Concert Recap: BE:FIRST Tell Us Who They Are With First World Tour

BE:FIRST are a seven-member boy group formed in 2021 through the reality competition show The First. The group, which consists of members Sota, Shunto, Manato, Ryuhei, Junon, Ryoki, and Leo, embarked on their first world tour titled “Who Is BE:FIRST?” on April 22, 2025. Los Angeles was their first stop of 15 across North America, Asia, and Europe. 

Inside The Novo, hundreds of fans known by the fandom name BESTY gathered. At the barricade, you could see the decorated pickets, be blinded by illuminated light sticks, and hear the excited chatter in various languages as BE:FIRST’s music played in the background. Many of these fans had been waiting since the early hours of that morning, and even more had flown in from Japan themselves to see the monumental first stop of BE:FIRST’s tour.

Standout Performances

Mainstream: It’s without a doubt that the first opening song for an entire tour would have its fair share of pressure. Would the group perform a fan favorite, or even something new, like the most recent comeback? Soon, a low gritty instrumental came in, competing with the screams of BESTY. This was “Mainstream,” their fourth single, and yet it set the tone for the rest of the concert. BE:FIRST were here to channel power through the first stop jitters. They didn’t need to start with their heavy hitters, and showed that they could command stage presence with the slower tempo beat.

Milli-Billi: BE:FIRST are a group that gets inspired by a variety of elements and sounds, and audiences can hear this range when it comes to their discography. However, there’s something special in being able to witness a dance performance where the breakdown does a style shift. It isn’t everyday that a Japanese boy band will try stepping, a percussive dance style that relies on synchronicity of not only the movement, but the sounds the dancer produces with their claps and stomps. This jaw-dropping performance of “Milli-Billi” set the bar high for what this group could achieve in terms of style, uniqueness, and execution. 

Blissful: Leaving behind the rock and hip hop elements of their other songs, the group started “Blissful,” a feel-good, upbeat, pop song that had BE:FIRST encouraging BESTY to sing along. Amidst the crowd’s “awws” of hearing this was the last song of the mainset, member Junon took the mic to tell BESTY that he wanted them all to “join together before saying goodbye to this amazing night.” The warm energy was infectious and the crowd couldn’t help but to make his wish come true, singing along at the top of their lungs.

For Fans Of…

All ages.

From the elderly man waving his arms in the back to the pair of young kids jumping around to the beat, BE:FIRST showcased a range of music that could give any casual listener at least one song to enjoy. Sometimes, one song is all someone needs to want to listen to more.

Verdict

You can tell when an artist truly enjoys being on stage, and BE:FIRST fall into this category. They’re experimental, creative, and know how to control the energy via their music.

A first world tour is a huge accomplishment, and it felt like BESTY, both local and international, wanted BE:FIRST to feel supported in their international endeavors. This created a welcoming and fun atmosphere where everyone truly just got to dance and sing along with one another.

Want to hear more from BE:FIRST? Check out EnVi‘s exclusive interview with them here!