Yes, THE Miyavi is on tour and he has made a stop in Toronto. This is my 3rd concert review on my blog, but unlike Scandal and One OK Rock who I’ve been listening to since a decade back and am a lot more familiar with them, Miyavi is still pretty new to me. His song “Flashback”, which is the opening for Kokkoku, would autoplay on Spotify a few times and that’s what got me to notice him.
I did check out some of his other songs and looked into his history a bit when I wrote my previous articles 25+ Japanese Singer-Songwriting Guitarists and Interviews & Advice From Japanese Guitarists, but I have yet to really dig into his discography and see what he’s all about. But regardless, he’s a big Japanese guitarist who has been active for 2 decades, and I’m a rookie guitarist who wants to perform, so of course Imma check him out.
About a month ago, as I considered taking this review thing more seriously, I was curious what other Japanese artists may be coming to Canada. One guy who I’ve become affiliated with, the same one who gave me his Scandal tickets, is often in the States and checking out a lot more artists, it seems like many go on tour in the states but don’t make any Canadian stops, so Miyavi was the last one to come this year.
The last 3-4 weeks, I started to see a lot more flyers going around promoting the concert, starting with Anime North, and then JCCC who was co-presenting the event. Miyavi’s accounts also paying for sponsored posts. Even this morning, the day of the concert, they’re still promoting which implies it hasn’t sold out.
I’m not surprised though. Nothing against Miyavi directly, but as much as I see the public opening up to Japanese music, they still got some way to go in the West. Scandal didn’t sell out Queen Elizabeth Theatre, One OK Rock sold out Rebel Venue this time but not when I saw them in 2019, and probably not at their previous tours unless they had a much smaller venue.
Regardless, I’m thankful that they make an effort to tour as each concert is still a chance for new people to check them out and possible gain more interest in Japanese music.
Now if you don’t know Miyavi, let me give you a little more background.
Who Is Miyavi?
According to Wikipedia, “Takamasa Ishihara, (born September 14, 1981), better known by his stage name Miyavi, is a Japanese guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor known for his finger-slapping style of playing a guitar.
He has been active since 1999, first as guitarist for the now defunct visual kei rock band Dué le quartz and then as a solo artist starting in 2002. In 2007, he became a member of the rock supergroup S.K.I.N. and in 2009 founded his own company, J-glam. He toured worldwide several times, with over 250 shows in 30 countries as of 2015. As of 2016, he released ten solo albums and 27 singles.
In 2014, Miyavi appeared in the motion picture Unbroken, directed by Angelina Jolie, and went on to undertake smaller roles in American productions such as Kong: Skull Island and Stray. Since 2013, Miyavi has been a volunteer at UNHCR, visiting refugee camps around the world. In November 2017, he was appointed an official Goodwill Ambassador.”
In regards to his background, “Miyavi was born in the Nishikujō district in Konohana-ku ward, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, to a Japanese mother and a Korean-Japanese father. After the first grade, he moved to Kawanishi. His father’s family, surnamed Lee, came from Jeju Island. Miyavi says that as a child he was a good student and enjoyed playing football. He was accepted into the junior team of Cerezo Osaka, a J-League team.
In the second year of junior high school, a sports injury prevented him from pursuing a professional career in sports. Instead, at the age of fifteen, he learned to play the guitar. He bought a guitar and began covering songs by Ray Charles.
He was particularly fond of visual kei acts such as X Japan and Luna Sea but also listened to the blues, Motown, hard rock such as Metallica and L.A. Guns, and industrial music such as Nine Inch Nails. In his third year of junior high school, he started playing with his first band, a visual kei group named Loop.”
According to Miyavi’s website, “MIYAVI is gaining recognition around the world for his unconventional style of playing the guitar—not with a pick, but with his fingers and his “slap style,” which is like no other. Miyavi has six successful world tours under his belt, totaling more than 250 shows in 30 countries across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
In 2013, Miyavi entered a new phase by releasing the single “Ahead Of The Light,” which features his slap guitar with the strong beats of electro/dance music. His self-titled album, Miyavi, was released in Japan in June 2013 and is now being released in Asia, Europe and North America.
In recent years, Miyavi gathered attention from other artists and creators in the field. He has also produced music for television commercials. His music has been featured on various commercials for brands, including Uniqlo, Toshiba, Nissan, Lotte Co., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., among others.
In addition, he is receiving a lot of attention from fashion brands.
With his acting debut in Unbroken, Miyavi was inspired by the message of peace which he himself has strived for; he has been able to use all his performing abilities this time as an actor who considers his body and soul to be his instrument. Consistently aiming for the next level, fans refer to Miyavi as the “Samurai Guitarist.””
Insight On Concert
So let’s get into the concert, shall we? Under concert details, they said Doors open at 7, Show starts at 8. If you haven’t realized it yet, I’m a punctual person, not a ‘stand outside 6 hours before the show to get front row view’ kinda person, so I left home after 6:30. Didn’t know about College St’s Streetcar detour, so it wasn’t passing by the station I got off at. Ended up calling an Uber and arrived around 7:45. Very short line by then, easy check in. Lovely staff at Axis Club Theatre.
Anyways, no openers for this show. Greatly appreciated. Nothing against openers, but after One OK Rock where we had to sit through 2 hours of openers and breaks before they came on, I just want the show to start so we aren’t out all night, know what I mean?
Anyways, Miyavi started right on time and came out strong. High energy from him and his girls from the getgo. I’ve never seen a concert video from him yet, just MVs which are more cinematic, so it was a really great first impression.
Before I went to the show, I wasn’t planning to include a setlist for this. I’m not familiar with Miyavi’s music yet and the few setlists I saw on Setlist.fm differed quite a bit from each other, so I definitely had nothing to go on. However, it became quite apparent why that was.
Miyavi and his crew definitely had some songs set to play, especially the ones that went back to back, but otherwise, there were times he asked the crowd what they wanted to hear and just kinda went with the flow. He said it himself, ‘as long as the drummer knows the song, they can play it’, which I thought was really fun and cool. One girl in the crowd asked for a song, and he was like ‘I don’t think anyone knows that though’ haha
This is the first solo act I’m reviewing. I remember when looking up the venue space to see how many tickets were available, it was quite small compared to the last two, but you know what? I think it really works for Miyavi and his style. It’s recommend for artists to move around the stage, walk around every inch. Considering how energetic he is and how sweaty he got a few songs in, a smaller stage is perfect.
On that note, despite all his jumping and dancing, even getting on the ground a few times, his voice was incredibly steady. The guitar riffs and licks, also extraordinary. Gotta love that slap guitar. I wished the guitar parts were a little louder, though it may just be the acoustics from where I was standing. The bass in this venue was really heavy, like the floor was vibrating, and also bouncing at times with the audience. I was digging it.
Midway through the concert, I realized this was the most comfortable I’ve been at a concert so far. You would think front row seats at Scandal might be, but…I don’t really like the front row ^^” I’m not really a dancing, screaming, got my hands up kinda person, I’m just there to enjoy some live music and watch the show, so I feel front row should be left for the hardcore fans who can make the artist feel really loved.
But hey, I was still pretty close, could be considered 3-4 row if there were seats. But we weren’t packed like sardines, and the vibes in the crowd were really positive. It felt a little intimate in a way, like we’re all just a bunch of friends or classmates or something.
Like if this were a high school movie, Miyavi would be the popular guy and he’s performing at the talent show. Yeah, you got the girls who are fawning over him, but everyone else can’t help but support him too because he’s actually a really cool and sweet guy who makes everyone feel comfortable and welcomed, ya know what I mean? Weird analogy, I know LOL I’m sorry ^^”
Anyways, there was quite a few songs on the list, like probably 18-20 songs? About 75% were pretty hyped up, got many classics the crowd seemed to know very well. He had a few slower songs where we got to just enjoy his voice and some beautiful chords.
I remember when researching past articles, I saw this ad of him playing with the Fender Acoustasonic, and he pulled it out for one slow acoustic song, but otherwise, he stuck with his true love, the ol’ reliable Telecaster. (Yeah that’s right, I’m at that level where I recognize guitar brands XD)
I will say as well, I really loved the chemistry between Miyavi and his crew. The two female singers weren’t just in the background, but were part of his act, engaging with the crowd and Miyavi. They all had this humbleness about them. They felt a lot closer and the vibes were a lot more intimate than at other events. It’s crazy to think Miyavi’s such a big guy with 20 years experience. The girls who were singing with him, it also felt like they were more like cool friends as opposed to business connections.
Their banter and all was pretty funny too. He said they just performed in Montreal last night, didn’t have a chance to shower haha Even the part when his mic was cut off and he was just winging it, feeling free to be a little silly. It truly gave me high school vibes, but in a good way! (I did have to double check his age, can you believe he’s 41? Like damn hahahaa) Miyavi likes to pose and act cool, but you can tell he’s not a cocky guy, not intimidating at all. He just likes to have fun performing with his guitar.
When they came back out for the encore, loved that he brought out the Canadian flag and showed some love to the city. It sounds like it’s a regular stop for him, and I guess a lot of people are regulars. After the show, us girls kinda had to help each other has 2 of the washroom stalls didn’t have locks. The girl in front of me was asking around if this was anyone else’s first time and I’m like, you’re not alone girl lol
I guess on that note, compared to Scandal and One OK Rock where they were clearly not that comfortable with English, Miyavi was really able to have fun conversing with us. Being a solo act as well, and not actively promoting an album, he definitely had the freedom to play what he was feeling. All in all, loved it! Amazing concert. I bought this ticket on a whim, and I don’t regret it at all.
Conclusion
Toronto is stop 5 out of 20, so there’s lots of chance to catch Miyavi and his team on future stops. Even if you’re not familiar with him or his music, you’re guaranteed a good time. If/when he comes, I’ll definitely be there 😛
After tonight, I’m definitely excited to really check out his discography and become more familiar with it. I’m sure I could learn a lot watching him as a newb guitarist myself.
His charisma, energy, and expressions definitely won the night. Even if he’s famous, it’s not easy to keep a crowd entertained on your own for an hour and 45 minutes. I’m certainly impressed.
Don’t hesitate to check this samurai guitarist out! ^_^
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