Kana Koike Piano & Electone Live (Saturday, March 8, 2025, at UENO HALL)

On Saturday, March 8, 2025, "Kana Koike Piano & Electone Live" (organized by Bass On Top) was held at UENO HALL (Ueno, Tokyo).

This live concert featured performances on the Electone and piano by Kana Koike (hereinafter referred to as Kana), a keyboardist and composer/arranger who is active in live concert events and has uploaded numerous Electone performance videos to YouTube and TikTok.

The venue was "UENO HALL," a music event hall in Ueno, Tokyo, that opened in the summer of 2024 and can accommodate about 60 people. The hall is permanently equipped with a "YAMAHA CF3" concert grand piano and a "YAMAHA ELECTONE STAGEA ELS-02C"!

[First Half]

As the showtime arrived, Kana appeared on stage dressed in refreshing clothing from the apparel brand "ADELLY" and others.

The live show began with an Electone performance of the "Galaxy Express 999 Medley" from the TV version, which is highly popular and has a performance video uploaded to YouTube. The audience was quickly drawn into Kana's world by her delicate performance.

After the performance, she greeted the attendees. She spoke about how this was the largest number of attendees for a live show in Tokyo to date, and the background behind how the Electone came to be permanently installed at this venue (is Kana the person responsible for introducing the Electone?).

After continuing with several more Electone performances, Kana carefully adjusted the position of her chair? or where she was sitting?, and then played an energetic, arranged version of "CLIMAX" by T-SQUARE! Some audience members were watching the performance intently...

The performance then continued with Kana's arrangement of "Pavane for a Dead Princess." She mentioned that volume control (using the expression pedal) is extremely important, but looking closely, in addition to that, she was frequently switching foot switches, giving the impression that the performance was very demanding.

Furthermore, she mentioned that the scene from when she filmed an Electone performance of this song for the Yamaha Ginza Studio video shoot event "TAKEOUT SHOW" would also be featured in the April 2025 issue of Monthly Electone (on sale March 19) (I confirmed it is on page 112!).

The first half then concluded with a spectacular Electone performance of "Mars" from the suite "The Planets," arranged for the ELS-02C.

[Second Half]

After a 10-minute intermission, the second half began with an Electone performance of the exotic "Theme from The Last Emperor".

Then came the performance of "Dance of the Red Dragon," a popular original song by Kana that (personally) had the biggest impact in this live concert.

After playing the intro on the Electone, while the lingering notes were still in the air, she suddenly stood up. Just as I was wondering what was happening, she moved to the piano and began playing a piano version of "Dance of the Red Dragon"! I was moved by her passionate performance of this narrative piece!

The piano performance of original songs continued with "You and I," which touched the heart even more with its added arrangement. I imagine many in the audience were deeply moved by this song.

After some stories about her songwriting, it was time for Kana's challenging Electone segment: "Claude's Tango" by Richard Galliano and "Three Japonismes."

And all too soon, she announced, "This is the last song of the day." After a bit of a stir in the front of the venue (voices lamenting the end of the show?), she wrapped up the live concert with an Electone performance of the "Les Misérables Medley," the practice for which had been posted on Instagram beforehand.

After the performance, a huge round of applause was given to Kana, and it just wouldn't stop!

[Encore]

After the applause turned into a rhythmic clapping for an encore, Kana reappeared.

After announcing that still photography was allowed, she played her original song "Tick-Tock!" on the piano, which was inspired by the casual, everyday moments of life. When the music suddenly stopped mid-performance, Kana showed her playful side by posing for the audience to take pictures (laughs).

Next was an Electone performance of "African Symphony," famous as a high school baseball cheering song. This time, some audience members were focused on their smartphone cameras, determined not to miss the pose...

Finally, Kana gave a greeting, saying, "I want to continue my own style of musical activities in the future," and the approximately two-hour concert came to an end. Once again, a huge round of applause was given to Kana. (14 songs in total).

[Impressions]

Personally, strangely enough, this concert made me recall the first time I heard each of these songs performed live.

The "Galaxy Express 999 Medley" brought back memories of the mini-stage in February 2022, "Mars" from The Planets suite reminded me of the 2022 Osaka Umeda concert, and "CLIMAX / T-SQUARE" and the "Theme from The Last Emperor" brought back the 2023 Osaka Umeda concert, among others; the scenes from those live performances kept surfacing in my mind.

Also, it was very impressive to see so many people in attendance despite the cold weather that felt like it was about to snow. There were people who traveled from afar, and were there even some Electone-playing TikTokers and influencers among them?!

This concert featured a wide range of genres, with powerful and delicate performances, and the venue had a peaceful and warm atmosphere, allowing me to fully feel the charm of Kana's playing.

The sense of reality, the power of the sound, and the enthusiasm of the audience, which you cannot experience on YouTube, are truly unique to a live concert.

This time, the transition from Electone to piano for "Dance of the Red Dragon," "Three Japonismes," and the "Les Misérables Medley" was particularly impressive. Thank you very much for the wonderful performance!

That concludes the live report and my impressions.

*The live photo is from the encore.
(Text and photography by Electone Performance Video Lover)

■ From Kana's X (includes setlist)

■ From Kana's Instagram

：

：

：

■ Live Report Back Issues

I have listed below the reports I have written over the past few times regarding Kana's live performances (piano and electone).

(That concludes the live report)