October in Los Angeles is famously known as “Rocktober” due to its 100+ concerts performed throughout the month right before peak festival season, and with new strict vaccine mandates and mask regulations, Los Angeles is thankfully able to host Rocktober once again. When Los Angeles locals heard months ago that indie rock group Japanese Breakfast, led by female musical and literary powerhouse Michelle Zauner, would be kicking off Rocktober with 2 shows at the beloved Regent Theater with Luna Li supporting, everyone scrambled to get tickets just in time before both shows were completely sold out.
Concert goers lined up early outside the Regent Theater both nights eager to grab a spot close to the stage in their intimate GA pit. With new regulations in place for all concert goers, artists and their crew members, and venue staff to be fully vaccinated and show proof before entering the Regent, everyone felt especially safe and relaxed knowing the people around them made the extra effort to be there. Masks were also enforced while not eating or drinking during the show, further enforcing necessary safety protocol during this global pandemic.
Japanese Breakfast soon entered the stage after dreamy rock solo artist Luna Li gave a rousing performance. Michelle Zauner, vocalist and songwriter, entered the stage wearing a beautiful white lace and chiffon dress and platform black Dr. Marten’s that took her punk rock look to new heights. With a mallet in one hand, Michelle opened the show with her new album Jubilee’s opening track “Paprika,” which involves playing the gong throughout.
With the crowd now in full swing, Japanese Breakfast played a diverse set featuring a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Here You Come Again,” most of their new Jubilee album, co-produced by the band’s drummer Craig Hendrix, and fan favorites from their sophomore album Soft Sounds from Another Planet and their first release Psychopomp. Most songs involved a short explanation by Michelle before being performed, which added a nice personal touch and gave long-time fans new niche information about each song’s background. They closed out the show with large machines shooting confetti throughout the venue during “Everybody Wants to Love You” and ended the show on a high with “Posing for Cars” and “Diving Woman” as their encore performance.
Words and photos by Sarah Woods
