Japanese singer yama performs their first solo concert in the Philippines at The Podium Hall in Mandaluyong City on the 1st of December. Their tour aptly titled thanks for waiting is a treat for the fans who longed for the artist to come to Manila.

yama’s identity is generally shrouded in mystery. The singer is known for their trademark bright royal blue bob, matched with a white masquerade mask and a white hooded jacket, but their real name, age, and gender are intentionally left unidentified. (This is a subculture within the Japanese music industry wherein certain musical artists hide their identities completely.)

yamaマニラライブ写真その①
サイリウム持ってる人おおかったな pic.twitter.com/zPsWQb7vbT

— yama official (@yama_official0) December 1, 2023

yamaマニラライブ写真その② pic.twitter.com/IO5VALZRlO

— yama official (@yama_official0) December 1, 2023

The concert started on a high note with the playful melody of “Haru wo Tsugeru”, the famed debut song. yama’s astonishing vocal prowess shone throughout the evening, and fans were cheering from the get-go. If you had listened to any of their songs beforehand, you’d be surprised by how the live performance sounded almost the same as the recorded versions. yama’s masterful control of their vocals coupled with their powerful delivery of the lyrics made the show extra memorable.

Backed by keyboardist Akinori Handa and drummer Akinori Yamamoto, yama’s concert was a spark full of colors. They performed with a vibrant setlist including well-recognized songs from animes like “Color” from Spy X Family, “Oz.” from Ranking of Kings, and “slash” from Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. The funky “Downtown” and “a.m.3:21” got the crowd singing and clapping along. Delving into a more mellow side, yama also performed with the R&B-infused “Cream”, the ballads “pure colors” and “hikari no yoru”.

During the entire show, photography and videography of any kind were not allowed. Thanks to this, the audience was focused on the artist and the music. Fans were dancing and cheering along (some with lightsticks as well) as each track played. The stage was rather set plainly, but the lighting was top-notch, with every flicker capturing the aura of every song.

yamaマニラライブ写真その④ pic.twitter.com/7qjFIJh34r

— yama official (@yama_official0) December 1, 2023

ありがとうManila！
めちゃくちゃ盛り上がったライブでした🥳
『くびったけ』でめちゃシンガロング起きてたよ‼️最高😀

ちょっと動画だと聴こえづらいかもだけど💦#yama1stASIATOUR #thx4w pic.twitter.com/fpjK0TTjGL

— yama official (@yama_official0) December 1, 2023

Without the aid of a translator, yama spoke to the crowd in Japanese. Interestingly, the fans understood every word. The singer said the Philippines is one of the top listeners of their music on Spotify, and that is one of the reasons they chose to include Manila in the tour stop. Although yama seemed to be aloof at first, they expressed gratitude to the crowd and as the show progressed, they got more and more relaxed onstage.

Towards the end, the anthemic “kubittake” (which translates to “madly in love”), a crowd favorite, got people jumping and singing along. This was followed by the captivating acoustic rendition of “Masshiro” and the hopeful “The world is supposed to be beautiful”.

After the show, yama took a photo with some of the lucky fans outside the venue and posted it on Twitter.

yamaマニラライブ写真その⑤
来てくれたお客様と共に📸 pic.twitter.com/qRYu9LG9rK

— yama official (@yama_official0) December 1, 2023

Special thanks to Live Nation Philippines!

by Sandra Mae Laureano