Japanese Breakfast brought a spectacular show to the Regent Theatre on 10/3/21 in Los Angeles, CA for night two of her two-night weekend takeover.

Japanese Breakfast, or Michelle Zauner, has absolutely exploded in popularity the past year.  Back in 2016, she released the well-received Psychopomp, powered by thoughtful lyrics and sticky melodies.  A year later, she released another great album with Soft Sounds from Another Planet.  But it wasn’t until this year’s Jubilee that Zauner became a household indie name. Her viral presence and best-selling memoir Crying in H Mart have certainly helped as well.

With all this in mind, Zauner and her band took the stage with both confidence and exuberance on that Sunday night.  They opened with the gorgeous intro “Paprika”, with Zauner and her husband (playing guitar) exchanging knowing glances throughout.  This was their moment and it was very cool to see them relish it.

The rest of the set weaved between new songs, old songs, a Dolly Parton cover, and lovely anecdotes.  It’s not hard to root for Zauner.  She comes off genuine as can be and seems to really appreciate how far she’s come.  She even gave a special shoutout to Eloy Lugo, her publicist who she says has believed in her from the start. 

Some highlights of this set (there were many) were the breezy “Kokomo, IN”, the poppy “Savage Good Boy”, and the stunning “Slide Tackle”.  The latter found Zauner alone on her keyboard serenading the crowd.  The final song in the set was the lightning-in-a-bottle “Everybody Wants to Love You”.  It’s about as perfect a pop song you’re going to find, and it was accompanied by confetti falling onto the audience.  True bliss for both the performers and audience, alike.

Zauner and her band finished with “Diving Woman”, a shoegazy Deerhunter-esque jam. Near the end of the song, the noise all starts to blend into a thick wall of sound.  Through it, though, you can see Zauner, her husband, and the rest of the band, soaking it all in.  They’ve made it.

Photos + Review by Andrew Ameter | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!