JO1 Creates Wonderful Memories with JAM at First Solo U.S. Show

Kicking off their two-stop U.S. leg of their JO1DER SHOW 2025: WHEREVER WE ARE tour, J-pop boy group JO1 performed at The Belasco on March 1. Although the nightclub venue was quaint in size and the temperature was chilly outside, the inside was filled to the brim with passionate fans, known as JAM. The group exclaimed, “Welcome to the hottest place in LA!”

The show began with “Love seeker,” “HAPPY UNBIRTHDAY,” a mashup of “Move The Soul” and “GrandMaster,” and “WHERE DO WE GO” before taking a brief pause to introduce themselves to their fans. Taking turns to individually greet the crowd, it was clear just from this first interaction that the group had been preparing hard for the tour. All 11 members introduced themselves in English, and they each shared their wishlist of things to try and eat while they’re in LA. Some said In N Out, others said steak, and some even expressed their desire to eat tacos. While visitors often name the famous burger chain, naming tacos meant the group had really done their research on LA. This small gesture already was enough to have fans squealing in delight. “Oh my god, they like tacos” was among some of the happy shouts from the audience.

JO1 continued to connect with fans throughout the night, sharing silly information about their time in LA as if catching up with old friends. At one point, Takumi mentioned how he accidentally locked himself out of his hotel room twice the previous day. Showing how well fans know the members, everyone laughed, unsurprised at his clumsiness. “I ended up getting back in!” he shared gleefully afterwards. Surprising Ren, the group prepared a cake for his birthday, and fans also prepared birthday banners, celebrating the special day together.

As the group neared the end of the show, each person pulled out a letter from their pockets, having written heartfelt notes in English for the crowd. In these more serious moments, the members poured their hearts into their words. “I’m not good at speaking English, but when you are having a hard time, please lean on me, and I will lean on you too,” Keigo shared sweetly. Other members agreed with the sentiment, promising to return, and expressing their gratitude and love for their JAM. “Your souls are amazing,” “your voices are beautiful,” and other compliments flooded the fans, bringing some to tears out of love for the group. Not confident in his English, Syoya mixed English and Japanese in his letter, speaking quickly and bringing laughter amid the tearful moments. Illustrating their lightheartedness at the same time, the group also continued mentioning their desire to eat tacos again, and another began his meant by sharing how hungry he is and how he’s craving his mother’s miso soup. 

Not only did the group do a great job connecting with fans through their speeches, anecdotes, and fun personalities, they also prepared engaging performances. With this being the boy group’s first stateside tour, a lot of focus was put on creating an all-encompassing setlist. Songs such as “ICY” were described by the members as “cool, sexy, and a little bit mysterious,” and were immediately followed by tracks such as the R&B version of “Black Out.” The latter was vocal-centric, highlighting vocalists such as vocal leader Junki’s high notes and other vocalist members’ harmonies. Even while belting high notes, each member still maintained stability and relaxed voices, confident in their abilities. During dance breaks, the members each showed off their individual charms, such as when performance leader, Ren did a freestyle dance in the middle. 

Alternating between performances and short talking segments kept the show flowing smoothly while giving the group quick breaks, and each segment had a theme. Slower songs like “Be With You (足跡)” and “Blooming Again” were paired together, and sung while the 11 members sat down for a brief moment. Upbeat, dance focused tracks such as “HIDEOUT,” “Lemon Candy,” and “STAY” were performed with synchronized choreography and happy laughter.

Although all the performances were captivating, JO1’s medley of “Trigger,” “Rose,” “SuperCali,” and “Walk It Like I Talk It,” followed by “Eyes On Me” brought the loudest reactions from the crowd. This selection of songs turned the lights down and turned the bass up. As they headed into this cooler, edgier set of songs, the members’ stage personas switched up immediately. While they’ve already proved they are charismatic performers with impactful stage presence, this switch amplified their aura into something new even despite having spent the last almost two hours on stage. Rappers delivered lines with more grit, carrying a slight gruff growl in their voices, vocalists’ gentle voices became more forceful, exuding powerful confidence, and the group’s choreography only got harder, allowing fans to hear their heavy synchronized footsteps. The lights flashed as each song went by, and the heavy bass and catchy music transformed the theater into a rave. Fans were enthralled, dancing, jumping, and screaming along to this last set of songs with even more energy. 

Officially wrapping up the show with “Test Drive,” the group brought out red bandanas, dancing with them for the final bridge of the song. As their grand finale, they each tossed them into the crowd, gifting the fans closest to the stage with a physical keepsake before exiting the stage and returning for a quick encore stage of “RadioVision.” JO1 made it clear with their show that they’re a group of many talents that loves their fans dearly. As Junki described it best, the title of the tour is representative of that love, and how eager JO1 is to meet them again. “Wherever there are JAM, we will go to you.”