First announced during Anime Expo last year, Sega and Atlus held the first overseas performance of its Persona Music Experience series. Mainly relegated to Japan, shows like Persona Music Live, P-Sound Bomb, and Persona Super Live have graced Japanese venues for over a decade. With the popular JRPG franchise celebrating its 30th anniversary, Persona Live 2026: Awakenings was bound to sell out quickly, and SmashPad was fortunate enough to be invited to our pick of the three performances in Los Angeles this weekend.
It did not disappoint.
The best part was, I was simply invited to enjoy the concert. I didn’t have any talks or interviews scheduled, so it was a chill time. I don’t even think they’re expecting a write-up, but I figured I might as well talk about how the event went.
This isn’t my first rodeo when it comes to video game-themed orchestras and concerts. I’ve been to every performance of The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of Goddesses when it toured in my area, chilled with fellow trainers at Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions, rocked fast at the Sonic Symphony, and most recently joined the long journey that was the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Orchestra World Tour. As it is with all these games, Persona music is special, and it’s also unique to all these events because unlike these franchises and events I’ve mentioned, the most recent Persona games have no need for an orchestra — it’s a different vibe.
There’s rock, there’s rap and hip hop, and even acid jazz. Persona music just hits different. It energizes you in a way that makes you want to move, and Persona Live 2026: Awakenings had no shortage of that. It was all gas, no brakes.
Lyn’s vocals are breathtaking.
The show started off with music from Persona 5, specifically “Colors Flying High,” the opening theme in Persona 5 Royal performed by Lyn. She was tremendous. While there were some moments of spotlight awkwardness, she wasn’t afraid to belt or play to the crowd. It was my first time seeing and hearing Lyn live, so witnessing her speak a little bit in English was also really impressive. I don’t have a full setlist of what was performed, as there was no souvenir program to refer to, but a lot of the main hits were played to the delight of the audience. What surprised me the most was that “Last Surprise,” the popular Persona 5 battle theme, was played so early. Lyn’s performances of “Rivers in the Desert” and “Life Will Change” (my favorite song in the game) were also amazing moments that made being there feel important.
Speaking of surprises, there were a few songs performed from Persona 5: The Phantom X, the Persona 5 mobile game I’ve unfortunately never played. As usual with these video game concerts, footage from the game and key events the songs are featured in are displayed on an on-stage screen, and seeing Phantom X on there definitely had me intrigued.
Keeping the energy high were the party members from Persona 5. Ren (Joker), Ryuji (Skull), and Ann (Panther) performed to each song much in the way that they did in the Persona dancing games, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they were the motion capture folks from when those games were made as well.
It’s worth noting that there was no intermission during this two-hour show. Like I said — all gas, no brakes. Once Lyn walked off stage, the stage lights went from red to blue. We moved on from Persona 5 to Persona 3. I personally found this order of the show a little weird, especially as somebody who enjoyed P5 more than P3, but it does make sense considering Persona 3 Reload came out more recently and brought back its main rapper and vocalist.
Whereas P5‘s music is mostly rock and jazz, P3 has a lot of hip hop and soul. They went straight into it with “Color Your Night” as the lights slowly faded in to reveal rapper Lotus Juice and vocalist Yumi Kawamura doing their thing and with the crowd enjoying every second of it. It was also a joy hearing how emotional and proud Lotus Juice was. He talked about how performing in the U.S. was different because of the crowd’s energy, which we definitely had, as opposed to Japan’s, and also talked about himself being a Jersey boy. Again, like Lyn before them, the English both Lotus Juice and Yumi spoke were great.
Like a lot of people in the crowd, Persona 3 was my first experience in the Persona series, and it was definitely a treat seeing these vocal performances live. Lotus Juice is obviously supremely talented, so getting to hear “Mass Destruction” as well as the dancers (shoutout to “emo Makoto”) left a smile on my face. I had my brother with me, who is a bigger fan of Persona than I am, and it was cool seeing him vibe to everything. My favorite of the P3 performances was actually “Iwatodai Dorm,” mainly because Lotus Juice encouraged fan interactions by letting us hum the song. Dancers depicting the P3 protagonist, Makoto, and his allies, Yukari and Junpei, were all there killing it, too. Again, a vibe.
Reddit, Twitter, and the rest of the internet probably went over it, but if there was stuff to complain about, it probably has to do with things that didn’t happen. Yes, there were a number of songs that didn’t make the cut, which I fully expected — you can’t do the franchise’s entire discography in two hours. Persona 1, 2, and 4 also did not receive any acknowledgement. Again, I fully expected this. The only acts advertised were the dancers, Lyn, Lotus Juice, and Yumi Kawamura. Persona 4 is a third setlist in its own right, and its inclusion — ignoring the fact that its confirmed remake doesn’t even have a release date yet (and no, game announcements weren’t made) — would only mean more songs and acts would be omitted. I totally understand these criticisms, but I just don’t believe they were valid in what we knew this show actually would be.
That said, what were my personal qualms that I think could’ve been actionable? The event merch definitely could’ve been better. I got a hoodie and pin for myself and a shirt for my brother, but an event like this really should have a souvenir program. Atlus having the first event of its kind in America is a big deal, and there were plenty of guests who brought friends and significant others who weren’t fans of the material. The program helps make all the hype digestible. I do have to give kudos to the fact that merchandise was available for pre-order and pickup before the show, because some of those lines became unruly the closer to the show you got.
Additionally, not all the music was live. A live band definitely would’ve enhanced the presentation. Sega did it with the touring Sonic Symphony, so if Persona gets the tour treatment, I would hope it’ll come with true musical accompaniment as well.
Another issue goes back to the setlist. I’m glad Persona 5 Royal got some love, and it was a surprise to see Phantom X songs performed, but what about Persona 5 Strikers? One of my main issues with the game was that it doesn’t acknowledge the changes in Royal, but to simply ignore Strikers doesn’t make any sense to me. And no, this is not like the Persona 4 criticisms; Strikers is very much a part of the Persona 5 story, so if Phantom X was there, Strikers could’ve been there, too.
The last and probably most useless point and piece of criticism I wanted to make was with the themed drinks: They were terrible. It was basically your choice of red Persona 5 tequila or blue Persona 3 gin, and that was $30 better spent on more merch.
All that said, Persona Live 2026: Awakenings was just a great time. Thanks again to Sega, Atlus, and fortyseven for inviting me to the event and letting me bring my brother. I hope this is the first of many more Persona concerts to come, and it was an incredible way to kick off Persona‘s 30th anniversary.
First announced during Anime Expo last year, Sega and Atlus held the first overseas performance of its Persona Music Experience series. Mainly relegated to Japan, shows like Persona Music Live, P-Sound Bomb, and Persona Super Live have graced Japanese venues…
First announced during Anime Expo last year, Sega and Atlus held the first overseas performance of its Persona Music Experience series. Mainly relegated to Japan, shows like Persona Music Live, P-Sound Bomb, and Persona Super Live have graced Japanese venues for over a decade. With the popular JRPG franchise celebrating its 30th anniversary, Persona Live 2026: Awakenings was bound to sell out quickly, and SmashPad was fortunate enough to be invited to our pick of the three performances in Los Angeles this weekend.
It did not disappoint.
The best part was, I was simply invited to enjoy the concert. I didn’t have any talks or interviews scheduled, so it was a chill time. I don’t even think they’re expecting a write-up, but I figured I might as well talk about how the event went.
This isn’t my first rodeo when it comes to video game-themed orchestras and concerts. I’ve been to every performance of The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of Goddesses when it toured in my area, chilled with fellow trainers at Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions, rocked fast at the Sonic Symphony, and most recently joined the long journey that was the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Orchestra World Tour. As it is with all these games, Persona music is special, and it’s also unique to all these events because unlike these franchises and events I’ve mentioned, the most recent Persona games have no need for an orchestra — it’s a different vibe.
There’s rock, there’s rap and hip hop, and even acid jazz. Persona music just hits different. It energizes you in a way that makes you want to move, and Persona Live 2026: Awakenings had no shortage of that. It was all gas, no brakes.
Lyn’s vocals are breathtaking.
The show started off with music from Persona 5, specifically “Colors Flying High,” the opening theme in Persona 5 Royal performed by Lyn. She was tremendous. While there were some moments of spotlight awkwardness, she wasn’t afraid to belt or play to the crowd. It was my first time seeing and hearing Lyn live, so witnessing her speak a little bit in English was also really impressive. I don’t have a full setlist of what was performed, as there was no souvenir program to refer to, but a lot of the main hits were played to the delight of the audience. What surprised me the most was that “Last Surprise,” the popular Persona 5 battle theme, was played so early. Lyn’s performances of “Rivers in the Desert” and “Life Will Change” (my favorite song in the game) were also amazing moments that made being there feel important.
Speaking of surprises, there were a few songs performed from Persona 5: The Phantom X, the Persona 5 mobile game I’ve unfortunately never played. As usual with these video game concerts, footage from the game and key events the songs are featured in are displayed on an on-stage screen, and seeing Phantom X on there definitely had me intrigued.
Keeping the energy high were the party members from Persona 5. Ren (Joker), Ryuji (Skull), and Ann (Panther) performed to each song much in the way that they did in the Persona dancing games, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they were the motion capture folks from when those games were made as well.
It’s worth noting that there was no intermission during this two-hour show. Like I said — all gas, no brakes. Once Lyn walked off stage, the stage lights went from red to blue. We moved on from Persona 5 to Persona 3. I personally found this order of the show a little weird, especially as somebody who enjoyed P5 more than P3, but it does make sense considering Persona 3 Reload came out more recently and brought back its main rapper and vocalist.
Whereas P5‘s music is mostly rock and jazz, P3 has a lot of hip hop and soul. They went straight into it with “Color Your Night” as the lights slowly faded in to reveal rapper Lotus Juice and vocalist Yumi Kawamura doing their thing and with the crowd enjoying every second of it. It was also a joy hearing how emotional and proud Lotus Juice was. He talked about how performing in the U.S. was different because of the crowd’s energy, which we definitely had, as opposed to Japan’s, and also talked about himself being a Jersey boy. Again, like Lyn before them, the English both Lotus Juice and Yumi spoke were great.
Like a lot of people in the crowd, Persona 3 was my first experience in the Persona series, and it was definitely a treat seeing these vocal performances live. Lotus Juice is obviously supremely talented, so getting to hear “Mass Destruction” as well as the dancers (shoutout to “emo Makoto”) left a smile on my face. I had my brother with me, who is a bigger fan of Persona than I am, and it was cool seeing him vibe to everything. My favorite of the P3 performances was actually “Iwatodai Dorm,” mainly because Lotus Juice encouraged fan interactions by letting us hum the song. Dancers depicting the P3 protagonist, Makoto, and his allies, Yukari and Junpei, were all there killing it, too. Again, a vibe.
Reddit, Twitter, and the rest of the internet probably went over it, but if there was stuff to complain about, it probably has to do with things that didn’t happen. Yes, there were a number of songs that didn’t make the cut, which I fully expected — you can’t do the franchise’s entire discography in two hours. Persona 1, 2, and 4 also did not receive any acknowledgement. Again, I fully expected this. The only acts advertised were the dancers, Lyn, Lotus Juice, and Yumi Kawamura. Persona 4 is a third setlist in its own right, and its inclusion — ignoring the fact that its confirmed remake doesn’t even have a release date yet (and no, game announcements weren’t made) — would only mean more songs and acts would be omitted. I totally understand these criticisms, but I just don’t believe they were valid in what we knew this show actually would be.
That said, what were my personal qualms that I think could’ve been actionable? The event merch definitely could’ve been better. I got a hoodie and pin for myself and a shirt for my brother, but an event like this really should have a souvenir program. Atlus having the first event of its kind in America is a big deal, and there were plenty of guests who brought friends and significant others who weren’t fans of the material. The program helps make all the hype digestible. I do have to give kudos to the fact that merchandise was available for pre-order and pickup before the show, because some of those lines became unruly the closer to the show you got.
Additionally, not all the music was live. A live band definitely would’ve enhanced the presentation. Sega did it with the touring Sonic Symphony, so if Persona gets the tour treatment, I would hope it’ll come with true musical accompaniment as well.
Another issue goes back to the setlist. I’m glad Persona 5 Royal got some love, and it was a surprise to see Phantom X songs performed, but what about Persona 5 Strikers? One of my main issues with the game was that it doesn’t acknowledge the changes in Royal, but to simply ignore Strikers doesn’t make any sense to me. And no, this is not like the Persona 4 criticisms; Strikers is very much a part of the Persona 5 story, so if Phantom X was there, Strikers could’ve been there, too.
The last and probably most useless point and piece of criticism I wanted to make was with the themed drinks: They were terrible. It was basically your choice of red Persona 5 tequila or blue Persona 3 gin, and that was $30 better spent on more merch.
All that said, Persona Live 2026: Awakenings was just a great time. Thanks again to Sega, Atlus, and fortyseven for inviting me to the event and letting me bring my brother. I hope this is the first of many more Persona concerts to come, and it was an incredible way to kick off Persona‘s 30th anniversary.
by Danreb Victorio
