=LOVE 7th Anniversary Concert: A Night to Remember

Celebrating the‍ seventh anniversary of their major debut in September 2017, =LOVE​ held their seventh anniversary concert, “=LOVE 7th ANNIVERSARY PREMIUM CONCERT,” on September 7th and 8th at K-Arena Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture. Here is a⁣ report on the ⁤second day’s performance.

After the familiar opening song​ “Overture,”‍ the giant ‍screen on the stage, modeled after a pumpkin carriage, split vertically, and =LOVE appeared in colorful costumes reminiscent of magical girls.‌ The first song they performed was “Zettai Idol Ni Naide,” a song about the strong love of fans who wish their idols happiness while also wanting them to “stay idols forever.”

The impactful title ‌and lyrics‍ of “Zettai Idol Ni Naide” have attracted attention ⁢from fans​ of various idol groups and artists, and ​the song has been played 13⁣ million times ‌on music streaming services and over 130 million times on TikTok. As the excitement of the audience soared, the members then went to the center stage, ‌which⁣ was set up at the end of the runway that extended into the arena.

They delivered songs and dances with smiles that seemed to sparkle from ⁢a ⁣position closer to the audience. In addition, all the members of‌ =LOVE sang their unit song “I am a Magician”. While they were singing with heart-shaped penlights that matched the worldview of their costumes and ⁤the song, colorful silver streamers were⁤ shot out from the front of the stage, ⁤vividly coloring the venue.

After an intermission, the popular​ song “Shukipi” began, and =LOVE appeared on stage dressed as cats, with ears and tails. Their cute appearance drew loud cheers from⁤ the​ audience. At the end of “Want you! Want⁢ you!”, a large-scale production was performed in which a large number of pink balloons rained down on the audience.

The venue was instantly transformed into a fairy-tale⁤ and fantastical space. One of the highlights of this concert was the performance ⁤in the second half of the live performance, which included live music.⁤ Maika Sasaki, Iori Noguchi, and ‍Sana Morohashi sang the heartbreak song “It’s Zuruiyo Zuruine” with a ​string quartet in the background.

The magnificent sound of the⁣ strings that shook the air in the venue was carried by the three ​singers’ free-flowing​ and emotional singing voices, further enhancing⁤ the sad mood of the song. After that, the performance took the form of⁤ a luxurious big band arrangement with the⁣ addition of​ guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, and even ⁢wind instruments.

In the jazzy number “Norotte Norotte”, Noguchi, who was the center of this song, performed her first bass performance,⁣ surprising the audience and riveting the eyes ‌of ​the entire venue with‍ her dignified standing⁣ posture. ⁤The gorgeous performance continued without a moment to breathe, and the excitement in ⁤the venue rose without limit.

During the song “Natsumatsuri Koibou”, a grand fireworks was launched on the screen.⁣ And at the end of the main performance, the much-anticipated song “Zettai Idol Yakarenai de” was performed again. After creating a great sense of elation, they left the stage amid sparkling ⁤confetti.

During the encore, =LOVE appeared in the audience and sang the summer tune “Natsumatope,” further strengthening their unity with the fans.⁣ In the MC that followed, a surprise ⁢announcement was made about an arena tour that would start in February 2025 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama and end in May at the National Yoyogi Stadium First Gymnasium in Tokyo.

The members cheered with joy and ​excitement along with the fans in the venue. Then, after Takamatsu Hitomi’s words, “I feel⁣ like⁤ =LOVE has become a part of our fans’ lives,⁤ and I want ‍to continue to ‌build =LOVE together with everyone. I believe that⁢ all encounters are not coincidences but fate, so we will never⁢ be apart ‌from each other!” and “Please, absolutely, always love =LOVE!”, they performed the group’s original song, “=LOVE”.

Just when you thought the live would end here,⁢ =LOVE appeared on stage again in ‍response to ‍a double encore and sang “Want you! Want you!” The =LOVE 7th Anniversary Concert ended with a great sense of happiness.

Set List

• Overture
• Never Quit Being an Idol
• Aikatsu Happy End
• Heroines
• Watashi, Mahou Tsukai
• Ohimesima ni Shiteyo!
• I Don’t Know ⁣(Sasaki Maika, Noguchi Iori, Morohashi Sana)
• Senobee in⁤ Love (Otani⁢ Emiri, Oba Kana, Otoshima Risa, Saito Kirara, Takamatsu Hitomi, Takiwaki ‍Shoko, Yamamoto Anna)
• Shukipi
• Drive Date in Tokyo
• Reconciliation⁣ Cream Puffs
• Want you! ⁣Want ‌you!
• It’s Not Fair, It’s Not Fair (Sasaki Maika, Noguchi Iori, Morohashi Sana)
• The 5th
• Find the Diamond Lily
• Welcome! Equal‍ Love Swamp
• Curse, Curse
• The Song of You and Me
• Oh! Darling
• The Sea and Lemon Tea
• Summer Festival Love
• This Sky‍ is the Trigger
• Youth ⁣”Subliminal”
• Never⁢ Quit Being an Idol
• EN1. Natsumatope
• EN2. Our Uniform Christmas
• EN3.‍ Recipe for a Smile
• EN4. =LOVE
• [DOUBLE ENCORE]
• EN1. Want you! ⁣Want you!

Release Information

• 2024.07.31 ON SALE SINGLE “Never Quit Being ⁤an Idol”
• 2024.12.04 ON SALE SINGLE “Title TBD”

Live‌ Information

=LOVE Arena Tour​ 2025

• 2025/02/02 (Sun) Saitama, Saitama Super Arena
• 2/22 ​(Sat) Chiba,‍ LaLaarenaTOKYO-BAY
• 2/23 (Sun, Holiday) ​Chiba, LaLaarenaTOKYO-BAY
• 3/08 (Sat) Aichi, Dolphins Arena
• 4/12​ (Sat) Fukuoka, Marine Messe Fukuoka B Hall
• 5/05 (Mon, Holiday) Tokyo, National Yoyogi Stadium, First ‍Gymnasium
• 5/06 (Tue, Closed) Tokyo, National Yoyogi⁣ Stadium, First Gymnasium