On Saturday, July 18, 2026, Angelenos saw and experienced greatness. That greatness is named KAMIJO. On this beautiful night in Downtown LA, Japanese artist KAMIJO delivered a stunning, emotional, powerful, bold and beautiful performance for his KAMIJO Signature U.S. Debut Show “Sanctus of the Damned,” at The United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles .
Written by Don Marcelo
Best known as the lead singer of the visual kei bands, Lareine and Versailles, KAMIJO has become a legend in the world of J-ROCK / J-POP and music fans all around the world. The French word magnifique, which means magnificent or wonderful in English, is an understatement when it comes to describing who KAMIJO is and what he is all about. On this night, his aura, presence, stature, performance, and music were impressive, elegant, magnificent, graceful, stunning, and hard rockin’. He is the epitome and the true definition of the word Visual Kei:
KAMIJO is
• An artist pushing the boundaries of the norm where his artistry is always in constant motion creating new ways to define one’s art by thinking out of the box using elaborate visual aesthetics and styles in conjunction with his music.
• A musician whose style is a mixture of complex musical arrangement that combines hard rock, melodic metal, and symphonic opera and making it as one while creating a harmonious form of sound that only he can create and see and hear inside his creative vision and mind.
• An extraordinary fashionista whose aesthetics and fashion style are reminiscent of 17th and 18th century Victorian and Rococo elegance while embracing a dark modern gothic treatment utilizing rich colors of blacks, reds, and deep purples, and blues.
Performing at the grand, ornate, gothic design and architecture of the The United Theater on Broadway, this space added another form of element that accentuated his fashion style and his symphonic metal music. This added form of element of the space elevated the experience with the audience as if they were transformed into another dimension of space and time. An elegant chandelier hanging above the ceiling greeted every ticket holder as they entered the lobby of the music venue. Two standees, each printed with a gigantic portrait of KAMIJO. were in the hallway of the theater next to the merchandise area where the fans took photos with them as if the real KAMIJO were standing next to them. The ornate design of the inside of the theater along with the beautiful lighting on the stage added an equal or perhaps even extra added texture to KAMIJO’s presence and performance. And finally, a lot of the dedicated and loyal fans dressed up in Victorian style with gothic themes to mirror the Artist they all loved and adored. Seeing all of these first hand was truly inspiring where if I were given the opportunity to see him perform again, I may dress up as well in a Victorian Gothic outfit just like him and all of his dedicated super fans. One can sense a feeling of artistic freedom for one night where they can be whoever or whatever they want to be in support of KAMIJO.
When the show started, KAMIJO’s fans shouted with pure excitement, delight and joy. They became enthralled and were all immersed in the moment instantly. The overall energy on this night was pure magic. His music hit every fan hard with every single note KAMIJO sang. The band played with intense fury that created an energized atmosphere all throughout the night. The melodic and symphonic metal music that he is known to sing and play carried every fan into a trance where nothing else mattered except him and his music and each fan. They sang. They danced. They rocked all night long. They raised their roses up high which can be turned on and lit up the night and waved around like a magic wand, as if each audience member was trying to cast a spell on him and making some kind of a wish. A fan next to me even shouted out loud, “I love you!”, while waving his magic rose.
For me, The highlight of the night was when KAMIJO talked to the audience during one of his intermissions and shared with us some stories. He said, “Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! This is KAMIJO from Japan.” And the audience went wild. He went on and shared stories about the new chapter in his life he has created and that was moving and living in Los Angeles as his new home. He mentioned several favorite stores that he goes to frequently, like TARGET and Trader Joe’s. And he continued on and told us that his favorite store of all time is Best Buy!
Another story he shared was that, after having dinner with the band members the night before the show, he returned to his car and discovered he had a flat tire. Despite the fact that he is often seen as a god-like figure by his fans, these moments of pure authenticity that he shared with us is what also makes him humble and human just like the rest of the people on this night. What great stories he shared with us.
Overall, this is an experience like no other I have experienced in my life having attended hundreds of concerts both as a music fan and as a media photographer or a crew photographer. Despite the fact that I don’t know much about his music, I can honestly say that I have become a fan of this subculture and genre of Japanese Music and Aesthetics. To be in the presence of greatness, with 30 years of being in the music industry touring and performing and creating music, inside an elaborate space was truly exhilarating, very special, extremely humbling, and an overall wonderful experience. As they say in Japanese, “Sugoi!”. Thank you for all your hard work KAMIJO! Thank you for all the artistic beauty you gave to us on this night. And thank you for the great music. I hope to see you again in the future.
KAMIJO links
https://www.kamijo-official.com
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