The rock band ONE OK ROCK returned to The Netherlands, after almost a year, on December 21. The band started in 2005 and later this year they released their eighth album Ambitions. After their international debut with the album Jinsei×Boku= the band gathered fans all over the world, including The Netherlands.
The hall layout of the Melkweg was decorated accordingly. On the left and right sides, there were elevations and balconies. Wherever you’d be standing, you’d be able to see the stage properly. After the energetic support act Crown of Empire the crowd was heated up already. After a short break, it was ONE OK ROCK’s turn. They started with the explosive song Bombs away. After this start, the lead singer addressed the audience. Throughout the entire show, the audience was involved. A nice harmony between the band and the crowd was formed. The third song being played, Clock Strikes, was executed perfectly. This is one of the songs from the Jinsei×Boku= album, so very well known among the fans.
Despite there being a lot of rocking, there was also room for an acoustic version of Hard to Love. The beautiful thing about this song was that everyone in the crowd grew silent and listened to the soft guitar tunes of Toru and the beautiful, calm singing of Taka. Fans became emotional, and that’s the power of the voice and expression of Taka during this emotional song about his father. They followed up with another acoustic song, this being Take What You Want. After the first verse, the band members did something unexpected; they stood still for over a full minute. This was somewhat confusing for the crowd, and after some love confessions, the crowd grew silent again. After over a minute the song picked up again and continued with the chorus. This time with bass and drums included. After Take What You Want Taka, Ryota and Toru walked off the stage. Tomo started to drum powerfully and Ryota and Toru returned to the stage shortly after.
It was time for the Jam Session! The three played very well with each other, which resulted in a wonderful Jam Session. A (small) moshpit even formed! This was strategic of them: pump some energy into the crowd after two emotional songs. After the Jam Session The Beginning followed another iconic song that was very well received by the audience. Jaded followed. This time Taka was almost standing between the audience. He was standing on the barricade so he had more interaction with his fans. During Mighty Long Fall Taka gestured to the audience that he wanted more space, which resulted in a Wall of Death. The people listened and a lot of space was created. Some fans even did backflips in the space that had been created. After this it was time for the last song: We Are. Fans took their cell phones with a yellow light on the front and directed it to the band. This had a beautiful and powerful meaning. ONE OK ROCK thanked us and walked off the stage. Luckily there was an encore; American Girls. The crowd went wild for the last song, and before we knew it, it was over already.
The concert was constructed nicely. The band members were very familiar with each other’s actions and there was a lot of interaction with the audience. Ryota and Toru also changed places a lot so there was a lot of diversity during the concert itself. The Netherlands was the before-last stop on their European tour, and if you ask me they are more than welcome to return again soon!
Setlist:
1. Ambitions –Introduction–
2. Bombs Away
3. Taking Off
4. Clock Strikes
5. Bedroom Warfare
6. Bon Voyage
7. I Was King
8. Hard To Love
9. Take What You Want
10. Jam Session
11. The Beginning
12. Jaded
13. Mighty Long Fall
14. We Areencore
15. American Girls
Photography: Dianne Vollebregt en Manuela Babic
