{"id":475989,"date":"2026-09-26T02:26:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T02:26:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/475989\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T02:26:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T02:26:11","slug":"city-pop-waves-casiopea-plays-sold-out-show-at-the-wiltern-annenberg-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/475989\/","title":{"rendered":"CITY POP WAVES: CASIOPEA plays sold-out show at The Wiltern \u2013 Annenberg Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Sept. 12, Casiopea took the stage for a sold-out night<\/a> at The Wiltern. The first of two nights in Los Angeles, the Japanese jazz-fusion band performed for \u201cCity Pop Waves<\/a>,\u201d Live Nation\u2019s concert series spotlighting well-known Japanese city pop, jazz fusion and retro pop artists. Notable artists that have performed include Masayoshi Takanaka<\/a>, Taeko Onuki<\/a> and ANRI<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Casiopea last toured the United States in 1988<\/a>. Since then, the band has gathered a diverse community of fans, uniting jazz enthusiasts across generations. Fan Emili Miranda said, \u201cI think what was really cool was to see the audience had so many different ages of people, so many different types of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir technical ability and their ability to express both feeling and soul in their music [is what sets them apart from other jazz artists].\u201d said Chris Fedderson, a jazz musician from Santa Barbara attending the concert. \u201cThey made it look easy. They were casual on stage, they were smiling, and they were having a good time, and that\u2019s astonishing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Casiopea is known for their high-tempo, energetic jazz. The members coined the catchphrase \u201cspeed, thrill, super technique<\/a>\u201d as they debuted. With the speed and complexity of their solos and riffs, one would not be able to guess that most of the members<\/a> are in their mid- to late-sixties.<\/p>\n

\"GuitaristIssei Noro takes center stage. (Photos courtesy of Alive Coverage) <\/p>\n

Casiopea consists of four members: Issei Noro (lead guitar), Yoshinori Imai (drums), Jun Abe (keyboards) and Yoshihiro Naruse (bass). Since the band\u2019s initial formation in 1976, members of Casiopea<\/a> have changed; Noro is the band\u2019s only original member.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis band has a long history, about 47 years,\u201d lead guitarist Issei Noro said after playing the eighth song in their set. Casiopea released their first self-titled album \u201cCasiopea<\/a>\u201d in 1979, and has released 37 studio albums total. Their latest album, \u201cTrue Blue<\/a>,\u201d was released in August 2025.<\/p>\n

Despite having gone through multiple hiatuses and member changes over the years, the band\u2019s music has grown along with them, all while still maintaining their playful, energetic jazz core. The consistent energy energy of fans as they jumped to the beat of every song reflected this.<\/p>\n

\"BandCasiopea and the crowd washed in amber lights. (Photo courtesy of Alive Coverage) <\/p>\n

No matter which song, whether new or old, the crowd cheered and waved their fists in the air in unison. Despite being an instrumental band, Casiopea commanded the crowd, with fans cheering and clapping on the beat.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were giving us cues on when to say, \u2018Hey!\u2019, and when to clap, and when to participate,\u201d Fedderson said.<\/p>\n

Matching their polyrhythms and jazz grooves, the stage lights were just as dynamic, flashing and switching looks in time. When a member had a moment to shine individually, the spotlights would swivel to them, illuminating them as they played a solo. No one member outshone the other; each instrument played rhythm and melody, even drummer Imai, who was surrounded by cymbals.<\/p>\n

\"BandThe band waves goodbye to the crowd after their encore. (Photo courtesy of Alive Coverage) <\/p>\n

The night closed with three encore songs, \u201cTake Me\u201d, \u201cFight Man\u201d and \u201cThe Sky.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a lot of, like, \u2018in-the-moment\u2019 experience, which I thought was really cool to see, especially for a band that\u2019s been around for 46 years,\u201d Miranda said.<\/p>\n