Years of waiting lead to this: ONE OK ROCK’s highly anticipated return to Kuala Lumpur for their “DETOX” tour. The band was last in town in 2023 for their “Luxury Disease” tour. As such, fans were eager to see what Takahiro Moriuchi (Taka), Toru Yamashita (Toru), Ryota Kohama (Ryota) and Tomoya Kanki (Tomo) have to show after three years.
There was only one small setback: Taka’s voice. Unfortunately, the powerhouse vocalist was under the weather on show day, which we later learned was due to the aftereffects of a panic attack and a sprained ankle. As a result, his voice wasn’t in top shape. Regardless, the singer and his band members proceeded with the show and gave their all.
ONE OK ROCK kick-started the concert, after a slight delay, with a performance of “Puppets Can’t Control You”. However, those who have heard Taka sing live could immediately tell that he wasn’t in the best condition. However, the frontman pushed through a vocal strain and continued with a performance of “Beginning” and “Save Yourself”.
Then came the first talk segment, where the rest of the band took turns introducing themselves and interacting with the audience. While Toru, Ryota and Tomo were hyping up the crowd, Taka retreated backstage. When he came back, he apologised for his vocal condition. The singer then made a bold proclamation: “I’m going to continue until I f*cking lose my voice”.
Thankfully, he didn’t lose his voice – but he did continue the show, singing “NASTY” from the band’s latest studio album, “DETOX”, and the fan-favourite “Renegades”. After an incredible guitar solo from Toru, the band proceeded with “Party’s Over”. Then came a short talk segment, and then another fan-favourite: the emotional “Wherever You Are”.
Of course, given the circumstances of the night, the song brought a heavier sentiment than usual. During “Wherever You Are” and many other songs through the night, Taka relied on the fans to help him sing – and they fulfilled their role perfectly. Throughout the concert, the crowd was loud, energetic and sang along with all their might.
Was it out of excitement to see ONE OK ROCK? Or perhaps they were sharing their energy with Taka and the band? Maybe both, but it was clear that their cheers helped motivate the quartet. They pushed through with “Make It Out Alive”, a song with lyrics that felt apt for the evening: “Don’t give up / It’s gonna be alright”.
At this point, we want to include a shoutout to the stage visuals team and whoever suggested having the lyrics on the massive screen. Seeing ONE OK ROCK’s powerful lyrics stretched out in bold inside Unifi Arena, projected to the audience, really pushed the messages that they aim to send with their music.
After an instrumental solo segment with Toru on the guitar, Ryota on the bass, and Tomo on the drums, the show proceeds with back-to-back tracks from the “DETOX” album: “C.U.R.I.O.S.I.T.Y”, “Dystopia”, and “Delusion: All”. However, there was a break before that last one, during which Taka spoke the most he had during the night.
Sharing in English and Japanese, Taka spoke on the concert and the messaging of their new album. The singer also got candid about why he chose to proceed with the show despite his condition and showed gratitude to his bandmates and staff for their support. He then ended his speech, assuring fans that he would give his best until the end of the show.
After “Delusion: All”, the concert continues with “Stand Out Fit In” and “Kimishidai Ressha (キミシダイ列車)”, two songs that got everyone in the crowd jumping and headbanging. Now at the final stretch, the band performed “Tropical Therapy”, followed by a closing speech by Taka, where he promised to return to Kuala Lumpur to show a better performance.
“The Pilot </3” was the last song for the concert before the encore. At concerts, the final songs are always bittersweet because they signal the end of the show. However, this particular track is already emotionally charged. Adding that to everything else going on, and the crowd’s energy, the overall scene tugged on the heartstrings (and we may or may not have teared up a little).
As for the encore, Taka kept it real, admitting he could only perform one of the two originally planned songs. Nevertheless, he gave it his all to perform “We Are”, which was already an anthem on its own. But on that night? It felt every bit more powerful with all the fans in the audience singing along.
Before taking their final bow, the members walked around the stage to interact with fans one last time. However, it was Taka who captured everyone’s attention. Mustering every last bit of his energy, the vocalist walked to opposite ends of the stage to bow deeply in front of the fans to show his gratitude.
Overall, we were impressed by every aspect of the performance, from the visuals to the sounds. Even with the setbacks, ONE OK ROCK showed us a great time and proved why their concerts are a must-see for fans. However, during this particular performance, they also showed us why they are true performers.
Let’s be honest: could the show have gone better? Yeah. But was it still an amazing show? Absolutely! And will fans remember this exact concert? We sure hope so. Because here’s the thing: Taka might think it was unprofessional to be unwell during a concert and not sing his best. The truth is, the show is the epitome of Taka and ONE OK ROCK’s professionalism.
Pushing through with a performance even when you’re at a low point, going for broke and even willing to lose your biggest asset (your voice) to show up for your fans. That’s not something all musicians could or would do. Only true performers are willing to proceed with a show with that same raw emotion as Taka did.
We have to give the singer credit for giving his best and applaud ONE OK ROCK for what was already an incredible performance. What’s left is to wait for the band to return to KL, in top shape, for an even better show.
