One OK Rock “Luxury Disease” Album & Toronto Concert Review

There’s 3 things all my good friends know that I’m obsessed with: Bubble Tea, Digimon, and ONE OK ROCK! I discovered the band when a high school friend allowed me to copy their entire Japanese music collection in 2012. By 2014, I labelled them as my favourite Japanese band, and by 2016, I crowned them as my all-time favourite artist.

While I did love a lot of Japanese bands, I usually only have a handful of their songs on my daily playlist and may get bored of those songs eventually. One OK Rock though? I could listen to all their songs all day, everyday for years and not get sick of it. As a rookie guitarist, they’re certainly one of my biggest inspirations.

I didn’t think I would care much for concerts, but it was on my bucket list to see One Ok Rock at least once. I missed a couple of their international tours before as I didn’t even know about them until after (nor really had the money and freedom to go anyways), but once a friend told me about their Eye of the Storm tour in 2019, I bought tickets right away!

In that case, the album came out not long before the concert, and without internet at home, I couldn’t even check out their newest tracks but….it’s ONE OK ROCK! Of course it’s gonna be amazing. It was actually pretty epic getting to hear some of their songs like “Eye of the Storm” and “Wasted Nights” first time live. It was also great singing “We Are” with everyone else.

Things have certainly changed since then and I can certainly see how much their popularity has exploded in the last couple years. I have had a couple non-Jmusic fans bring One OK Rock up to me when I told them Japanese music is all I really listen to. It was crazy to see just how far their name has spread to the general public.

I’m sure with their full English albums, many awards, and various collabs with Western artists like 5 Seconds of Summer, Ed Sheeran, Avril Lavigne, Simple Plan, Against The Current, Alex Gaskarth and much more, it was bound to happen. And while I’m not sure how many tuned in, Netflix did release a documentary centering the band during the pandemic called “Flip A Coin!”

When the date for ticket sales was announced, I was a little hesitant on if I should see this time. I wanted to, but my financial situation was pretty sucky. I’m sure the pandemic got a lot of us down. But hey, it’s only like $50, and I could always learn from watching a band live. Compared to some Kpop concerts, pffft, it really isn’t that much.

A day or two before tickets went on sale, I got an email from Spotify saying that, since I’m such a big fan (I was their top 1% of listeners in my 2021 rewind hehe), they were giving me special advance access to purchase tickets and I’m like…”okay, I can’t pass that up” haha. Toronto’s venue didn’t sell out last time, and there was lots of space in the back of the venue, but this one sold out in no time.

All in all, I’m so proud of them ^^ In my Jpop vs Kpop article, I explain that Japanese music isn’t really that popular worldwide, but a big part of why is because Japan has the 2nd biggest music industry, so many artists don’t feel a need to learn English or expand internationally.

Some anime songs may be super popular worldwide, but few listeners look into the artists themselves and check out their other songs. One OK Rock has yet to make an anime theme song, which makes their popularity even more impressive in my opinion.

But anyways, I was super excited to have the opportunity to see them again as they go on tour for their newest album release, “Luxury Disease”. Here was my experience and review.

Thoughts On The Album

There’s a few songs I heard months back like “Renegades”, “Wonder”, and “Broken Heart of Gold”, and I enjoyed all of them. “Wonder” in the “Flip A Coin” documentary gave me shivers!! I loved how much effort Taka put in to the little choreograph as well. “Broken Heart of Gold”…I’m sure many can relate. You can certainly hear the pain and emotion in Taka’s voice.

Just before the full album dropped on Spotify, an online friend was keeping me up to date on other online releases, and she was the first to share “Vandalize” which was used in the teaser for Sonic Frontiers. We were both really excited to hear their rock side come back, even if it may just be for this one song.

As for initial thoughts, I do like that One OK Rock has somewhat gone back to a more rock sound and feel. However, compared to their older albums like Niche Syndrome or JinseixBoku=, it still has a clear Western pop feel and influence, especially with songs like “Prove”, “So Far Gone”, “Free Them”, and “Let Me Let You Go”. I’m definitely missing the crazy lead guitar licks and bass lines that Japanese rock music usually has.

One song that really stood out for me was “Neon”. I’m still trying to figure out what it reminds me of, but it definitely has this old fashioned, grand, regal flare to it. I have watched a lot of musicals over the years, grew up with High School Musical and Camp Rock, was in a musical production for Little Shop of Horrors, and also loved The Greatest Showman, so it definitely gave me that theatrical feel. (Did some research and other’s said Brendon Urie from Panic at the Disco helped write the song. While I don’t actively listen to the band, I played “High Hopes” on repeat for a good year).

It was interesting hearing Taka’s voice and tone for the chorus. While we’ve heard him do ballads, screamo, and other singing styles, this was certainly new. “When They Turn The Lights On” and “Your Tears Are Mine” also have a similar feel. (People say that they are Queen inspired, and that also definitely makes a lot of sense).

(Speaking of which, it’s been a while since we heard Taka rap like in “69” [the name sounds like ‘rock’ when you say the numbers in Japanese…that’s why their handle is “10969” as it’s read like “one-oh-ku-roku” which sounds like “one ok rock”. And if you didn’t know, their name came because they would practice at One O’Clock but Japanese people can’t pronounce that easily]. It’s legit one of my top 15 songs by them).

Personally, since I fell so hard for their heavier rock side years ago, I was definitely missing that grit and edginess for a while now. Ambitions was the last album I was truly obsessed with as they had songs like “Bombs Away” and “Taking Off” that had a bit of anger in it, so I’m grateful to have that feel back this time around.

In the past, I was also quite bitter that some amazing rock tracks didn’t make it onto the English/International albums like “The Way Back” and “Can’t Wait” (Can we PLEASEEE get this one available on Spotify??), so I’m happy we got some epic songs of our own this time around.

Regardless, I know they were working really hard to appeal to the Western market and I’m always supportive of them trying new things and taking chances. Taka’s mission from the beginning was to take over the world and sometimes you need to change and be willing to try new things to make that happen. It’s very rare that a Japanese act becomes a solid act globally, so I can only applaud all their hard work.

As for the first few listens of this album, I’ll admit, I wasn’t feeling it as much. I was definitely comparing it to their older tracks and just kinda assumed it would be another poppy album like Eye of the Storm, so I didn’t really pay attention. I just played it in the background while I worked and did chores. But after the concert and listening to it thoroughly a few more times, I’ll admit, it just keeps getting better! It’s definitely in my top 5 albums!

As someone who primarily listens to Japanese music, I’ve gotten used to not even paying attention to the words since I can barely understand it anyways. Instead, I’m listening to the guitar riffs, the bass lines, the drum beats, the melodies and harmonies of the voices, the chord progressions, the song structure, and the instrumentation. The more unique it is, the more it can peak my interest. A lot of songs on the album sounded pretty basic and Western, but once I started to actually pay attention to the lyrics and the meaning, it definitely heightened the experience for me.

Lyrics wise, I definitely see a bit of their darker and painful side coming out in this album. While they were always classified as an ’emo’ band, and some songs in the past have dealt with pain and heartbreak, the majority were pretty motivational and encouraging. Even in their 2019 Eye of the Storm album, they had songs like “We Are”, “Stand Out Fit In”, “Push Back”, “Change” and “Head High” which had very positive and inspirational messages.

This album though, you can certainly feel a more depressed and angry side coming out with just the song titles alone, ie “Vandalize”, “Save Yourself”, “Renegades”, “So Far Gone” and “Mad World”. I guess it makes sense when the album is called “Luxury Disease”. I do appreciate it though!

I’m sure they’ve had to hold back and change their preferred sound quite a bit as they worked with new labels to promote in the West. When you don’t know the market, you’re going to listen to the many people around you who seem to know what works. But now that they’ve successfully broken in, I’m sure they have more control and can express themselves more honestly.

Compared to their past albums where the songs were more focused on I/Me, one’s own feelings, struggles and goals, there’s definitely a lot more “You” and “We/Us” in this album. Not in the “We Are” or “Push Back” sense where he’s talking about our generation as a whole, but more of a “Taking Off” and “Liar” sense where “You” is referring to a specific person, like a friend, foe, or lover. I can predict some songs hitting more than others based on if the listener can relate to the story being told.

Regardless, I’ve always admired the band for expressing and writing about topics that you usually don’t hear much about in the west, as our music tends to focus on more basic topics like love, fame, money, and rarely has any depth to it. The main reason I got into Jmusic was because I wanted to hear songs about friendship, chasing your dreams, facing adversary, confronting your true feelings, growing and changing, and fighting for what’s right.

At this point in time after going to the concert and listening to the album a few more times, I think “Prove” might be my favourite track. Not only is it a total headbanger, but it also stands out lyrically from a lot of songs I’ve heard in my life time. From my own interpretation, it’s some one recognizing their mistakes, being on a journey of growth, and working as long and as hard as they need to prove whatever they need to prove.

I do like the ambiguity of it. You may have hurt an ex-lover, but you’ve learned and changed and want to prove to them that you deserve another chance, one step at a time. Maybe your friends or family look down on you and don’t support you cause you’ve failed and made mistakes in the past, but you’re hoping to prove your worth and have them rebuild that confidence in you, no matter how long it takes. Maybe there’s someone you look up to, like an artist, influencer, or even a teacher, but they don’t see your potential or even said you won’t make it, so you’re on a mission to prove them wrong.

For Taka and the band, I’m sure they’re speaking to the general public. Being an upcoming foreign artist, navigating a new market, facing adversity and stereotypes, dealing with hate comments and loss of support, learning from mistakes on their musical journey, etc, I’m sure they have a lot to prove. They’re hoping everyone gives them just one chance to show that they’re amazing 😉

Personal Edit: On the note above where I said ‘some songs will hit harder depending on if you relate to the story’, I definitely think this is the one that hits home the most for me, out of their entire discography. I’ve yet to grieve the loss of someone close to me, I’ve been proudly and happily single for 5+ years now, and I’m not very angry at the world either (the peace of being a Christian combined with the compassion and empathy of being an ENFJ lol)……..but this song? Damn.

I first noticed “Prove” at the concert, and was rocking out to it the following day. The day after, I truly took in the lyrics, and with the minor tone, I felt tears forming but held it in. And now, the day after that, I’m legit shedding unstoppable tears, snot and all, while writing this. Sometimes I have to pause or change the song to avoid getting too emotional.

As a rookie guitarist in a world where everyone seems so far ahead of me (most of them starting as kids whereas I started as an adult. Not to mention, you don’t see much black female musicians, let alone rockers), me recently making my debut with my third anime cover band attempt (It’s been a dream of mine to ‘perform with a band on stage’ since 2006. I had to make sure it succeeded this time), and even me starting this J-music blog with plans of it becoming passive income one day (I can’t tell you how many people think blogging is dead. It’s definitely a long-term commitment. I had less than 10 views a day for the first 6 months. I’m at the 12 month mark now and I’m averaging 300 views <3), I’ve had a lot of doubters and thus a lot I want to prove.

It’s a journey full of growth but it’s also a loooong uphill battle into the unknown. So many times I sought help and asked questions but no one had answers for me nor could help me. All I could do is try, fail, try again, change direction, do more research, take risks, and keep going. “One step at a time, no matter how long it takes.” One OK Rock has definitely been an inspiration for me, and I hope I can inspire and motivate others to chase their goals even if the world seems to be against them and their dreams.

All in all, One OK Rock, knows how to keep each album fresh with new songs, new sounds, and new stories, and for that alone, I’ll always recommend them to someone who is new to Japanese music or who is open to rock but can’t find any active bands that really peak their interest 🙂

November Update: So after a month of listening to this album, I think my top 5 songs are: Prove, Vandalize, Let Me Let You Go, Outta Sight…and a fight between Save Yourself and Free Them, depending on my mood. Mad World would come up after that, it’s really catchy! What’s yours?

Timing Of The Show

I’m going to just put this upfront. This is my 3rd time going to Rebel venue and it is a nightmare to get to. Most Torontonians are public transit users, and the only bus that gets you kinda close is hard to catch and still has a bit of a walk. If you take an Uber, the traffic and price can be insane. Getting home is also a pain when you have 2000+ people leaving and only one way out.

Now that One OK Rock has managed to sell out this venue, I truly hope they opt for one inside the city next time. I have a feeling even more people would be down to go if it wasn’t so far out of the way. Especially considering this was in the middle of the week (Tuesday) and may be difficult to attend if some had to work that day.

Anyways, I thought I was being smart. Doors opened at 6:30pm, and I knew there would be a line, so I aimed to get there closer to 7pm. With the traffic, I got there around 7:10pm, and I still had to wait in the line that went around the entire parking lot. I got inside around 7:25pm, and this place was packed!

I went to use the washroom and then I got stuck in that corner. Couldn’t even push my way back out. Well, there was a moment where I had a chance, but the people there were so tall ;______; So I hung out in that corner for the duration of the event.

Around 7:30, the first opening act, Fame On Fire, came on. This band had a more metal sound and really knew how to hype up the crowd. They played for about half an hour. We then waited another half an hour and the next opening act, Me At Six, got on stage around 8:30pm. This group had a bit more variety from rock to more feel-good songs. They played for about 45 minutes? Followed by about a 15 minute break. Thus, One OK Rock didn’t take the stage til 9:30pm, and the show ended around 11pm.

Thoughts On The Main Act

While I’m sure most of us were a little tired from waiting and standing so long, honestly, everything changes once the band comes out. Here is the setlist that was played:

1. Save Yourself
2. Taking Off
3. Wonder
4. Let Me Let You Go
5. Renegades
6. Neon
7. Vandelize
8. So Far Gone
9. The Beginning
10. Prove
11. Stand Out Fit In
12. Wasted Nights

Encore

1. Always Coming Back
2. Canadian Girls <3

“Save Yourself” is such a bop. It definitely set the tone for the show. “Taking Off” is my favourite song from Ambitions, and definitely one of my top 5 One OK Rock songs, so I was happy they played that one this time around. As mentioned earlier, I love the little choreo made for “Wonder” in their documentary, so it was cool seeing that on stage.

Like last time, I was happy to see the musicians get their little moment to shine with an instrumental bit. As much as we all love Taka and his singing, they are still a band and I love when the other members get their time in the spotlight. Over the last few years, I did have concerns that with their new poppy sound, they may not get to rock out as much as they’d like, but they all seem to enjoy performing the songs on stage ^^

At the last concert, I don’t recall hearing Toru, Ryota or Tomoya talking, so I found it so cute that they all made an effort to talk and interact with the audience. While I haven’t watched a lot of interviews, I know Taka is the spokesperson (and the only one who can speak English pretty well) and the other guys would sit back nonchalant and stone faced…..but they were surprisingly cherry and outgoing when they spoke haha

The setlist was definitely a good mix of their newest tracks, while still throwing in their biggest classic “The Beginning” and other hits from their international albums. I was actually surprised they played “Neon” live considering how grand it is, but it’s greatly appreciated! And of course, what better way to end a show than with “Wasted Nights”.

Like every show, there is bound to be an encore. They did an acoustic version for “Always Coming Back“. Taka said this was their first time singing it in Canada. I could tell the audience didn’t seem too familiar with it (thought they may just be quiet as it’s a slow song). I knew the song well and what album it came from (Ambitions), but I felt like I haven’t heard it in forever despite listening to their full playlist on Spotify….

I went to look for it and realized, while it is mostly English, it was on their Japanese album. Thus, I heard that track a lot back in 2017-2018 when I had the Japanese album on my iPod shuffle and played it daily, but I haven’t heard it since I started using Spotify a couple years ago -_______- …Same with “20/20” and “Lost in Tonight“. They were some of my favourite Japanese releases that are not on the app UGH PLEASE RELEASE THE JAPANESE TRACKS IN THE WEST ;__________________;

As for their second Encore song, they sang “American Girls”. I’ll be honest, when I listen to Ambitions, I usually just replay the first 4-6 songs (“Bombs Away” to “We Are” or “Bedroom Warfare” aka ‘the best songs on the album’) and once “American Girls” came on, I’ll either restart the album or skip it. It’s undoubtedly my most disliked song out of their whole discography. But….BUT! Taka changed it to “Canadian Girls” and I have newfound appreciation for it LOLLL I still sang along 😛 <3

Final Thoughts

Unlike Scandal’s concert in July where Toronto was the first stop on their tour and I was totally encouraging other’s to check them out, Toronto is near the middle and I’m sure lots of future shows are already sold out. Regardless, if you like rock and there’s still tickets available for a concert near you, don’t hesitate to check them out.

I’ve come across quite a few people who never heard them before or only heard a few tracks and decided to check out a concert and they became real fans since. Their songs are always amazing, but getting to see Taka sing and the band perform live is always a different experience. They truly put their heart and soul into every song and performance…and boy, do I wish I had their energy!

Many may say rock is dead, but it never died in Japan. I’m always happy when bands, whether they’re big like One OK Rock, Band Maid and Scandal, or smaller like Crossfaith, Nemophilia, Bridear, decide to tour around as it can certainly get more people talking about Japanese music. I’m looking forward to the day when Jrock becomes more mainstream and more artists decide to tour and visit my city Toronto ^^

Secretly, I do hope I get to see them perform some of their older songs live, especially those from my favourite albums Niche Syndrome, Beam of Light (SO Underrated! Hitsuzen Maker, 100%, Crazy Botch, and Sansan Dama are some of my favourite songs from them! Just a fun and quirky album with some crazy drumming <3), and JinseixBoku=. I heard they tend to play older songs in Japan so maybe I’ll make it a mission on my next trip there 😛

All in All, One OK Rock put on another amazing show and successful tour. I’m sure they’ll continue going up from here! They got the passion, talents, and amazing writing skills. For a 15+ year old band, they show no signs of slowing down. I’ll always be rooting for them and promoting them ^_^