REVIEW

JO1 CLOSED OUT THEIR FIRST NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINING TOUR IN LOS ANGELES—There was something special about seeing JO1 take the stage at The Novo in Los Angeles on Oct. 11. As the final stop of their first North American headlining tour, the ANIMAL tour’s Los Angeles show felt like more than just another concert date. After five stops across the continent, the group had one last night to spend with North American fans, and they made it count.

What makes JO1 interesting to watch is how much personality each member brings to the group. With nine members, there’s plenty happening onstage, but everyone has their own way of making an impression. Some moments focus on the full group’s choreography, while others give individual members room to take the spotlight. In Los Angeles, JO1 showed both sides.

The group opened with “Whatcha Doin’,” the first single released ahead of their English-language EP. Rather than jumping straight into the chorus, the members took turns singing individual lines, leaving small pauses that built anticipation. When the instrumental finally came in, the entire stage came alive. Sho delivered the final line, and the group moved into the night with an opening that immediately caught the crowd’s attention.

“Handz in My Pocket” and “Love Seeker” followed, giving fans two more opportunities to sing along. Both songs have played a part in introducing JO1 to international listeners, and their live performances showed why they’ve connected with audiences. During “Love Seeker,” Junki surprised everyone by bringing Ruki forward to sing his usual high note. The other members seemed just as caught off guard, but the moment quickly turned into one of the night’s more entertaining exchanges.

It’s one thing to see a group execute choreography, but it’s another to watch the members genuinely have fun with each other while doing it. That chemistry carried throughout the rest of the evening.

Some of the night’s best moments happened between performances. After greeting the audience and introducing themselves, the members talked about their time in Los Angeles, joked about the food they’d been eating and acknowledged fans who had followed them throughout the tour.

The unit stages were another highlight. Takumi performed a solo rap, while Ren, Keigo, Sukai and Issei took on a dance set that moved between rap and EDM. Syoya, Junki, Ruki and Sho followed with a cover of Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”

There’s a lot to appreciate about a nine-member group, but giving individual combinations of members their own time onstage makes it easier to see what everyone contributes. By the time the full group returned, there was even more to enjoy about seeing them perform together.

The final stretch of the concert brought the focus back to JO1’s ANIMAL EP. “THIS DAT FYAH,” co-composed by Ren and Syoya, brought a heavier sound to the set, while “DOWN” had The Novo feeling more like a party. The members carried that energy into “ANIMAL,” closing the main set with the EP’s title track.

The variety across the EP made the final performances especially enjoyable. Each song gave the members something different to work with, whether it was a harder-hitting performance or something that had the entire audience singing along.

For the final song, JO1 chose “IGNITE,” the opening theme for Tokyo Revengers: War of the Three Titans. As fans of the anime, this was an especially exciting choice for us. The song already has plenty of intensity, and hearing it performed live made for a memorable way to end the evening. It was hard not to want one more song before the members gathered together for their final bow.

After thanking the audience, the group said goodbye to Los Angeles, officially bringing their first North American headlining tour to a close.

Five cities later, there’s plenty to take away from JO1’s ANIMAL tour. The group has a strong sense of who they are together, but the night also made room for the individual personalities that make up that identity. From the unit stages to the unexpected moments between songs, the members gave fans plenty of reasons to keep their eyes on all nine of them.

For JO1, Los Angeles was the final stop of this tour, but it’s also another moment in a much bigger story. With their English-language EP introducing another side of their music, it’ll be exciting to see how they continue reaching audiences around the world. And after the energy they brought to The Novo, there’s certainly more to look forward to.