The line to enter Bill Graham Civic Auditorium wrapped around the building and down the street on Friday and the cause? One Ok Rock’s 2025 Detox North American Tour was in town and the Japanese rock band packed the place with diehard fans who have been not-so-patiently waiting for their return to the States.
Aussie rockers Stand Atlantic opened the show and are no strangers to One Ok Rock’s fans, having toured with the band in years past. Singer Bonnie Fraser is a vocal powerhouse, commanding the stage alongside her bandmates to warm up the growing crowd. Their set was energetic and fun, sprinkled with comedic moments like a very demure series of mosh pits, getting the audience to both bark and meow on command and telling funny anecdotes that inspired several songs on the setlist. The band performs with an easy chemistry, making for a stellar opening to the night.
Since One Ok Rock made the jump to international fame over a decade ago- and well into their careers- they have proven time and time again that they are one of the strongest live bands in music today. Vocalist Taka Moriuchi unleashed an unbelievable voice from his diminutive frame and never lost an inch of power throughout the set. Guitarist Toru Yamashita and bassist Ryota Kohama moved around the stage seamlessly while drummer Tomoya Kanki bashed away at his kit while never losing his contagious grin.
From the first notes of “Puppets Can’t Control You”, Moriuchi had the room on a string and moved them on command- something they were more than happy to do. This meant a very polite mid-set wall of death, jumping when prompted and plenty of clapping along to the band’s litany of anthemic hits. With the political savvy and fire of Green Day mixed with the soaring vocals and musicianship of Sleeping with Sirens, One Ok Rock has elevated themselves into a band that would only ever make sense in massive rooms so they could fill the rafters with their larger than life sound and production that includes full LED lyrics videos and a plethora of strobes and lasers.
They also have the loudest fans in modern music, with the crowd’s screaming and singing along to “Save Yourself”, “Renegades” and “Make It Out Alive” nearly drowning out the band at several intervals. They also spoke directly to the audience many times, thanking them for the support and openly sharing their struggles to break out in the music industry and find success both at home and overseas during the course of their 20-year career. Judging by the room’s response, they won’t need to worry about receiving that love from all over the world- the fans are more than ready to welcome them back with every tour.
Moriuchi became introspective at the end of the night, sharing stories behind “Delusion:All” (a song backed by poignant imagery) and “The Pilot </3” which was his own way of working through sadness and self-doubt. The fans buoyed the band through those final notes and their earth-shattering applause brought them back out for “+Matter” and “We Are” to end the night. One Ok Rock never missed a note and their energy during the encore made it seem like they could perform all night long. The band visits North America as often as possible but fans on the West Coast are already counting down the days until that next announcement and the chance to see this band live- as they’re sincerely meant to be experienced.
