Concert Review: imase Brought The “NIGHT DANCERs” Out At KL Show

If you’re an avid TikTok user then you’ve probably heard of the song “NIGHT DANCER” by Japanese singer-songwriter imase (イマセ). There was even a dance challenge for fans to participate when the track first came out almost 2 years ago. So when it was announced that the artist was coming here to Malaysia for his “imase 1st Asia Tour ‘Shiki’” tour in Kuala Lumpur, you can bet that many were looking forward to hearing the hit song live in concert.

A couple of days ago, the singer put on quite a show for his Malaysian fans at Zepp KL. With a concept that introduces the 4 seasons of Japan; Summer, Autumn, Winter and Spring, the show was nothing short of spectacular. Here’s what went down:

The concert opened with mesmerising blue lighting accompanied by the calming sound of rain. The band set the mood by playing a soft instrumental piece before imase walked onto the stage to perform “Pale Rain”, which had fans cheering with excitement. The singer had us all in a trance with his husky yet soothing vocals throughout the mid-tempo track. This was a great song to start the show with as it captured our attention by taking us on a blissful and euphoric journey.

Speaking of a euphoric journey, the crowd was definitely on cloud nine and clapping along to the beat when imase performed the next song “UTOPIA” despite its depressing lyrics. The musician showcased impressive vocal performance, breath support and stamina when he constantly switched between his falsetto notes and chest voice throughout the uptempo track without missing a beat. Taking a break to interact with the crowd, the singer pulled out a script so he could talk to his fans in Malay.

“Apa khabar semua! Nama saya imase! (How are you all? My name is imase) Adakah anda semua tidak sabar untuk hari ini? (Are you all excited for today?) Saya sangat excited untuk berjumpa dengan anda semua (I am very excited to meet you all). Hari ini, jom! enjoy sama-sama ya! (Today, let’s enjoy together!) Mari kita have fun sampai habis! (Let’s have fun till the end)” he said, making the fans feel very welcomed.

The 23-year-old kept the high energy going with songs like “Rainy Dancer” and “Shine Out” before proceeding with the mid-tempo track “Demone Tamaniwa” to warm the audience down after a very energetic first half of the concert.

While he was offstage for a costume change, his keyboardist played an interlude to set the mood for the next section of the show. The young talent returned to the stage and slowed things down with chill mid-tempo songs like “Escape”, “I say bye” and “Midnight Girl”. When he interacted with the fans again, imase praised them for their proficiency in Japanese, noting the similar pronunciation between Malay and Japanese, which made him feel a close connection with them.

Christmas then came early as imase carried on with the show with “Holy Light”, a lively and jolly song that perfectly represents the winter season section of the concert. He picked up the pace once again with more catchy uptempo tracks like “Koigoromo”, “18” and “Happy Order”. Now, the moment everyone has been waiting for. Screams were heard from every corner of the venue when the singer finally performed his smash hit “NIGHT DANCER” with fans singing along to every word.

Just when we thought the show was over, imase and his band returned to the stage to perform not one but 3 encore songs! Before he said his final goodbye, imase surprised fans by singing the chorus to “Masing-masing” by Ade Govinda and Ernie Zakri. He then closed the fun and energetic show with “Bonsai”, “LIT” and then finally, “Heroine”. This concert was easily one of the best shows we’ve attended.

imase showcased not only his impressive vocal abilities but also his outstanding showmanship. The way he grabbed our attention and took  the charge of stage really showcased his artistry in the best way possible. 

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