Japanese Music Legend to Perform Before Home Game at Dodger Stadium This Year
Japanese music legend Yoshiki will be performing at Dodger Stadium this year ahead of a Dodgers home game.
Yoshiki, from the legendary bands “X Japan” and “The Last Rockstars,” will perform a live piano rendition of the Star Spangled Banner before the Dodgers vs. Washington Nationals on April 16. He made the announcement on Tuesday at a press conference.
April 16 is also Hello Kitty Night at Dodger Stadium, and Yoshiki is composing the theme song for Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary, per the Hollywood Reporter. That song is set to be released sometime this spring.
The Dodgers signed the two biggest Japanese free agents this offseason in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
With both Ohtani and Yamamoto in Los Angeles, the Dodgers are quickly became the favorite team in Japan.
Yamamoto’s former team, the Orix Buffaloes, recently posted on Instagram in Dodgers gear to support Yamamoto, while Ohtani has converted his fair share of fans in Japan to the Dodgers.
Ohtani’s introductory press conference with the Dodgers was broadcast on every television station in Japan, and got more views than the entire 2023 World Series.
It may be too early to call the Dodgers “Japan’s team,” but with Ohtani and Yamamoto there for the next decade — and an influx of young Japanese talent continuing to join MLB and potentially being pursued by the Dodgers — they may very well become that team sooner rather than later.
To purchase tickets to the April 16 game, you can click here.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
