SHOW REVIEW: Japanese Breakfast Left the Crowd in Awe After Their Performance at Turner Hall Ballroom

Japanese Breakfast and Luna Li graced Milwaukee with a wonderfully chaotic and comforting performance at Turner Hall Ballroom on Sept. 20.

Luna Li arrived on the stage and she was astounding, her voice was as sweet and angelic as one could hope for in a dreamy rock performance. Li played songs from her EP “jams,” a bold move as the whole EP is just instrumentals, but she kept it fresh by bringing out a loop pedal and a butterfly guitar she bought off of eBay from a father who said the guitar was too big for his daughter.

After Luna Li took their bows and more people flooded into the venue, the house lights went down and all members of Japanese Breakfast took their places, except frontwoman Michelle Zauner.

The band started out with their astonishing song “Paprika” and Zauner burst on the stage and immediately began belting out the opening to the song. Smashing the gong and riling the crowd up and getting them to scream out with her.

Michelle Zauner was clad in an oversized dress and black platform boots, she clomped around the stage bringing it wonderful energy. The rest of the members wore a traditional suit and tie and it provided a stunning contrast in visuals for the rest of their performance.

Japanese Breakfast played most of the songs from their latest album “Jubilee,” some deep-cuts from their previous albums and even a cover of “Here You Come Again” by Dolly Parton.

The most stunning song out of the setlist was the last song, “Everybody Wants to Love You.” The raw and unadulterated energy of the song gave the perfect close to the show. As Zauner ran around the stage screaming that “Everybody Wants to Love You,” it felt like she was speaking to each person individually, grabbing them by cheeks and telling them they are loved.

Of course, the crowd demanded an encore. Zauner slowly walked onto the stage and began the intro to “Posing for Cars,” alone on the stage with a single spotlight. Eventually, one of her members walked onto the stage, picked up their guitar, and began picking at it. Slowly, the band trickled onto the stage, each picking up their respective instruments and jumping into whatever part of the song they were on.

The song has a certain nostalgic feeling to it, but not in the traditional sense, the song feels like looking towards the future and weeping for what is to come. ‍Everyone left the venue in complete awe at the truly jubilant performance they had just witnessed.