Beloved Japanese anime series Naruto was celebrated in style on Sunday night with FLOW’s Naruto the Rock tour at Celebrity Theatre. The rock group whipped out a setlist of songs from the series alongside some original work to bring iconic moments from the anime to life onstage. Fans of all ages dressed up in their finest cosplay and wielded color-changing lightsticks for 90 magical minutes of music.
Fans eagerly took their seats in anticipation of FLOW’s arrival and with an announcement by their tour manager to kick off the show, the band emerged to huge cheers as the crowd rose to their feet in unison. The first notes of the “Naruto Main Theme” had lightsticks waving and fans dancing and the energy only rose from there. Each band member performed enthusiastically, grinning at the crowd and getting them to participate as much as possible for songs like “Blue Bird”, “Silhouette” and even the powerful ballad version of “Sign”.
The screen behind the group cycled through iconic scenes from the Naruto anime- from epic battles to more emotional moments from the classic show. The concert itself was interwoven with the series’ story, making this tour an immersive experience like no other for longtime fans of the show. Even though the band was down a member for the night, they poured their hearts into the performance and encouraged everyone to remain on their feet to clap and jump along with them.
The Fighting Dreamers rose up once again as the set started to wind down with the impossibly catchy “GO!!!” and “Gold”- two high flying hits and clear fan favorites. The room was buzzing all the way to the end as FLOW thanked the fans for their love and support, closing the show with “Sign” and the peppy outro music of “GO!!!” once again. Rarely do anime fans get to come together in such a unique space to celebrate their favorite shows and the incredible soundtracks behind each memorable scene. FLOW turned that idea into a full experience and fans bounced out of Celebrity Theatre grinning with the nostalgia of the show and the brand new memories made in the theatre on Sunday night.
