BALLISTIK BOYZ Take “First Step Towards the World” with 5th Anniversary Dream Concert at Nippon Budokan – Hidaka: “We Still Have Dreams to Fulfill”

On November 6th, EXILE TRIBE’s “BALLISTIK BOYZ” held their first concert at Nippon Budokan. EXILE TRIBE is a general term for EXILE and its related groups. Performing at Nippon Budokan is a dream for many Japanese artists. It was the dream stage they reached on their 5th debut anniversary. In an interview before the concert, Ryuta Hidaka said, “Our goal since the formation has been a world stadium tour. We are taking it step by step towards that goal. Today is one of those steps, as well as arena tours and dome tours in Japan. We want to make a mark worldwide.”

(From left) Riki Matsui, Ryusei Kainuma, Ryuta Hidaka, Yoshiyuki Kano, Miku Fukahori, Rikiya Okuda, and Masahiro Sunada of “BALLISTIK BOYZ” who held their first concert at Nippon Budokan.

The first song of the live performance was the rap song “7”. Hidaka hyped up the audience by shouting, “Let’s go, Budokan!” which caused a huge excitement among the spectators.

The journey to this point has not been smooth. They debuted in 2019, and their first tour, which started in February 2020, was forced to cancel at three locations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Their activities were restricted, and from August 2022, they relocated to Thailand for six months. Riki Matsui reflected, “Living together as seven members naturally increased the time we spent talking about each other’s dreams and the group. It became a significant turning point for us.” Even though they held a tour upon returning to Japan with the determination to “move to the next stage,” their aspirations were not fulfilled.

(From left) Riki Matsui, Ryusei Kainuma, Ryuta Hidaka, Yoshiyuki Kano, Miku Fukahori, Rikiya Okuda, and Masahiro Sunada of “BALLISTIK BOYZ” who held their first concert at Nippon Budokan.

During the Budokan concert, Matsui declared, “This will be a live performance that shows our potential to lead the future of LDH.” All seven members, who are highly skilled in dance, vocals, and rap, gave their all. They performed 27 songs, including the new single “SAY IT,” set to be released on December 4th, and “HIGHER EX,” with a refreshing sound. Additionally, they presented acrobatic performances for the first time since their debut tour.

(From left) Riki Matsui, Ryusei Kainuma, Ryuta Hidaka, Yoshiyuki Kano, Miku Fukahori, Rikiya Okuda, and Masahiro Sunada of “BALLISTIK BOYZ” who held their first concert at Nippon Budokan.

Aiming for higher stages, Hidaka stated on stage, “We still have many dreams we need to fulfill. Arena tours, stadium tours, world tours, world stadium tours. I want to promise here and now to make these dreams come true. From tomorrow onwards, we’ll work hard so that we can see your smiles at every promised stage.” He pledged to continue pursuing their dreams with the fans who walk with them and was met with applause and cheers.