On March 29, Ado brought magic to Los Angeles while journeying on her first world tour Wish, powered by CrunchyRoll. The acclaimed virtuosa brought down the sold-out Peacock Theater for over 7,000 attendees, some clad with merch, many others decked out in full Ado cosplay, who all flooded the hall with a sea of blue and red light sticks.

Ado got her start as an “utaite”, a singer who mainly posts covers for the online Vocaloid community. She reached a broader audience in 2020 with her debut digital single Usseewa, which stole the scene with a number one spot on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart. Ado was only seventeen years old at the time.

Since then, Ado has only ascended higher with countless hits, even providing the singing voice for the character Uta in the 2022 anime blockbuster One Piece Film: Red. Throughout her rise to international fame, her identity has remained a closely guarded secret. When performing live, her figure appears no more visible than a backlit shadow projected onto the gauzy drape over the “Ado Box”, a massive cage fitted with its own lighting that dances and flashes along to every song…

The moment Ado glides onto stage, her face hidden by a traditional Japanese umbrella, sends shivers of anticipation down our spines. Perhaps because her identity is shrouded in mystery, we’re all the more enthralled to realize that she is actually there, sharing her voice in person. The crowd roars at her entrance. The enthusiasm only grows as she opens with Shin Jidai, an uplifting theme for One Piece Film: Red, with a wispy falsetto that climbs into a soaring chorus.

Cheers erupt as the final beat segues flawlessly into the iconic Usseewa. Ado plasters line after line with her aggressive vocals, gradually morphing the melody into guttural growls, which show off her incredible vocal versatility.

Although she sings within a cage, she commands the space like a queen on her throne. We only see her silhouette–a slim figure caped in a loose duster and donning flared pants–but her personality and attitude shine through her power poses, playful choreography, and dramatic gestures. At times she even utilizes the floor, such as when she collapses in the third track Lucky Bruto. Her heeled boots kick back and forth coquettishly in contrast to the dark imagery of handcuffs on the screen behind her.

As the night proceeds with staples Readymade, Rebellion, Utakata Lullaby, and Motherland, Ado’s four-piece support band ignites sparks with mesmerizing musicianship. Bassist Naoki Kobayashi and drummer Ryunosuke Morita snap and punch with laser precision. Meanwhile, guitarist Takafumi Koukei shreds dizzying solos while holding his Telecaster high in the air. The spunky pianist Sara Wakui steals our breath again and again, bopping and leaping across keyboards while beaming an ear-to-ear smile to the crowd in disbelief.

While some of Ado’s lyrics are so fast-paced, they’re almost a rap, the easy-going Gira Gira invites everyone to chant along. Then, she flips the mood fast enough to give us whiplash, throwing everything she has into the screams in Tot Musica. Bending so far back, she makes us all wonder how she keeps herself from toppling onto her head. And how do her vocal cords come out unscathed night after night? This transitions immediately into the soft opening to a cover of Kikuo’s Aishite Aishite Aishite, which crescendos into a maniacal waltz.

A brief water break encases the Ado Box in solid blue. The digital curtains then part, revealing utopian golden skies and a greeting from the anthemic Watashi wa Saikyou. The punk-ish spirit carries onward into the cynical Ashura-chan, which brings all of Peacock Theater to raise their hands and waive to the beat in unison. The brassy, breakneck Kura Kura completes the trifecta, recounting imagery of the whimsical land of espionage from the anime series SPY x FAMILY.

After the TeddyLoid remix of Yoru no Pierrot and KokoroToluNaNoFukakai, Ado treats us to another cover, Mayonaka no Door~Stay With Me. The video backdrop converts to a retro 4:3 format, and a glittery, overexposed karaoke stock footage accompanies Ado’s reimagining of Miki Matsubara’s 1980 single.

Ado took few breaks, plowing through the setlist with incredible endurance. She pauses only once to address concert goers before the last song of the main set. With thoughtfully rehearsed English, she thanks everyone for coming to see her show.

“Hello everyone! I’m Ado! This tour marks my first trip outside Japan!” For Los Angeles, she notes in particular her chance to enjoy Santa Monica beach. An endearing moment of frustration also surfaces when she can’t remember a particular word to describe her experience. (Don’t worry Ado, it happens to all of us, even as native English speakers!)

“Have you been to Japan?” Ado asks. Many scream affirmative. “Tokyo, Osaka, Okinawa, Hokkaido…” It becomes clear that Ado, despite standing behind a veil, radiates with joy and love to the people who embrace not only her music but also Japanese culture as a whole.

The 2023 smash single Show closes out her heartfelt speech, igniting an explosion from the stage all the way to the last row in the balcony. The sitar-laced downbeats unite the entire hall–women and men and non-gender conforming, parents and kids, lifers and casuals–to clap and groove to the signature zombie shuffle.

Ado and her band return for a robust four-song encore, including Gyakkou, FREEDOM, and the long-awaited cover of Kurousa-P’s Senbonzakura. As part of her final message to fans, she reveals a bit of vulnerability, sharing her roots as a passionate utaite surrogate singer who dedicated herself to the “utattemita” cover artist community.

“Thank you for respecting my music. I’ll come back again! See you soon!” With this, she launches into her album’s lead track Odo featuring a special dance beat intro, the evening’s true finale.

In an era of smartphones when we’re all constantly documenting our lived experiences for someone else, being unable to access our devices during the concert led to a strange feeling (they were sealed in special Yondr pouches as per venue and staff regulation). But it also brought together countless music lovers and tied us to the present in a way that we couldn’t have possibly experienced when living a concert through our screens. Although the strict prohibition of cameras or recording equipment was understandable for the sake of the artist, this refreshing change pulled everyone into Ado’s universe.

THE FIRST WORLD TOUR “Wish”
Mar 29th, Peacock Theater in Los Angeles
Thank you!!

by Ado Staff #AdoWish #AdoLAX2024 pic.twitter.com/RkvotyWdiD

— Ado Staff (@ado_staff) March 31, 2024

Considering the sold-out booking in each major city, Ado’s tour would be an incredible feat for any artist, even more so for one on her first overseas tour. To celebrate the remarkable success, Ado left her fans with one last gift: a special playlist, highlighting songs from the tour and bonus voice memos featuring Ado’s heartfelt memories in each city in the respective languages. Bravo to Ado and her world-class staff. We can’t wait for you to return!

Listen to the playlist here!

Ado at Peacock Theater, Los Angeles, Friday, March 29, 2024

Setlist

1. Shin Jidai (New Genesis)
2. Usseewa
3. Lucky Bruto
4. Readymade
5. Rebellion
6. Utakata Lullaby (Fleeting Lullaby)
7. Motherland
8. Gira Gira
9. Tot Musica
10. Aishite Aishite Aishite (Kikuo cover)
11. Watashi wa Saikyou (I’m Invincible)
12. Ashura-chan
13. Kura Kura
14. Yoru No Pierrot (TeddyLoid remix)
15. KokoroToluNaNoFukakai
16. Mayonaka no Door~Stay With Me (Miki Matsubara cover)
17. Show

Encore:

1. Gyakkou (Backlight)
2. FREEDOM
3. Senbonzakura (Kurousa-P cover)
4. Odo