On May 14, 2025, XG held the finale of their first world tour, “The First Howl,” at the Tokyo Dome. At first, I didn’t plan to attend this event due to scheduling conflicts at work, so I passed on entering the early lotteries for tickets.
But I decided to join the last Alphaz ticket lottery in April and try my luck. The worst that could happen is that my reverse Undertaker streak regarding Japanese ticket lotteries would continue, and I could say I tried when I failed once again.
So, you can imagine my surprise when I got the e-mail saying that I had been accepted to purchase a ticket to the concert and that my five-year streak of futility in Japanese ticket lotteries had finally ended. Of course, I still had to figure out some logistics issues with work, and once I got the approval to go to Japan, things got real.
The last time I was in the Tokyo Dome for a concert was for days one and three of AKB48’s AKB48 in Tokyo Dome ~1830m no Yume~ concert series. XG’s concert would mark the third time I would be inside the Tokyo Dome for a musician.
On concert day, I joined the queue for goods around 10 AM, which was already wrapping around the Meets Port area. I was in for a long wait since people had been lining up since early morning.
I passed my time by confirming which goods I wanted to buy and listing them in a note on my phone to be as efficient as possible when it came to my turn to buy. Otherwise, I took in the pre-concert atmosphere and did my best to acclimate to the weather, which was a bit humid that day. Two-plus hours later, I was finally at the barrier for merchandise.
When I was allowed into the merch area, the first two things I saw were a display showing off some of the unique goods XG has to offer and a fitting area for expensive clothing items such as bomber jackets. The display area became a popular photo spot, so it caused a log jam at the entrance.
I took a picture of the display and got into what I thought was the shortest line. Unlike me, the people before me were indecisive or were balling hard and buying everything still in stock, so my waiting time increased significantly.
One man in front of me left with three full bags of merchandise. He will likely resell most of his goods on Yahoo Japan auctions or eBay. All that stuff could not be just for him and his family, friends and acquaintances.
Once I got to the front, I quickly rattled off my list of items to buy, and I was out of there within 10 minutes. I would have gone to the Alphaz area for the lucky draw, but I had enough standing in line, so I returned to my hotel to drop off my goods and rest for the show.
The concert doors opened at 4:30 PM. Since my hotel was so close, I wasn’t in a rush to get to the entrance for my gate. The only real issue was reading the ticket correctly to ensure I was using the correct entrance once I was in the building.
Once I figured it out, it was easy to find my seat, and thankfully, I didn’t have to descend too many stairs to get to it. The last time I saw XG, I sat closer to the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. For Tokyo Dome, I was in the stands near third base.
XG 1st World Tour “The First Howl” Final Landing at Tokyo Dome Setlist
HESONOO
X-GENE
HOWLING
GRL GVING
UNDEFEATED
TGIF
IYKYK
Tippy Toes
SOMETHING AIN’T RIGHT
IN THE RAIN
XG MOVE #1
SHOW YOU CAN (Maya & Cocona)
Chill Bill (Jurin & Harvey)
Peaches (Chisa, Juria & Hinata)
SHOOTING STAR (Rock Version)
WOKE UP
PUPPET SHOW
IS THIS LOVE
ENCORE
NEW DANCE
MENT 1
MILLION PLACES
WINTER WITHOUT YOU
MASCARA
MENT 2
LEFT RIGHT
MILLION PLACES (Music Video Premiere)
Much of the concert’s primary setlist remained intact from previous shows from this tour. For the show in Tokyo, XG added two songs that were not performed at previous tour stops (UNDEFATED and A MILLION PLACES).
While A MILLION PLACES was expected since it was released the day of the concert, UNDEFEATED was a pleasant surprise. Regardless, it was awesome to be there to see these songs’ tour/live debuts.
It was also great to see IN THE RAIN live. After seeing the choreography in its music video and the Coachella performance, I most looked forward to this song. I was not disappointed.
The cover songs for this concert were fantastic, my favourite being the vocal line’s rendition of Peaches. Unlike in Los Angeles, there were no additional wannabe singers around me trying to sing along to the song loudly. So, props to the Japanese peeps for enjoying the performance instead of trying to put one on themselves.
Costume-wise, Jurin’s and Harvey’s outfits were especially eye-catching during this part of the show. I didn’t expect them to have so much of the nerdy fantasy element in their stage gear, especially since XG mostly leans heavily into the alien concept and streetwear.
This concert was much grander than my previous XG experience in Los Angeles. It was exactly what I expected for a tour finale in a venue like the Tokyo Dome. The stage effects, the dancers and the live band elevated the show to another level.
I liked that my seat was in the lower stand area since I could see everything perfectly on the big screen. It also gave me some great pictures of the show from above, which was a bonus. My seat location was just right and much better than when I was in Tokyo Dome for AKB48, where I was touching the ceiling.
It was funny how lax security was about taking pictures and videos of the show. Usually, you get pounced on if you even attempt to use your phone. I was expecting a similar situation to IU’s concert, where security was dead serious about no recording of the show, be it video or photograph.
There was a girl one row down with me with a complete mobile video setup recording the show. Given how high up we were in the Tokyo Dome, it seemed futile, even at maximum digital or optical zoom without stabilization. But even then, it wasn’t as heinous as in North America, where people have their arms up the entire show with their phones in your face. Japanese crowds are considerate of others around them.
If there’s one thing you can say about an XG concert, it’s all killer and has no filler. The pace at which their show moves is rapid (as I mentioned in my review of their Los Angeles tour stop.) You don’t know the time has passed until the wolves come out on the screen to signal the encore. And it’s quite the experience to hear 55,000 people howling like wolves. XG doesn’t waste much time with MCs; the longer ones were saved for the encore, which made a lot of sense, given the occasion.
Looking at XG’s career trajectory, I’m sure there will be many more concerts for them in the Tokyo Dome (and the other domes and stadiums in Japan). But there’s something special about being in attendance for the first. I am very fortunate to have received the opportunity to get a ticket to this milestone event for XG and see them achieve this goal in person.
