V6's last concert: the final night of "LIVE TOUR V6 groove" at Makuhari Messe, Chiba, November 1, 2021

About the artist

V6 was formed in 1995 as the image characters for that year's Volleyball World Cup, and debuted on November 1, 1995, with the single "MUSIC FOR THE PEOPLE"^[1]. Within the group were two sub-units: 20th Century, nicknamed Tonisen (Masayuki Sakamoto, Hiroshi Nagano and Yoshihiko Inohara), and Coming Century, nicknamed Kamisen (Go Morita, Ken Miyake and Junichi Okada)^[1]. Their debut event was held at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, and Yoyogi became known as the group's "sacred ground"^[2].

Their signature songs include "Ai Nanda" ("it's love"), "WA ni Natte Odorō" ("let's dance in a circle") and "Darling". The variety series Gakkō e Ikō! ("let's go to school!") brought them a wide audience, and they appeared on NHK's New Year's Eve show Kōhaku Uta Gassen three years running from 2014. In 25 years, no member ever left^[1]. On their 25th anniversary, November 1, 2020, they streamed a concert without an audience from Yoyogi^[3].

Why this was the last show

On March 12, 2021, the group's agency announced on its website that V6 would disband on November 1^[4][1]. According to the statement, the six had been talking more and more since around spring 2019, with their 25th anniversary in view. In those talks Go Morita said he wanted to take on new challenges as an actor, and the other five accepted his wish. Throughout, the statement said, they had shared one conviction: V6 could only be these six^[4]. The breakup was set for their debut anniversary; 20th Century would continue as a unit, while Coming Century would end along with V6^[1].

In July a nationwide tour, LIVE TOUR V6 groove, was announced: the group's first in four years, since 2017, and its last. The final show, on November 1, the day of the breakup, would be streamed live^[3][5]. The album STEP, released on the opening day, September 4, was all new songs, every one produced by the six themselves^[5][6]. The tour visited nine cities and ended with two nights, October 31 and November 1, at Makuhari Event Hall in Chiba^[5]. TBS's CDTV Live! Live!, broadcast on October 25, was announced as V6's last music TV appearance, with a setlist that included the first TV performance of "Me o Tojireba" ("if I close my eyes"), a song made for the tour^[7][8].

What is known about the day

November 1 was exactly 26 years after the debut^[2]. The show was also streamed live^[9][10].

It opened with "Ame" ("rain") from STEP, the members' shadows cast on six white scrims, each 12 meters long^[10][11]. The members chose the 41-song setlist^[10]. It took in a medley in which Tonisen and Kamisen each sang four songs from 1996 to 2008, a Eurobeat medley running from the debut single "MUSIC FOR THE PEOPLE" to "TAKE ME HIGHER", and two songs from STEP sung by the sub-units, "High Hopes" by Kamisen and "Guddo Rakku Beibī" ("good luck, baby") by Tonisen^[11][9]. According to Oricon News, 14 of the songs were being sung for the first time, and seven performances had new choreography^[11]. During the singles medley the stage rose 6.5 meters, and the six also rode carts around the hall^[9][10].

In one talk segment they explained how the tour came to end at Makuhari. According to Yoshihiko Inohara, V6 had customarily held their closing shows at Yoyogi, but this time, because of the Olympics, they could not book it. Makuhari Messe had kept the dates open for them while it was still unclear whether Yoyogi would be free, telling them V6 belonged at Yoyogi and offering Makuhari only if that fell through. When Junichi Okada said that would make anyone fall for the place, the audience applauded, and Inohara joked that Makuhari was now their hometown^[2].

The main set closed with "Me o Tojireba", still unreleased, its lyrics and the members' smiling faces on the LED screens^[11][9][8]. In the encore, a film made from fans' message cards and their recorded voices saying "thank you" was shown^[9][12].

In the farewell speeches, Inohara said he had expected to feel sad but had simply had fun^[13]. Masayuki Sakamoto, the leader, said he had found a goal: to come back to this view one day^[14]. Hiroshi Nagano, eyes wet, thanked the fans whose applause and thanks had kept him going^[15][12]. Ken Miyake said this might be the loneliest day of everyone's life, his own included, and asked fans to keep loving V6^[16]. Go Morita said he was happy that they could end while people still wished they wouldn't, and asked fans to believe in the six^[13]. Okada said they could finish having found the best in one another, still sensing there was more they could do^[13][11].

The last song was "95 groove", in the encore. The six kept smiling and waving until they were out of sight; then a message from them appeared on the screen, thanking the fans; it included the words "until we meet again, someday, somewhere"^[12][2][10].

What the show left behind

The show was released on Blu-ray and DVD as LIVE TOUR V6 groove on April 13, 2022, in three editions, and the label's product page says every edition contains the complete final show^[17][18]. First edition B comes with a CD holding the first releases of "Me o Tojireba" and "Kagami" ("mirror"); the standard edition's cover is a photo of the six taken by Okada^[17][19]. In its first week it sold about 92,000 Blu-rays and 29,000 DVDs, entering Oricon's DVD, Blu-ray and combined music-video charts at No. 1^[8].

Separately, an October show from the same tour at Saitama Super Arena, LIVE TOUR V6 groove at SAITAMA, began streaming on Prime Video on December 10, 2021, with subtitles in seven languages^[20].

Oricon News described the farewell concert as one that brought together the V6 everyone knew and a V6 no one had seen yet, still trying new things to the very end^[11]. Four years after the breakup, on November 1, 2025, the 30th anniversary of the debut, 400 songs by V6 and Coming Century arrived on streaming and download services^[21][22].

V6 began on November 1, 1995, and ended on November 1, 2021, with the same six members on stage as on the first day.