Rina Sawayama at Royale 5/6
In almost every review of a rescheduled pre-pandemic show that I’ve produced ever since venues reopened last year, I’ve written about just how excited I was to attend them. By slowly working my way through my concert backlog, I felt like I was making up for lost time, marking the passage of time – I was slated to attend these shows as a sophomore and was now staring graduation hard in the face – and experiencing a gradual return to some semblance of normalcy.
And to be fair, I did get what I expected and wanted out of those shows. But to me, no other show held the same mystical status that Rina Sawayama’s show at the Royale did. Originally scheduled for May 2020 at the Sinclair, I was originally going to attend the show to cap off my finals week. Literally all of my friends had tickets to the show, which is something that rarely, if ever, happens. Then came the pandemic, and the inevitable rescheduling that came with it. Another reschedule (and venue upgrade) to October 2021 followed later that year as the prior date had proven to be too optimistic about Covid. And just when I thought the dust had settled, it was rescheduled again (possibly due to Sawayama’s filming commitments for John Wick). And so for a time, I truly believed that I’d graduate and never get the chance to see Sawayama in concert – thankfully, the date stayed locked in this time around.
Rina Sawayama needs no introduction at this point as her popularity has skyrocketed ever since that original May 2020 date, but I’ll do my due diligence anyway: Sawayama is a Japanese-British pop star, actor, and model, whose output nearing the end of the 2010s was quickly earning her buzz amongst alternative and underground circles. The well-polished production & sky-high ambitions of songs such as “Ordinary Superstar,” “Where U Are,” and “Flicker” hinted at her potential, while the release of her debut album SAWAYAMA in April 2020 marked the arrival of a titan nearing the top of her game. Sawayama has since gone on to receive countless award nominations (and also successfully lobbied the BRIT and Mercury Awards committees to change their dated eligibility rules), collaborate with Elton John, and even launch her acting career.
At 10:00 pm on the dot, the lights at the Royale suddenly dimmed. The crowd shrieked as Sawayama – serving in a cropped red suit jacket with mountainous shoulder pads and matching heels – her guitarist, drummer, and two backing dancers took to the stage. Sawayama struck a pose and without another word, launched into “Dynasty,” the majestic and awe-inspiring opening track to SAWAYAMA. “I’m gonna take the throne this time” Sawayama belted, as if she was declaring to the crowd that tonight she would own that stage. Growling keys and blaring guitar riffs signaled that “STFU!” was up next. The nu-metal inspired banger whipped the crowd into a frenzy, and a villainous cackle from Sawayama herself halfway through the track only elicited further fanfare.
A familiar 5 count 404 beat began to play, and Sawayama slyly remarked “you know what song this is…” as the band transitioned into the runway-ready “Comme Des Garçons (Like The Boys).” The track’s slick, bouncy, house-inflected production naturally evokes the sweaty, carefree, communal intimacy of a nightclub. Naturally, this translated to a steady groove amongst the audience members. Sawayama even held the mic out to the crowd so they could sing the song’s titular refrain, a grin on her face all the while.
Following “Snakeskin” and a quick Y2K-inspired outfit change into an asymmetrical white top and stone-colored leather cargo pants, Sawayama re-entered the stage. “This is an older one – it’s called “Cyber Stockholm Syndrome”” she pronounced as those all-too familiar sustained piano chords rang out. “Cyber Stockholm Syndrome” was progressive, forward-facing, and compelling when Sawayama released it five years ago, and it sounds just as exciting today as it did back then. She followed with “Paradisin’” and “Love Me 4 Me,” in which she led the crowd in a cute call – “I’m gonna love myself” – and response – “cuz I don’t need anybody else!”
Over the course of the night, Sawayama made her way through the entirety of SAWAYAMA, performing tracks such as “Tokyo Love Hotel,” a genuinely beautiful acoustic version of “Chosen Family,” and even the short interlude track “Fuck This World.” She also performed the then-unreleased single “Catch Me in the Air” from her upcoming album Hold the Girl – an ode to her mother, an immigrant parent who raised her alone in the UK. “Boston, this is my last song” she announced prior to launching into crowd favorite “Cherry,” before dramatically walking off stage.
About a minute later, Sawayama’s band and dancers reappeared on stage. The dancers struck a pose as Rina retook the stage, pretending to be surprised as she met the audience’s gaze. “Boston – I said that was my last song!” she said in a faux-annoyed tone. “But… I guess you can have… just a little bit… MORE!” The first drums of “XS” then dropped, and the crowd (myself fully included here) went mental. The playful campiness of the entire exchange paired with the unbelievably well-executed transition into “XS” was, for lack of any better descriptors, icon behavior. Finally, Sawayama capped off the night with the single “Lucid” and her remix of Lady Gaga’s “Free Woman.”
I’m skeptical of much of the recent wave of Asian representation in media – amidst historic violence against the Asian diaspora and the widespread gentrification of their enclaves, what exactly does sending BTS to the White House accomplish? – but I won’t lie, I did tear up seeing somebody who looks like me on the stage commanding the crowd. Sawayama is the future of pop music, a generational talent who can truly only go up from here. Yes, I am happy to report that Rina Sawayama’s show was well worth the wait, that it was everything I had been wishing for for 2 years and then some. With the way things are shaping up, it’s only a matter of time before Sawayama reaches superstar status – I for one, cannot wait until she takes her rightful place as a headliner in arenas the world over.