[VAP Inc.] PERSONZ’s outstanding musical skills and supreme
performance transport the audience to a wonderland that only a band like this can create today. Image
URL: VAP Inc. Press Release: October 2, 2025 PERSONZ’s outstanding musical ability and supreme performance transport the audience to a wonderland that only a band like this can create today. PERSONZ 20250912 @Tokyo International Forum Hall C
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“WONDERLAND,” just as it was on the album. JILL tossed B5-sized playing cards into the audience one after another, and those lucky enough to catch them raised their cards in response. Bright lights lit up the stage for the second song, “SLEEPING BEAUTY,” giving a good look at the expressions of the three instrumentalists, who looked very happy and smiling. JILL’s jacket train spun with such force that it was horizontal to the floor, and when she shook her head vigorously, her long blonde hair swayed wildly, captivating the audience with its gorgeousness.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/34440/137/34440-137-daf2efcc91ce36fac3a30fc88a779252-3900×2600.jpg “ROCK MY HEART” begins with futuristic digital noise and is an uplifting rock tune with a cowbell beat. JILL appears onstage carrying a colorful balloon shaped like an electric guitar. During her guitar solo, she and Takeshi Honda (G) stand back to back, creating a twin-lead guitar-like highlight. The next moment, she pretends her guitar is a rifle, aiming it at the audience, or holds it high above her head in a metal-rock pose, showing off her playful side. The shuffle-style rhythm of the following song, “BE HAPPY,” further increased the excitement. JILL said, “Sing along!” and during the chorus, JILL and the audience took turns singing along, exchanging energy. The lights lit up the entire audience, making me wonder, “How can people be this excited even though it’s only the fifth song?” I couldn’t help but look around, thinking that this must be the kind of excitement that would be expected during an encore, and saw that fans who appeared to be in their teens and those in their late twenties were all united in excitement. PERSONZ’s performance skills are truly formidable. Once the audience was seated, it was time for each member to deliver a message. “This album has a theme, and I think people can see the charm of PERSONZ in our live shows. Please enjoy it.” (Honda, guitar) “It’s been a long tour since March, but not a single person got sick or was absent. We’re in our 60s, but we’re tough (laughs). Let’s keep going strong from here!” (Fujita, drummer) “But I got appendicitis during the tour (wry smile). But we made it to the final without dropping out. I hope you’ll support us until the end.” (Watanabe, B) “Last year, for our 40th anniversary, we made an album called ’40th FLOWERS,’ and it just never stopped. Watanabe said, ‘I’m having trouble writing songs.’ So we decided to release an album, and we’ve released two albums in a row. Our 41st anniversary is only here once, and since we’ve come this far, we want to celebrate not just 40 years, but throughout next year and beyond,” says JILL, expressing their current momentum. “The new album is based on Alice in
Wonderland. There are so many worlds that we have yet to see. I created this album to take everyone to those worlds,” he said, explaining the album concept, and the four songs in the middle of the live performance tightly expressed the worldview of the new album.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/34440/137/34440-137-2cf832a8bc149e9ac5d609155ba69b99-1800×2700.jpg “Blue roses used to be a symbol of the impossible, but with the development of blue roses through technological advances, their meaning changed to ‘making the impossible possible.’ I’ve never felt any friction or limitations because I’m a woman, but there are still many times in this world where women can’t speak up. This song expresses my wish to create a better world where both men and women can strive.” JILL, spotlighted under blue lights, weaves her song. The background music is subdued, bringing the lyrics into focus and piercing the heart. “HAPPY UNBIRTHDAY” is a song that symbolizes the album, inspired by the phrase “Happy Unbirthday” from “Alice in Wonderland.” “Every day of the year is someone’s birthday or anniversary. If someone is starting something, that day could be the ‘beginning day.’ I loved fairy tales where wishes come true when you blow out a candle, and I believed there was something beyond the rainbow, beyond the clouds. I was that kind of girl,” JILL says, leading the way as guitar arpeggios begin to play. A candle flame flickers on the side table nearby. After finishing her song, JILL blows out the candle, removes her sparkling red glitter hat, and bows. It’s like watching a scene from a musical.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/34440/137/34440-137-c7dd27446912588879af92f5113b9d8d-1800×2700.jpg The next song, “MOMENTS,” is a memorable medium ballad with lyrics set in an old movie theater. “I’m sure you’ve all been through a lot. What appears on the screen of this song is your own life. It belongs to no one else, it’s something you create yourself. You are the protagonist, the main character of your life. I, too, have lived every moment of the past 41 years. Please listen to this song with that feeling in mind.” (JILL) Many of PERSONZ’s lyrics have a message or story to them, but this song in particular conjures up images in your mind and stimulates the imagination. Even during live performances, they seem to keep the band’s sound to a minimum, focusing on conveying the song and words. The performance, with a much more intimate sense of distance than on CD, makes you feel as if you’re being spoken to directly by the person in front of you. After a thorough listening session, the second half finally began. The three instrumentalists began a light-hearted jam, and Fujita clapped along, signaling the audience to “stand up.” JILL also joined in, engaging in a
call-and-response with the audience for the chorus of “Let’s Meet at Tokyo Tower,” “Hello, Hello, Tokyo.” As she changed “Tokyo” to “Yurakucho” and “International Forum,” she synchronized with the audience through vocal exchanges, and then launched into “Let’s Meet at Tokyo Tower.” Both JILL and the audience waved their hands back and forth, and Fujita also immediately shook his drumsticks back and forth during phrases with fewer moves. It was fun to see how everyone expressed their desire to have fun and be active through their body language. “HALLELUJAH,” performed with soulful a cappella, is a song from 1990, but the message of the lyrics is surprisingly consistent with the worldview of “WHAT A WONDER WONDERLAND.” The contrast between the gentle falsetto and whispered vocals and the powerful, powerful vocals is breathtaking. Who would have thought such diverse and condensed emotion could be packed into such a short a cappella? This song blew me away with JILL’s expressive talent.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/34440/137/34440-137-64f4fdc967090d2076ead5662e8ccaf3-3900×2600.jpg The live band’s true talents were on full display in the final three songs of the set. During “MAYBE CRAZEE-I Love You-,” a thrilling track featuring a hard-hitting glam rock beat and a wild band sound, JILL crouched on the floor and sang, while a flashy drum solo and a gorgeous guitar solo were unleashed. The energy, like the sound was biting into you, was like that of a basement live music venue. Continuing this momentum, they launched into the vertical, two-beat number “CAN’T STOP THE LOVE,” in which JILL sang while holding a large globe balloon above her head. Smaller globe balloons were also released into the audience, sparking a series of balloon tosses. “There’s a lot going on on Earth, but let’s all play catch together. After the catch, everyone raise your arms and clap!” JILL shouted, and with perfect timing, the intro to “I AM THE BEST” began. This happy number perfectly embodies the idea of mixing the catchiness of New York punk with the fun of glam rock, perfected by a 21st-century Japanese rock band! Just listening to it will give you a boost of self-esteem. And if you join in the clapping with the entire live venue, it’s guaranteed to be etched in your memory as an
unforgettable, happy experience. Next, with a penlight in hand, JILL shouted, “This is a song from over the rainbow!”, signaling the start of “7COLORS.” The stage was bathed in rainbow colors with vivid lighting, and the audience seats lit up with colorful penlights from fans. JILL spun around and struck a cat ear pose to accompany the lyrics, “Like the eyes of a spinning kitten,” creating many moments of smiles. After the performance, JILL presented a boombox-shaped balloon to the front row fans. It was a concert where happy events magically occurred one after another. During the encore, the band members reflected on this tour. “It was a very memorable tour. I think it was a tour with a strong global feel. New ideas came in and changed it every time, and there was never a single live performance that was the same,” said Honda. “Even in places we hadn’t visited in a while, we were warmly welcomed, and it was a wonderful, memorable tour. Next year, we’re planning to visit even more places…all 47 prefectures,” Watanabe said enthusiastically. Kicking off with the words, “Let’s play another new song!”, “THAT’S MY TREASURE” is a track from the new album. With lyrics like “Let’s go find a new treasure” and a driving, tight performance, it’s a number that’s full of PERSONZ’s signature style. They also introduced “Freedom World,” an early hit from their first album, “PERSONZ” (1987), saying, “This is the song where PERSONZ first flew a globe. Can we fly it again?” As this popular song has been performed for nearly 40 years, JILL made extensive use of false vocals, and all four of them seemed so comfortable with the song that it almost felt like a part of their bodies. This was the second time that day that a large globe was seen flying around the audience. The peaceful message of the lyrics, written 40 years ago, remains unwavering to this day. “DREAMERS,” introduced with the words, “You’ve all wandered into a wonderland, so you’re eternal teenagers. Stay dreamers forever!” An unexpected surprise also occurred during the song. After the guitar solo, JILL repeated the chorus phrase in a call-and-response with the audience accompanied by the rhythm section and handclaps, then descended into the audience and walked around the aisles singing. When she passed by, the fans all had beaming smiles on their faces, and no doubt everyone felt truly glad that they had come to the concert that day.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/34440/137/34440-137-640fab9217df27582de891615db4280b-3900×2600.jpg “Right now, PERSONZ is in top form, so we want to come and see you all. Never give up on your dreams. A band is all about musical performance. Like the falling rain, let’s sing forever and ever,” they said, introducing “SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN” from the 1989 album “DREAMERS ONLY.” While the song has often been performed live, listening to it after JILL casually remarked, “A band is all about musical
performance,” struck me with a different impact and persuasiveness than before. The lyrics, in particular, “Stronger, higher, deeper, farther, singing alone in the rain,” struck me as particularly captivating. PERSONZ is a band that defined an era in the 80s and 90s when Japan experienced a band boom, but after a period of touring live houses again, they are now a talented band with a solid hall tour schedule. You could feel their belief and trust in their listeners that “if we keep up good performances, whether at a live house or a hall, rock fans will come to see us,” and because they are a band that has always striven to reach even greater heights, their message of “never give up on your dreams” resonates with reality. The finale was “DEAR FRIENDS,” a classic in J-rock history. The entire venue joined together in a sing-along during the chorus, and JILL even picked up a pick and played Honda’s guitar during the first half of the guitar solo, creating a spectacular moment that really got the crowd going. It’s a masterpiece, precisely because it’s packed with the kind of service and attention to detail that’s so important to the audience. With a catchy melody and flawless structure, it’s undoubtedly a flawless masterpiece, but it’s hard to imagine another artist being able to fully realize the full potential of this song. It’s not just the power of the songs. I feel like I’ve been reminded once again that a band cannot continue without the desire to improve their
performance. “Next year, we’re planning a tour of all 47 prefectures. Touring that many shows will help us hone our band’s performance skills, so we’re determined to keep working hard. Please join us! We’re also looking forward to visiting places we’ve never been to before… Okinawa is also something I’m looking forward to (the Okinawa performance is scheduled for October 2025),” JILL said, expressing her excitement for the future, highlighting the fact that even after more than 40 years of activity, there are still many wonderlands to explore. It was a luxurious two and a half hours in which they carefully expressed the messages and themes they wanted to convey to the audience, while also allowing us to experience the passion and catharsis that is typical of a rock band live show. (Interview and text by Yoshiko Funami / Photos by Miki Anzai) ◆Live Event Information PERSONZ-2025 [HELLO HELLO HELLO Let’s meet in Okinawa for the first time] [Date and Time] Saturday, October 4, 2025 Doors open 16:30 Performance starts 17:00 October 5, 2025 (Sunday) Doors open 16:30 Performance starts 17:00 [Venue] Tenbusu Hall 3-2-10 Makishi, Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture Tenbusu Naha 4th floor https://tenbusukan.jp/ [Fees] S seat: 7,800 yen A seat: 6,800 yen High school students and younger: 1,000 yen *All seats reserved [Inquiries] PM Agency Tel. 098-898-1331 (Weekdays 11:00-15:00) PERSONZ × TOWER GALLERY PERSONZ EXHIBITION Ver.2 Date: October 11, 2025 (Sat) – October 26, 2025 (Sun) Time: 11:00-19:00 Venue: TOWER GALLERY (3F Tokyo Tower Foot Town, 4-2-8 Shibakoen, Minato-ku, Tokyo) Free admission Organizer: Zoi Corporation, Ltd. Cooperation: “Let’s Meet at Tokyo Tower” Project Special cooperation: TOKYO TOWER Co., Ltd. “CD Release Commemoration Shamisen JILLya Kotobuki at Akagi Shrine” [Date and Time] Monday, November 24, 2025 (National Holiday) 1st time Doors open 11:00 Performance starts 11:30 2nd time Doors open 14:00 Performance starts 14:30 [Price] 6,500 yen (tax included) *All seats reserved [Venue] Akagi Shrine Assembly Hall (Akagi Hall) 1-10 Akagi Motomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo [Access] 1-minute walk from Exit 1b of Kagurazaka Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line 8-minute walk from Exit A3 of Ushigome-Kagurazaka Station on the Toei Oedo Line [Inquiries] Capital Village 03-3478-9999 (Weekdays 12:00-17:00) PERSONZ “Do you want to… RETURN TO WONDERLAND? 2025” ―The final time trip of 2025〜To all 47 prefectures in 2026― [Date and time] Tuesday, December 30, 2025 Doors open 16:30 Doors open at 5:00 PM. [Venue] Otemachi Mitsui Hall Otemachi One 3F, 1-2-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 《Access》Directly connected to Otemachi Exit C4. [Price] ¥8,500, ¥1,000 for high school students and younger (tax included) *All seats reserved, one drink required separately [Organizer] TOKYO FM [Inquiries] Capital Village Tel. 03-3478-9999 (Weekdays 12:00-17:00) [General Release] Saturday, October 11th
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/34440/137/34440-137-fa2123eb90c4790f825b7850498c91ba-225×225.jpg ◆Release information Shamisen JILLya Special Edition Album “Kotobuki” Released in early December! Contains 14 songs!! [Recorded songs] Sawagi RIVER JILLTOPIA Bee Happy Ondo Frayed Sideburns DEAR FRIENDS Tsukuda GENERATOR Yosakoi JILL shop Washing rice TRUE LOVE INORI ENISHI DREAMERS *In no particular order PERSONZ Official Site
