA Billboard Live Tour 2026 Yokohama show has arrived!
GRAVIS Co.,Ltd.
On Thursday, September 3, 2026, the Yokohama performance of the “TETSUYA Billboard Live Tour 2026” was held at Billboard Live YOKOHAMA.Kicking off in Yokohama, the tour continues to Billboard Live OSAKA on September 5 and then to Billboard Live TAIPEI on September 12—TETSUYA’s first-ever overseas performance. Billboard Live features a two-stage system: Stage 1 and Stage 2. This report covers the events of Stage 2.
Billboard Live Tour 2026 @ YOKOHAMA
An elegant bustle fills the venue. The clinking of cutlery as guests enjoy their meals. “Scarlet Star,” a red cocktail inspired by the music video for TETSUYA’s latest song, “No Matter What,” chills on ice at every table.It has a sweet-and-sour flavor with a hint of bitterness, and a banana aroma lingers on the finish.
The venue slowly darkens. The large chandelier that had been suspended over the audience folds up and is drawn into the ceiling. The band members take the stage. The grand piano, percussion, bass, and guitar take their respective positions. When TETSUYA emerged from the back of the audience, a huge cheer erupted from the crowd.
TETSUYA took the stage at Billboard Live again, following his 2025 performance. While this live show had an acoustic feel, it offered a different experience from a typical singer-songwriter set or an “unplugged drive” performance with drastically reduced instrumentation. One of the main reasons for this was likely the addition of a bassist—a member who hadn’t been part of the band until last year.
Billboard Live Tour 2026 @ YOKOHAMA
“Can’t Stop Believing” kicked off the second set. TETSUYA’s stand microphone glowed yellow. Accompanied by a lighthearted piano melody, TETSUYA began singing gently, without straining his voice. He delivered the song on a scale perfectly suited to the venue, without compromising the track’s sense of momentum.During the latter half, in sync with the lyrics “Stop the clock,” countless white lights from the ceiling converged on TETSUYA.
During “I WANNA BE WITH YOU,” where colorful lights illuminated the venue during the intro, a lighthearted ensemble expanded alongside TETSUYA’s vocals. For the chorus, he switched to a handheld microphone. As the song built toward the chorus, he altered the texture of his voice, and the intensity of the performance increased.Thanks to Billboard Live’s sound system, the sound of each instrument stands out clearly.
Amid the silence, a piano melody was introduced. “EDEN.” TETSUYA lowered the center of gravity in his singing, placing each note carefully.You can feel every nuance of TETSUYA’s vocals—from the dynamics and his breathing to the way he delivers each word. It was truly impressive how, rather than re-arranging the song in a flashy way, they clearly distinguished it from the original by adding the unique breathing room that only an acoustic arrangement can provide.
The stage sinks into the dim light. Shouts of “Tecchan!” and “TETSUYA~!” ring out from all over the audience.
“Hi~, it’s Tetsu-chan~,” he says as his first words. He then smiles and looks around at the audience, adding, “I’m feeling great. I’m not tired at all.”The conversation turned to how he’d worked after his Instagram Live the previous day—specifically, a meeting about interior renovation plans. He mentioned that even that morning, he’d been looking at blueprints and thinking about measurements. TETSUYA often uses his personal life as material during his solo live shows. He continued:
“Thank you all so much for coming today—it’s a weekday, and you all have work and other things to do. Even though you have work tomorrow, too.”
He went on to say, “Life really flies by,” and “It’s all about each and every moment,” adding, “You guys, too—do what you want to do, and meet the people you want to meet.” His words, which sounded just like a conversation with a friend over dinner, gradually put the audience at ease.
Next up was “REVERSE.” TETSUYA sang in a slightly nasal, mid-to-low register, lending his voice a rich, warm quality. He sang with a handheld mic. Watching his mouth, I noticed he kept a consistent distance between the mic and his lips at all times.He is focused entirely on controlling his own voice, rather than using the distance from the mic to create dynamics. Partway through the song, he gradually began to emphasize the “ra” sounds, adding highlights to the elegant melody. During the interlude, he performed a move where he bent his upper body forward in time with the rhythm.Countless slender green lights swirled across the stage as they launched into “TIGHTROPE.” TETSUYA carried the song forward in measured strokes, as if in sync with the guitar’s sharp strumming. The way he even matched the timing of his breaths to the band’s ensemble was truly masterful.The stage is bathed in crimson light. The romantic mood carries us into “guilty.” Midway through the song, TETSUYA sang a powerful, sustained note immediately after a falsetto passage. With a clear voice—free of any harshness or strain—his vocals expanded significantly as the live performance moved into its second half.His vocals were stable from the very beginning, and he was projecting well, so calling him a “slow starter” might be a bit of a misnomer—but the longer the show went on, the more lustrous TETSUYA’s voice became. Toward the end of “guilty,” the band’s groove grew in intensity, as if drawn along by TETSUYA’s vocals.
Billboard Live Tour 2026 @ YOKOHAMA
Back to the MC segment. When the audience shouted “Tetsu-chan!”, TETSUYA replied, “Did you call me?” He then asked the audience, “How’s it going?”, and the crowd responded with thunderous applause.“Were we this close before? The front row is so close!” he said, making the audience laugh, before adding, “...which means I can see you pretty well, too.” Then, with a smile, he asked, “What do you want to hear about?”The conversation turned to behind-the-scenes stories from their performance as L’Arc-en-Ciel at “SUMMER SONIC 2026.” He talked about taking photos with the members. He also mentioned that not a single member had ever come to his house, but he had visited the homes of all the other members—and then said:
“It’s great, isn’t it, this one-way street feeling? (laughs)”
The audience burst into laughter. The band members on stage and TETSUYA were also laughing hysterically. He added that whenever he gets along well with the members, he feels like fans react by saying, “That’s great for you, Tetsu-chan.” Everyone burst into laughter all over again.Many audience members were laughing so hard they were leaning back in their seats. On a large stage, the relationship between the artist and the audience is usually built through the performance and staging, but here, it’s being forged through the conversation itself. Not only is the distance between the stage and the audience much closer than at a typical concert, but the distance between TETSUYA and the audience is also significantly closer.The conversation then turned to an anecdote about how he’d lost his wallet about a month ago. TETSUYA explained that even though it contained his credit cards and driver’s license, he hadn’t reported them lost. What’s more, he apparently dropped the wallet in Yokohama, and after being contacted by the police, he received it back on the very day of this concert. When he revealed that almost everything inside had been returned intact, a murmur rippled through the venue.“Do you get the courage it takes not to cancel your cards? Don’t you think that’s manly?” TETSUYA asked, and the audience began sharing their thoughts. Some even remarked, “That’s not something most people would do.” TETSUYA summed up the moment by saying, “Okay. That’s all from the scene.”
The seventh song was “WHITE OUT.” White moving lights traced patterns across the stage. Even TETSUYA’s microphone stand glowed white. Immediately after hitting a beautiful high note in the first chorus, TETSUYA’s voice returned to a lower register for the following verse.Even in the lower register, his voice doesn’t sound muffled; the lyrics come through clearly. The white-themed lighting visually brings to life the winter scenery evoked by the song. The acoustic resonance pushes the beauty of the melody to the forefront.From the delicate piano melody, the band’s ensemble kicks into a lively rhythm, leading into “lonely girl.” TETSUYA emphasizes the word “My” in the phrase “
And then, his vocals—which had been showcasing a variety of expressions since the beginning of the show—reached a climax—the finale was TETSUYA’s latest song, “No Matter What.”
For the first part of the song, it was just the piano and his voice. With the piano playing a minimalist approach—one note at a time—TETSUYA sang the first verse in a style that felt almost entirely a cappella. Numerous white spotlights from the ceiling were focused on TETSUYA.From the second verse onward, the layers of sound gradually increased. In sync with this evolving sound, TETSUYA shifted to a different vocal approach—projecting his voice more powerfully than in the first verse. As the song neared its conclusion during the “Won’t Stop / Won’t Stop” section, he delivered the final “i” of the phrase with a firm, sustained note.The vowel “i” (referring to the final “i” in the aforementioned lyrics) is difficult to pronounce with the mouth wide open, so holding it out long at a high pitch tends to make the voice sound thin. However, TETSUYA demonstrated that even with a long “i” note, he could keep his voice full and broad without letting it taper off.Looking back, I think there were times shortly after his solo debut when he wasn’t using his vocal cords as effectively as he does now. It is precisely because TETSUYA refuses to compromise that he has continued to refine his singing over the years. That accumulation of effort has led to the vocal quality TETSUYA possesses today.Pitch control, nuances of dynamics, clarity of pronunciation, and the stability of long notes—in every aspect, you can sense his true skill as a vocalist.
The performance ends. Applause erupts from the audience. Glamour and intimacy. The band’s dynamic energy and moments dedicated to delivering the songs thoughtfully—the main set seamlessly shifted between both.
Billboard Live Tour 2026 @ YOKOHAMA
TETSUYA returned to the stage for the encore. “It really takes me a while to switch from bassist mode to vocalist mode,” he said, reflecting on the first day of the Billboard Tour.“When you do something for the first time in a while, it takes a little while to get the engine going, right?” he said with a laugh, though he added that his mind tends to wander to other things. It’s a hallmark of TETSUYA’s solo shows that his MC segments often veer off on tangents. While chatting with the audience about various topics, he concluded with these words:
“I’ve been given the chance to perform on big stages, and I really love being able to enjoy both—this feeling of making music up close with everyone like this. I’m so happy. It just makes me happy.”
I feel these words not only captured the essence of that day’s concert but also expressed what live performances mean to TETSUYA right now.
TETSUYA did not rework his music into something entirely different to suit the Billboard Live venue or the acoustic lineup. While preserving the songs’ original tempos and structures, he incorporated acoustic tones and added new flavors—such as bossa nova and jazz—to the compositions.He also adjusted his performance—including his movements on stage, his gaze, and his banter—to a scale that would reach the audience right in front of him. It wasn’t simply a matter of scaling things down; rather, precisely because it was such an intimate space, I felt he was paying even more careful attention to his facial expressions, hand movements, and every single gesture than usual.Rather than changing the music itself, he changed the way it was delivered. Precisely because TETSUYA knows large stages inside and out, he likely also knows how to enjoy an intimate stage like the one on this day.
The final song performed was “Shooting Star.” While “White Tulip” had been chosen as the encore for the first set, this song served as the closing number for the day’s second set.The band’s sound was warm, and his voice was soft and embracing. During the interlude, a mirror ball suspended from the ceiling above the audience spun, showering the venue with countless shards of light. The shards of light that appeared white when facing the audience turned red as they rotated toward the stage, taking on the color of the velvet backdrop and transforming into red stars.After finishing the song, TETSUYA bowed deeply during the outro and expressed his gratitude by saying, “Thank you very much.” He then scanned every corner of the audience—the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st floors—and waved to them.
Billboard Live Tour 2026 @ YOKOHAMA
The “TETSUYA Billboard Live Tour 2026” continues on to Osaka and then Taipei.
It has been confirmed that on Saturday, October 3—exactly one month after the tour’s opening day and coinciding with his birthday—he will hold the “TETSUYA ‘BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION LIVE 2026’.”For the 1st STAGE, TETSUYA will perform “LIVE 2026 ‘THANK YOU’,” and for the 2nd STAGE, Like-an-Angel will perform “LIVE 2026 ‘THANK YOU’”—continuing the tradition from last year, vocalist TETSUYA and bassist tetsuya will appear on both stages.
Furthermore, starting Friday, October 9, L'Arc-en-Ciel’s “35th L'Anniversary TOUR” will kick off at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium No. 1 in Tokyo.This arena tour, featuring 16 shows across 7 locations nationwide, will continue through Sunday, December 27, at Ariake Arena.
During his encore remarks, TETSUYA mentioned the number of live shows he performs each year. “Some years, I do about 20 shows a year?” he said, prompting someone in the audience to shout, “You’re doing more this year!”He quickly added, “Every few years (laughs),” sending the venue into fits of laughter. TETSUYA’s delighted expression clearly showed that he, too, was enjoying the live shows and eagerly looking forward to the next leg of the tour.
(Text: Aki Ito / Live Photographer: Toshikazu Oguruma)
[Live]
TETSUYA BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
Saturday, October 3, 2026, Tokyo Spotify O-EAST
[Matinee Show] TETSUYA LIVE 2026 “THANK YOU”
[Evening Show] Like-an-Angel LIVE 2026 “THANK YOU”
TETSUYA OFFICIAL WEBSITE
Like-an-Angel OFFICIAL WEBSITE
Image
Logo Image
- Category：
- Corporate Trends
- Genres：
- Music Other Lifestyles Economy(Japan)