Japanese singer, KAMIJO, enthralled excited visual kei fans at the Los Angeles Mayan Theatre in June. During a phone-free performance, his fans—who were just as fashionable as he was—donned gothic lolita, visual kei, lolita, and other Japanese forms of fashion for the show. Longtime listeners who started following him since Lareine to Versailles spoke excitedly about how long they’ve waited for him to perform in the U.S. again for THE AMERICAS TOUR 2025 -MASTERPIECE-. Meanwhile, new fans spoke about their rediscovery of the visual kei genre through his 2024 album, VIOLET DAWN.
The rock and metal veteran spared no expense for the LA show as the set design featured a prominent stained glass backdrop on LED screens. Because the background blended so seamlessly with the building, it transformed the Mayan Theatre’s gothic architecture into a cathedral. As the show started around 8:30 p.m., fans at the front of the stage held up lit up roses while others waved light sticks to cheer KAMIJO on.
He entered the stage while waving finger horns, encouraging the audience to follow his lead. He then signaled for his guitarist to play solo as he took a sip of water before diving into “Theme of Sang.” Guitarist HIRO (La’cryma Christi), guitarist YUKI (DUSTAR-3, Rayflower), bassist IKUO (Rayflower), and drummer SHUJI (ex. Janne Da Arc) joined him in tow. Embracing the crowd’s adoration, he slipped into his upper register for “Nosferatu,” and ended the song with its unforgettable operatic falsetto. The fast paced introductory tracks set the tone for a gothic rhythmic night of rock and grandeur.
“Bonjour LA,” greeted KAMIJO. “Finally KAMIJO is in LA. Did you miss me? I missed you! Your heart is mine. You’re more beautiful than roses.” Both a gentleman and a showman, KAMIJO graced all sides of the stage as his band built up intensity and fervor with their guitar, bass, and drums. For “Eye of Providence,” which emphasizes KAMIJO’s vocal range from lows to highs. His own penchant for theatrics came out in full force as the song’s soothing symphonic opening and full English lyrics dressed the stage for an operatic metal performance.
Bringing the energy back up with the 2014 song, “Yamiyo no Lion,” KAMIJO resumed the usual heart-thumping and fist-pumping in the crowd. Now for a blast from the past, the re-recorded version of LAREINE’s “Bara wa Utsukushiku Chiru” blared through the speakers with his crystal clear, matured vocals. Hard to believe even the updated 2015 version is now 10 years old, while the LAREINE cover of “The Rose of Versailles” opening theme is now 25 years old.
“Hello, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I miss you,” the vampire rocker exclaimed before moving into the aptly named track, “mademoiselle.” The crowd was swooning over his entrancing delivery of the song’s line, “You wanna be a princess gazing up to me.” The violin and piano notes had fans swaying as lit up roses moved as if blown around by a breeze. IKUO cozied up to KAMIJO, giving fanservice to concertgoers on stage right.
Occasionally the stained glass projection would flicker on and off, which unintentionally dramatically heightened the atmosphere during “Castrato.” The song’s choir hymns on top of the infectious guitar solos and incredible light show bathed the crowd in an overwhelming wave of emotion. Of course, the rock star energy wouldn’t be complete without at least one song for him to hold him up above the crowd. This started with “Conspiracy” as KAMIJO continued vocalizing the last note while standing tall over the crowd. However, it didn’t work so well during “Beautiful Rock’n Roll,” as someone fell and so did he. Luckily, no one was injured, and the show went on. He strolled down the sides of the stage to reach out to the crowd, and the other band members got close to the stage edge.
“I feel so crazy,” said KAMIJO. “Crazy? No no, I am elegant.” He smoothly took a lit rose and waved it around before giving it a kiss and handing it back with dramatic flare. The lights drowned the stage in a bright red hue for “Louis ~Enketsu no La Vie en Rose~” and darkened during the triumphant closing song, “The Anthem.”
From symphonic power metal, visual kei rock with a mix of neoclassical, KAMIJO and his band delivered a spectacle of a night. “You are my masterpiece,” as the vampire rock star pointed to the crowd. “Thank you so much America!”
