Genshi Shinbo - Live Retrospective, December 30, 2025, Part 2

A report on the second half of Hyakka Ryouran, featuring live performances of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here and Atom Heart Mother!
December 30, 2025, EX Theater Roppongi

Genshi Shinbo’s annual tribute concert at EX Theater is an event that Pink Floyd fans in Japan look forward to at the end of every year. Following my report on Part 1, in which I was overwhelmed by a setlist full of unexpected surprises, I’m now bringing you a report on Part 2. Part 2 featured a complete performance of Pink Floyd’s 1975 album Wish You Were Here, among other songs that offered an even more satisfying dose of the Floyd spirit. It was truly an unforgettable concert. Let’s take a look at what happened during the show.

Wish You Were Here (1975)

After Pink Floyd’s 1973 monster-hit album The Dark Side of the Moon became a long-running global bestseller, Wish You Were Here was released amid enormous anticipation as the band’s follow-up to that album. The Dark Side of the Moon achieved tremendous success with its striking arrangements and lyrics addressing universal themes. In contrast, Wish You Were Here explored deeply emotional themes and a distinctive worldview, with a sound shaped by an interplay of melancholy and warmth. I’ve heard that many fans were initially unsure how to respond to this approach. However, its moving, deeply human content has earned greater appreciation over the years, and today it is a much-loved masterpiece among fans. David Gilmour has named it his favorite Pink Floyd album, and when the 50th-anniversary edition was released in 2025, it once again debuted at No. 1 on the UK chart. These facts speak volumes about the album’s enduring appeal. Now, in Part 2, Genshi Shinbo would perform this later Pink Floyd masterpiece in its entirety—a performance no fan would want to miss. Although The Wall is my favorite Pink Floyd album, I also remember being most excited during Roger Waters’ solo tour of Japan when he performed songs from Wish You Were Here. With my anticipation mounting, the venue went dark, and Wish You Were Here began.

1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V)

In the darkness, the synth intro played by Yoshitaka Mikuni and Harunobu Okubo rang out. Just as on the original album, sounds reminiscent of shooting stars filled the venue, while sparkling lights drew us visually into the world of the album. Yoshitaka Mikuni’s keyboard solo, with its almost coldly inorganic woodwind-like timbre, recreated the song’s melancholy. Next came Takehiko ‘shake’ Kogure’s sharp yet emotional solo on his Stratocaster. What a perfect touch! Then Yutaro Ogida began playing that legendary riff on his Stratocaster, drawing us even deeper into the world of the song. Harunobu Okubo added a synth arpeggio not found in the original, following the riff and intensifying the sorrow of the opening section. Katsumi Kashiwabara’s drums then came crashing in, and the song truly got underway. Takehiko ‘shake’ Kogure returned with another guitar solo, followed by Yoshitaka Mikuni’s synth solo and Yutaro Ogida’s guitar solo, drawing us further and further into the Pink Floyd world. And what a thrilling combination of the cold, ringing synth sounds and the hot guitar tones! I was already close to tears at this point.

Then lead vocalist Kenneth Andrew joined the performance, along with backing vocalists Reika Tomita and Yuki Hirono, and the main body of the song began. Yutaro Ogida also joined Kenneth Andrew on vocals, building up the first verse. Reika Tomita and Yuki Hirono delivered soulful backing vocals, singing out “Shine on...” and giving the song a modern pop flavor. At the same time, they brought out the deeper appeal of 1970s rock—not just Pink Floyd. When saxophonist Takeshi Abe appeared, he delivered a sax solo that was perfectly in sync with the drums. It had that unmistakable coolness you hear on jazz-rock albums! I’ve experienced Genshi Shinbo performing this song several times, but perhaps because I was listening to it as the opening track of Wish You Were Here, rather than simply as one of Pink Floyd’s signature songs, the intensity of the performance felt greater than ever. Was I the only one who felt that way?

2. Welcome to the Machine

This song feels like a scathing critique of the music industry as it transforms into a mere factory for generating profits, rather than paying attention to genuine talent and passion. It is particularly interesting that it was released after the success of The Dark Side of the Moon. The synth sounds created by Yoshitaka Mikuni and Harunobu Okubo seemed to strip human nature away completely. Katsumi Kashiwabara’s whip-like synth drums conjured up the song’s hollow world. Standing in contrast to this aesthetic of decay, the warm sounds of Takehiko ‘shake’ Kogure’s 12-string acoustic guitar and Yutaro Ogida’s 6-string acoustic guitar coexisted beautifully. Meanwhile, the twin vocals of Kenneth Andrew and Yutaro Ogida evoked images of a desolate landscape. Yoshitaka Mikuni’s synth solo and Reika Tomita’s cymbals rang out with a fierce intensity, like the mechanical noise of a factory. Within the modern civilization controlled by the very machines Roger Waters criticizes, the performance theatrically recreated the sorrow of having to somehow preserve one’s humanity and continue living. That beautiful contrast is what makes Genshi Shinbo’s tribute so distinctive! I was reminded of Roger Waters’ performance of this song during his Japan tour, but Genshi Shinbo’s rendition struck me as even more poignant.

3. Have a Cigar

This song takes the record company executives’ words of kindness and temptation and turns them directly into lyrics, delivering them with a mocking gaze. Despite being released as a single, it has rarely been performed by solo members of Pink Floyd, making this rendition particularly valuable.

Genshi Shinbo’s instrumentalists expressed the glamorous world of the music industry through a hot groove delivered at full power. Kenneth Andrew sang with an expression that seemed to satirize the way people in the industry talk, mixing an empty world into the song’s glamorous setting. Takehiko ‘shake’ Kogure’s guitar solo had a sharp, cutting edge, as though suddenly lunging at the song’s protagonist—the music-industry figure—with open hostility. Genshi Shinbo’s sound brought the world of the lyrics to life even more vividly than the sound of the original record. Now I’m really looking forward to hearing them perform The Wall as well!

4. Wish You Were Here

The song begins with Takehiko ‘shake’ Kogure’s 12-string acoustic guitar, beautifully joined by Yutaro Ogida’s 6-string acoustic guitar. This is a familiar sight at Genshi Shinbo concerts, but this time, just as with “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” the song was performed as part of the complete album recreation. I felt that this brought the warmth of the original even more strongly to the fore.

The same quality could be felt in the twin vocals of Kenneth Andrew and Yutaro Ogida. The slightly shouted scat singing during the guitar solo was also deeply moving. Katsumi Kashiwabara’s drums remained restrained, but the kick drum was prominent, giving the performance a sense of a human heartbeat. Perhaps the band was conscious that this was the point in the album where the focus turns to love for humanity. Their commitment to preserving the flow of Wish You Were Here made this performance especially moving.

5. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI-IX)

In a sense, this was one of the major highlights of the evening. It was a rare opportunity to savor every last detail of a complete performance of Wish You Were Here. Katsumi Kashiwabara’s drums landed heavily, almost as if striking at the sound of Yutaro Ogida’s cutting guitar. As I savored the joy of finally getting to hear this part, Yoshitaka Mikuni’s synth and Takehiko ‘shake’ Kogure’s slide guitar rang out brilliantly.

Just as you would expect from the album’s final track, Kenneth Andrew and backing vocalists Reika Tomita and Yuki Hirono appeared with powerful expressions, bringing the album to its grand finale. When the singing ended, a tapestry of arpeggiated guitar sounds rang out. As many people had probably been hoping, it seemed that the final section was about to begin. Then Yutaro Ogida switched to bass, and Part IX—the section featuring Richard Wright’s synth solo—finally began! You will probably never get to hear Part IX performed at a David Gilmour or Roger Waters concert. What bliss it was to be immersed in this music at full volume! Yoshitaka Mikuni’s futuristic-yet-vintage synth solo rode on an intense funk groove created by Takehiko ‘shake’ Kogure, Harunobu Okubo, Yutaro Ogida, and Katsumi Kashiwabara. This was the true essence of ‘the glorious 1970s’! I wanted to listen to it forever. But time, cruelly, kept moving forward, and the final synth outro arrived. The synth ending seemed to recreate the love for Syd Barrett to whom this song was dedicated. It was a truly moving finale.

6. Money

As the spirit of the glorious 1970s reached its peak, the sound of a cash register from this massive hit rang through the theater, as if delivering the final blow. Takeshi Abe’s sax solo was the very definition of cool, rocking, bluesy style! I often see this song performed at a faster tempo than the original as it moves into the guitar solo. This time, however, perhaps with the live performances from the Wish You Were Here era in mind, they kept the original tempo. After Takehiko ‘shake’ Kogure’s guitar solo, the soulful, softly murmured backing vocals of Reika Tomita and Yuki Hirono rang out. Harunobu Okubo then delivered a hot keyboard solo, followed by another sax solo from Takeshi Abe and a scat solo from Kenneth Andrew. When Takehiko ‘shake’ Kogure’s guitar solo began again, Kenneth Andrew started rallying the audience, as if to tell them that they were performers too! The song even included a section consisting solely of handclaps—a kind of hand-clap solo. By this point, it had become a full-blown Pink Floyd tracks party with the band and audience together. The ending was a wonderfully ‘silent and hot’ finale, featuring improvised, joyful, almost tear-jerking expressions of emotion through scat singing, guitar, and saxophone. This was simply fun, without any need to overthink it.

7. Run Like Hell

The Floyd party was not over yet! The disco number with arguably the most negative lyrics in the world, from the album The Wall, began. As in performances captured on Delicate Sound of Thunder and P.U.L.S.E., Takehiko ‘shake’ Kogure’s delayed guitar kept us waiting and waiting for the main section. When the main section finally began, Kenneth Andrew took Roger’s vocal part while Yutaro Ogida handled Gilmour’s, resulting in a fiery vocal battle of fascists! Reika Tomita’s cymbal smashes added the effect of someone commanding us to run. The performance was so powerful that I could even picture the hammers from the film Pink Floyd - The Wall! The fact that Yoshitaka Mikuni’s synth had a tone that somehow evoked Wish You Were Here also seemed to leave us with the lingering afterglow of 1970s rock. I sincerely hope Genshi Shinbo releases this performance on vinyl!

8. Comfortably Numb

Another signature song from The Wall followed. While “Run Like Hell” was performed in a style reminiscent of Delicate Sound of Thunder and P.U.L.S.E, this version of “Comfortably Numb” stayed closer to the original arrangement. Kenneth Andrew sang Gilmour’s vocal part, which also brought to mind David Bowie singing Roger’s part in David Gilmour’s live DVD Remember That Night, mentioned in Part 1.
Even after hearing it several times every year, Genshi Shinbo’s performance of “Comfortably Numb” moves me so deeply that it feels as though my tear ducts are being destroyed. I don’t think that’s simply because I’m a fan of The Wall. The organ played by Harunobu Okubo at the end also evoked “In the Flesh?”, making it irresistible for a The Wall fan like me.

9. Summer ’68

At last, an orchestra of brass players appeared on the right side of the stage! As Harunobu Okubo played the piano intro, which sounded almost like a school song, Kenneth Andrew began the song with some wonderfully natural, unadorned scat singing. Yoshitaka Mikuni’s organ and the backing vocals of Reika Tomita and Yuki Hirono added a subtle gospel flavor to the song. This time, the rich character of Takehiko ‘shake’ Kogure’s acoustic guitar stood out more than ever. Even during the instrumental interlude with the horns, his playing helped bring out a distinctly British emotional quality. Once again, this superb performance reminded me that Pink Floyd and Britain are inseparable.

10. Atom Heart Mother

“Atom Heart Mother instead of Beethoven’s Ninth again this year.” It amazes me that this catchphrase has become so firmly established. Genshi Shinbo’s performance of “Atom Heart Mother,” complete with orchestra and choir, has become a year-end tradition. I will never forget the first time I saw them perform it at Club Citta in Kawasaki. Ever since then, I’ve had the happiness of spending the end of each year with this song! This year, Kenneth Andrew was already onstage from the very beginning, watching over the large ensemble of performers. It was an impressive sight.

The moment Harunobu Okubo’s deep, rumbling organ sound began, my Pink Floyd spirit reached its peak. And yet, no matter how many times I hear it, the emotions that surge through the audience at the moment the main theme begins never change. This year, the cellist had moved to the left side of the stage for the performance. With Harunobu Okubo’s organ arpeggios and Yutaro Ogida’s bass in the background, the cello sounded profoundly rich. It is a depth of sound that is difficult to experience outside a live performance. Next came Takehiko ‘shake’ Kogure’s guitar solo. This time, the psychedelic flavor was toned down, while the Gilmour-like character remained firmly in place. The tone sounded fresh, almost as though it were bringing the sound of contemporary rock into the song. His guitar playing was incredibly cool, and I could sense a determination to pass on the greatness of this song to the next generation and to future generations.

During the “Mother Fore” section, Yuki Hirono’s vocals were joined by Reika Tomita’s voice, which layered over hers as if following in her footsteps. Together, they sounded even more majestic than on the original. Then came the sight of nearly 100 choir members, including those recruited through auditions, joining in. The sheer scale of Genshi Shinbo’s undertaking, and the intensity of their performance—powerful enough to surpass even the original band—once again left me in awe. They do this every year!

In “Funky Dung,” Harunobu Okubo’s hot electric piano and Yutaro Ogida’s bass were joined by the cool, Pink Floyd-like sound of Yoshitaka Mikuni’s Mellotron. The guitar solo rang out sharply once again, emphasizing the rock side of this suite. Yoshitaka Mikuni’s piano solo that followed also had a wonderfully rock-oriented sound.

The “Mind Your Throats Please” section is dominated by one of the most famous dissonant passages in music, one that countless people have continued to listen to over the years. The Mellotron duet by Yoshitaka Mikuni and Harunobu Okubo unfolded with thrilling intensity. The voice that sounded like a roar was not a sound effect; it was performed by Kenneth Andrew. Even the spoken section toward the end was faithfully recreated by Yutaro Ogida, as he does every year. Their attention to detail is remarkable.

The performance returned to the main theme, and “our Ninth Symphony” came to an end with a magnificent, grand finale. There is no doubt that this year’s Pink Floyd experience was so fulfilling thanks to Genshi Shinbo, who entertained us throughout the year with staging and production on a level that an ordinary cover band simply could not achieve.

Hoping that I would once again be able to enjoy Genshi Shinbo here at the end of 2026, I left EX Theater.

I was just about to put down my pen when—! News arrived about the concert at the end of 2026, so I’d like to mention it here!

In winter 2026, Genshi Shinbo announced a live tour centered on a performance of Relics, the 1971 compilation album. The tour is titled “In Tribute to Syd Barrett - Relics: 55th Anniversary of Pink Floyd’s Relics.”

Although Relics is a compilation album, it includes songs from Pink Floyd’s psychedelic pop period when Syd Barrett was still a member, the studio version of “Careful with That Axe, Eugene,” and “Biding My Time,” which was recorded around the time of Ummagumma but had remained unreleased until its inclusion on this album. It also features tracks that were not included on the original studio albums. For many years, fans have cherished Relics as an important work that offers a deeper understanding of Pink Floyd’s journey up to 1971.

The annual year-end special event, “Atom Heart Mother Instead of the Ninth,” in which Genshi Shinbo performs “Atom Heart Mother” with the Makai Orchestra, is also scheduled to return this year on an even larger scale! In addition to the customary Tokyo concert, this year’s event is also scheduled to feature a performance with the Makai Orchestra in Nagoya.

Furthermore, the choir that will join the performance of “Atom Heart Mother” at the December 30 concert at EX Theater Roppongi in Tokyo is now recruiting members, as it does every year. This is a rare opportunity to experience a Pink Floyd masterpiece onstage.

If you want to experience the history of Western music in Japan, be sure to attend the concerts. And if you’d like to sing “Atom Heart Mother” yourself, why not try joining the choir?

Let’s all enjoy the happiness of ending 2026 with Pink Floyd’s music once again!

[Event Schedule]

• December 1 (Tue.), 2026 at Nagano Live House J
  Doors Open/Show Starts 6:00 PM/6:30 PM
  Advance/Door: ¥5,500 / ¥6,000 (+ drink charge)
  General Admission (seated and standing)
• December 2 (Wed.), 2026 at Kanazawa Gold Creek
  Doors Open/Show Starts 6:00 PM/6:30 PM
  Advance/Door: ¥5,500 / ¥6,000 (+ drink charge)
  General Admission (seated and standing)
• December 4 (Fri.), 2026 at Kobe Chicken George
  Doors Open/Show Starts 6:00 PM/6:30 PM
  Advance/Door: ¥7,000 / ¥7,500 (+ drink charge)
  General Admission (seated and standing)
• December 5 (Sat.), 2026 at Kobe Chicken George
  Doors Open/Show Starts 5:00 PM/5:30 PM
  Advance/Door: ¥7,000 / ¥7,500 (+ drink charge)
• December 27 (Sun.), 2026 at Nagoya Electric Lady Land
  Doors Open/Show Starts 5:30 PM/6:00 PM
  Advance/Door: ¥8,500 / ¥9,000 (+ drink charge)
  General Admission (seated and standing)
• December 30 (Wed.), 2026 - EX Theater Roppongi
  Doors Open/Show Starts 5:00 PM/6:00 PM
  Advance/Door: ¥10,000 / ¥11,000 (+ drink charge)
  Reserved Seating

For more details, check the band’s official tour page!

Check here for information about joining the choir!

■ Members of Genshi Shinbo:
Takehiko ‘shake’ Kogure (Guitar)
Yoshitaka Mikuni (Keyboards)
Harunobu Okubo (Keyboards)
Yutaro Ogida (Bass, Guitar, Vocals)
Katsumi Kashiwabara (Drums)
Kenneth Andrew (Lead Vocals)
Reika Tomita (Chorus)
Yuki Hirono (Chorus)
Lovely Reina (Chorus)
Image courtesy of Genshi Shinbo

Lastly, let me introduce an item that will delight Pink Floyd fans, available at Sound House!

Hellforleather / Real-DG

A leather strap modeled after the one used by Dave Gilmour. It has the same specifications as the strap fitted to Gilmour’s red Stratocaster. The distance between the end-pin holes at either end is approximately 121-124 cm.
I’d love to use this strap to play Bryan Ferry’s “Slave to Love”.