Yojiro Noda, the lead vocalist of Japanese rock band Radwimps, paid tribute to the Filipinos who were victims of his country’s atrocities during a brutal occupation during World War II during their concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last May 1 that was one of their stops in their ongoing world tour.
“The name of this tour is ‘The Way You Yawn, and the Outcry of Peace,’” Noda continued, “We are grateful to be here, and we would like to keep the peace through our music.” This moving exchange during the encore, was caught on video, and shared by both audience and netizens alike generating a positive buzz about this Japanese band.
It wasn’t just how the band interacted with the audience that was impressive but the whole concert from the beautiful light show projected to the ceiling to the breathtaking images shown on the screens. Blue and purple galaxies, swirling and shining, much like director Makoto Shinkai’s films, which are known for their breathtaking animation and cinematography.
For the song ‘Suzume’ which was featured in the Makoto Shinkai film of the same name, pop musician Toaka joined the band to perform the song, and this was greeted by loud cheers and applause from the audience. Toaka sang the song that eventually won Best Music during the 46th Japan Academy Film Prize.