No more results on this page
Japanese Breakfast In Concert
Japanese Breakfast was never meant to be a full-time musical project, but Michelle Zauner's fuzzy, dreamy indie pop has captured too many ears and hearts to call it quits. Instead, the Eugene, Oregon-based artist continues to push her solo project into new sonic territory while taking it to stages around the world.
The first thing to know: Zauner is not Japanese. In creating her moniker, she's stated that she wanted to combine something very American (breakfast) with something Americans find exotic (Japanese). She was actually born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Eugene, where she started learning the piano at 5 years old and the guitar at 15.
She then headed to Pennsylvania to study creative writing and film at Bryn Mawr College. It was here that she began turning her musical interests into reality with a solo project called Little Girl, Big Spoon and, in 2011, as frontwoman for the emo band Little Big League.
But already by 2013, Zauner felt creatively uninspired. So, along with friend Rachel Gagliardi, she decided to write, record, and post one song every day for the month of June onto a blog. The result was the 30-track June, featuring 28 originals and two covers (PAWS' "Sore Tummy" and Liz Phair's "Chopsticks").
Around this same time, she put Little Big League on hold and moved back to Oregon to help care for her mother, who had been diagnosed with cancer. In her home state, she found comfort in music, particularly after her mother passed away in 2014. She began writing what would become her lo-fi debut album, Psychopomp. It officially released in April 2016 on Yellow K Records. Soon after, she was signed to indie label Dead Oceans and set out on tour around the U.S., U.K., and Canada.
A little more than a year later, she returned with her sophomore album, Soft Sounds from Another Planet, a more expansive set featuring spacey electronics and crisper indie pop, all topped with Zauner's melancholic beauty. Following the release, she set out for a lengthy world tour, including stops at big festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo.
I have been following the band for a couple years now and was so glad I got to see them live. Michelle and the entire band brought an amazing energy to the show and it was an exceptional concert. Would highly recommend seeing them! Can't wait for their next album and tour!
great show great venue great city great staff overall greatness
this show was truly life changing. what an amazing experience!! thank you so much japanese breakfast and ichiko aoba for a beautiful show!!
Great performance by Japanese Breakfast! It was great to share the experience with my daughter as we both enjoy her music. The other artists also had solid sets, especially Yo La Tengo.
Ever since her super concert at Thalia Hall, I’ve been enjoying JB on her 3rd CD. I even read her book. The words to her songs are powerful, modern, refreshing, deep. But ever since then, there is No New Music. Apparently Japanese Breakfast has hit a dry spell creatively speaking and are good at raking in bucks in the meanwhile. Which brings me to the venue which is one slick operation. I arrived by walking from the Clybourn Metra Station so I cannot comment on parking. It looked busy but organized outside the gates. Inside you have your bars and the merch area. The stage is elevated very high and show-goers are crowded into the general admission floor area for $78 a head. Those who have seats are in a horseshoe-shaped seating around the floor, with the most expensive seats way at the back of the space—notice I can’t call it an “auditorium”—even behind the sound booth. Sorry folks! Lousy stage lighting and sound equipment. The space has decent acoustics but the sound coming through is three years old, on poor quality equipment, and not quite so exciting as it was three years ago even with the dumb smoke softly billowing from the stage. I’m glad The Salt Shed at least has basic acoustics and is a very slick operation as a new venue at an affordable price…if you want to be herded like an animal into a big barn, errr “shed”.
Michelle and co. have a great stage presence and aren’t afraid to jam out for an elongated outro. This exceeded any expectation I had for their live show.
The show at the Salt Shed was similar to their performance at Pitchfork last year but they were on their game and it was an amazing show. My only complaint is about the venue itself. Overall, they did a great job renovating and turning the factory into a gorgeous event space. The staff was helpful and it was easy to navigate the food trucks, bar, stores... but I will never understand why they would build a new venue focused on live entertainment that doesn't solve for poor views from the floor. We were fairly close (closer than half way to the stage) and it was near impossible to see. A sloped floor and a higher stage would immediately solve this issue and provide a better experience for everyone.
Amazing show and setlist...can't wait to see them again!
This was a fun night of music at the Soundstage with a sold out crowd! This is the second time I've seen her perform live and she delivered again! The show featured a mix of new and older material and I loved hearing the crowd singing along. The crowd had a great time! I'm looking forward to her next show!
Michelle Zauner is possibly one of the greatest artists of our generation, and an even better performer. I saw her in July 2021 and the whole show was unbelievable. All her music translates beautifully to a live setting and she is a truly engaging performer. 10/10 would recommend that all see her live at least once!
Japanese Breakfast is a road worthy and time tested band. With an Excellent Light show creating the central hub and visual complement. Japanese Breakfast is the Earth Moon & Sun of Rock & Roll.
All 3 musical acts were superb… cate le Bon a revelation
It was still 104 degrees with the heat index at approx. 11pm when this show was over. This show should have been postponed as it was blatantly irresponsible to hold an outdoor concert knowing Philadelphia was under a heat emergency Friday through Monday. I want my money back.
Loved JB, and totally loved YLT. Disappointed in length of sets, and time gap in between YLT and JB, when it was 95 out!
Super venue, amazing show. We loved it. Never could get through the merch line — you needed more than one!
Everything was amazing. Proceeds helped public philly parks and the show was amazing. All the staff was great too. The food and drink lines were insane but no one seemed to mind in the end.
Me and my girlfriend waited for about 3 hours b4 and managed to get front, it was an absolutely amazing show! They are wonderful performers and Michelle was incredible!
To be honest, i've never attended a concert i myself wanted to go to. This was the first one, and i spent hours in traffic to get there. But it was worth every minute to go see Jbrekkie live!!! They were fantastic and the show was phenomenal!!
Japanese Breakfast was an amazing concert with a great crowd. Parking was easy. Bathrooms very clean. ID and bag check quick and professional.
I went to over 20 shows in 2021, I was excited that live music was back as I’m sure most all of you were as well. I went to the show on Nov 4 at the Tempe Coca-Cola sun deck. The venue was perfect for this band and the intimacy in their performance was felt. This was my favorite show form 20+ shows I saw last year. Every song they play makes you want to just listen to that song again. I will be seeing them every time they are in town.
