I still can’t believe that a few days ago I went to my first J-pop concert (kind of), but it was for my favourite J-pop group of all time! The group is Psychic Fever, and I say kind of when referring to a concert because it was technically a fan meet where they performed a few songs, but had a lot of fan interactions, which I was fortunate enough to participate in. I will discuss all that and more in this detailed review if you plan on seeing them on this fan meet tour or want to check them out in the future! Before you read below, make sure you follow me on social media (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook) as I post more concert/music content! For a visual preview of what to expect watch the video below!
About
I first heard of Psychic Fever last year when I saw their video for Just Like Dat on TikTok (below). They are a J-pop & hip-hop group from Tokyo, Japan, but they consist of seven members who are from different parts of Japan. The members are Tsurugi (Leader, rapper, choreographer from Hyōgo), Ryoga (DJ, dancer from Hyōgo), Ren (Rapper, beatboxer from Kanagawa), Jimmy (Rapper, English speaker, model who is mixed Nigerian and Japanese from Nagoya), Kokoro (Lead vocalist and bboy, from Okinawa), Ryushin (Rapper, dancer from Kanagawa), and Weesa (youngest, main vocal, and although he is born in Nagoya, he is the only member who is not of Japanese descent since he is mixed Moroccan and Korean).
What I like about this group is that their songs have great energy and has a hip-hop element to it’s core. The music videos are interesting but I love the detail they have to their choreo and performances. They kind of reminded me of BTS a bit because of the hip-hop elements but their music is very different and I find that they are still finding their sound a bit while delivering some great songs such as Just Like Dat, Temperature, Paradise, Fire and more. They also have a personal connection to JP the Wavy, who is a major rapper in Japan and has collaborated with MLB and Takashi Murakami and also produced two of their songs including What’s Happenin’ (below). I also like how these guys are always embracing different Kpop, Ppop, and other music from all over the world especially when touring different countries such as France, Singapore, Thailand, and now since it’s their first time here, Canada!
Tickets and Venue
When meeting other ForEver (Psychic Fever fans) at the concert and seeing the comments on my videos, I knew I wasn’t the only one who was shocked that they were coming and almost missed out on seeing them. Although I have been following for them and the agency that brought them, Konnect’d Ent., for a while now I never saw that they were coming to Toronto until I started getting ads for the show a few days prior to the actual event. I will be honest, I wasn’t even sure if it was legit because it just seemed so random and usually I will see this agency post their concerts ahead of time, but it seems like Toronto was a last-minute addition to this fanmeet tour. I know there were some negative comments about this agency because they were the ones who promoted Jay B’s American tour stops. Thankfully, I was able to see it and got their ForEver package which was essentially their VIP package that included a GA ticket, priority view, group photo, personalized autographs of of poster booklet, photocard set, hi-touch, badge (with a member on the back), and lanyard for $220 CAD. I will talk more about that and the other fan experience tickets in the next section but it might vary for each tour stop. These and the GA tickets which I believe were $30 could be purchased from Konnected shop (which was a bit hard to navigate). I was surprised there were no merch options at all, no t-shirts, albums or anything.
I also mentioned priority view instead of seating because the Toronto event was held at El Mocambo, which is a very small venue with a rich history since 1948, as they had some legendary acts perform their, such as The Rolling Stones, U2, Ramones, Blondie, and more. The actual performances were held upstairs where there was a small stage and some standing seats with console tables to put your drink at. I did notice they had an upstairs as well, but I wasn’t sure if it was open to the public to view the concert as well as a bar on the side (but you can’t really see the stage from there). In terms of the venue and sound, it wasn’t bad, but sometimes people can get really close to you, which can be awkward. This was my first time at this venue and my first time actually recognizing where it was even though I have taken the bus or walked by before when exploring Toronto’s Chinatown. The venue is located at 464 Spadina Avenue, and accessible via TTC, but if you were to drive, there are some limited road parking and small parking lots nearby, which cost me I think $10 flat, and I recommend using apps like Spothero to book in advance.
Fan Interactions
Since it was a fan meet, they didn’t perform as many songs as they would during an actual concert they did have a good portion dedicated to playing games such as the one where you had to guess the dance based on steps as well as playing this and that with some fans and of course, answering fan questions. However, another option they had was that you can get a selfie with a member for $42 CAD each. I got mine on the way there and at the time only Kokoro and the whole group option was sold out. I would have liked to do with all of them but ended up taking it with the cowboy and leader, Tsurugi, as well as the African Line (Jimmy and Weesa because they are half Nigerian and half Moroccan, respectively). Although I am an ENFJ, I am still shy and trying to be more comfortable with taking selfies. You can’t do the video selfie but you can ask them to take photos both Tsurugi and Jimmy took a bunch of photos and Weesa did one but they all were really nice!
Something I thought was really cool was that I never seen before was that they gave people who bought the package a booklet with a photo of each member inside and while we waited outside they gave us a sticky note to put our name so when we went inside they can sign a specific page and write our name to make it personalized! During this time, it can be a little awkward too but it did feel like FanExpo when you get your autographs but you can still try to talk to them. As a foodie, I had to mention to Jimmy to check out our great Toronto Food options. They also talked about it briefly during the Q&A. He said he wanted to if he had time that night but they just arrived and Tsurugi told me that he often wears the same cowboy hat. All the guys were really nice and respectful but I found Ren to exude so much positive energy which was awesome! As you exit the venue, GA was able to say hi to them while people with the package were able to give them a fist bump or give them a high-five and also receive a special poster. This is technically my second fan meet (first being Got7 member, BamBam) and I will say for the price, it was definitely worth it and in terms of VIP experiences I have purchased, this is my favourite! This all happened from 4 to 5 p.m., but check our ticket details for your city!
Performance
In terms of the actual live performances they came onto the main stage sharply at 6 p.m. and concluded at 7:30 p.m. Although looking back, it seemed short, and is probably the earliest I have ever left a concert venue, I do think it was still a great experience. I know the guys kept saying they wish they could come back to Toronto to do a proper concert because they only played six songs (added the playlist below) but it was still great. You can tell their mics were on, and they were giving their best throughout each performance. The dancing, vocals, flow and overall energy that these guys had were great and I hope they can perform at a bigger venue next time to do a proper concert and partner with Japanese restaurants/cafes to help with promotion, and next yea,r do something with the Toronto Japanese Cultural Centre!
Overall
I highly recommend you check them out if you can as you can expect great performances like Paradise above. This is just the beginning for them so I am excited to see what’s in store because they really do deserve more success and I am happy to have interacted with all of them at this stage of their career as I continue to support them! I also hope they can bring merchandise next time for fans to buy. This is such a missed opportunity given they have their own apparel brand. Let me know your thoughts and if you have any questions about them or plan on seeing them in the future. I wish I could have interacted with more ForEver so if you went please feel free to connect on social media as well by giving a follow on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook for more concert and music content!