If you told my middle school self that I’d be watching LiSA live in Malaysia for her first-ever solo concert here, I probably would’ve passed out. We are talking about the absolute QUEEN of the Sword Art Online era. I’ve been blasting “Crossing Field,” “Shirushi,” and “ADAMAS” since I was a child, so my hype for this was unreal. And spoiler alert: she completely destroyed my every expectation.
Titled “LiVE is Smile Always～15～”, the concert took place at Megastar Arena on June 7, though it made waves among anime music fans long before the doors opened. Getting tickets to the show was like fighting in the Hunger Games, and I am not kidding. The venue sold out scarily fast, and the energy in the room made it totally obvious why. The crowd was absolutely electric, with loud cheers that matched LiSA’s energy beat for beat. I was glad to see so many Sword Art Online and Fate fans in the crowd as well!
One of the biggest surprises of the night was the crowd’s etiquette. Pictures and videos were strictly banned before and during the concert, and everyone faithfully respected the house rules. Being able to just live in the moment without a sea of glowing rectangles blocking my view was incredibly refreshing. It made for a deeply emotional experience to see everyone holding their glowsticks and cheering hard.
When live shows happen, technical difficulties are definitely inevitable. There were a few moments where the IEMs and mics acted up, but LiSA dealt with it like an absolute professional. She powered through and compensated with a performance so insanely good you barely even registered the hiccups. It didn’t feel like a solo act either; her supporting band had such amazing synergy that they felt less like backing musicians and more like a whole family jamming out on stage.
My personal favourite moments included “ReAwakeR” from Solo Leveling, where her energy was off the charts; as well as “ADAMAS” from Sword Art Online, which filled me with nostalgia that absolutely hit like a truck. Not to mention “Shirushi” and “Crossing Field”, where my tears just started flowing. I don’t even know why; it just came out of nowhere. Something about hearing the soundtrack of my middle school years live just broke me in the best way possible, reminding me of the days when I used to play the songs while waiting for the bus.
Also, a quick moment of appreciation for the logistics, because we love a well-organized event. Clean, accessible toilets at a sold-out concert? Definitely unheard of, but they pulled it off. Not just that, but they also had food and drinks provided for the concert goers. Megastar Arena is an A-tier concert venue in my books.
Massive thank you to Jireh Consult for inviting me to review this absolute masterpiece of a night. Be sure to check out our interview with LiSA here!
