CONCERT REVIEW: Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW (June 14, 2026 PM Performance)

You can find out more about Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW at the official website.

You can follow Nobuo Uematsu at SMILE PLEASE’s website, on X, on Facebook and Instagram, and on YouTube.

You can also find out more about AWR Music at their official website, on Instagram, on Facebook, on LinkedIn, and on X.

Tickets for Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW in Los Angeles, California on October 31, 2026, are on sale NOW.

Spoiler-Free Review

You need to see Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW if you are a fan of Nobuo Uematsu’s music, or if you just like experimental jam sessions at all. You will hear arrangements of music from FINAL FANTASY and you will hear original compositions by Uematsu-san during the concert, and this is clearly a show made by him and for him to enjoy performing with his ensemble band.

The show lasts ultimately a bit less than two hours after the encore, and it includes a 15-minute intermission that was (at least for the Carnegie Hall stop) placed just shy of 40 minutes into the concert. If you don’t like what is currently being performed on stage, just know it will change into something completely different quickly thereafter, as the Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW really shows off the depth and breadth of Nobuo Uematsu’s composing prowess and musical history.

If you want the full spoiler review, just jump below the picture for my full thoughts.

Nobuo Uemtasu playing the piano at Nobuo Uemtasu con TIKI Show — *Nobuo Uematsu playing the piano at Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI Show at Carnegie Hall. (Image owned by AWR Music).*

Spoiler Review

Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW is not another edition of the excellent Distant Worlds: Music from FINAL FANTASY (oprainfall’s review) or A New World: intimate music from FINAL FANTASY (oprainfall‘s review) concerts that showcase music from the FINAL FANTASY series with varying orchestra sizes while remaining almost completely faithful to the in-game versions. Instead, Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW is what happens when Nobuo Uematsu is given free rein to design his own show where he isn’t beholden to anyone but himself on what or how he wants to perform with his ensemble group. Each Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW show is different because of this. With different compositions being played (and yes, FINAL FANTASY music present as a through-thread for the show) Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW shows that Uematsu-san is so much more than just that video game series.

I am reviewing the North American, second show, debut of Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. As I mentioned before, each show is different and contains a different set list, and so you can expert your own show to be somewhat similar to — yet most likely different — from mine.

Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW opened with some compositions by Nobuo Uematsu taken from/inspired by his album Modulation – FINAL FANTASY Arrangement Album. If you haven’t listened to that album, then you should know it is a 2022 album released by SQUARE ENIX Music where Uematsu-san recreates classic FINAL FANTASY music with synthesizers and other electronic tools at his disposal. He played several pieces, such as Battle on the Big Bridge (FINAL FANTASY V) and Terra’s Theme (FINAL FANTASY VI) from that album to open Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW. In my opinion, that was the weakest aspect of the show, as it was essentially Uematsu-san playing his electronic piano while being accompanied by a pre-recorded track, with both him and the piano angled towards the audience on the elevated stage. The projected screen behind the concert venue did not show him playing but instead only showed a static image that changed color occasionally. What all this meant was that if you were seated away from where the piano was staged on stage right, you did not see much of anything happening on stage. I am a real fan of Modulation – FINAL FANTASY Arrangement Album, but the way those tracks were presented on stage simply did not showcase Uematsu-san’s creativity in playing in a visible way to the crowd at large for a concert that relies so much on visuals in almost everything else. I think that portion of the concert suffered once the visual aspect of the show was removed from a large portion of the audience’s sight because of that.

Of course, Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW is not just Nobuo Uematsu performing solo for nearly two hours. Instead, there are an additional five members of the band who also appear on stage: Xiao (vocalist), Rie Tozuka (narrator), Michio Okamiya (guitar), Chihiro Fujioka (percussion), and Nubia (cello).

Full con TIKI band taking a final bow together. — The full band that performed at Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW taking their final bow together. From left to right: Michio Okamiya, Rie Tozuka, Nobuo Uematsu, Xiao, Michio Okamiya, and Nubia. (Image owned by AWR Music).

If Rei Tozuka’s voice sounds familiar to you, then you most likely recently heard her in Fantasian: Neo Dimension as a narrator or previously from Valkyria Chronicles as Susie Evans. She provided all the vocal talent in two performed animated stories: The Journey of Rani & Kai and Mamorigami. These two stories were set to live music played by Uematsu-san on the piano, and they placed Tozuka-san front and center beneath as she provided all of the voices while these beautifully depicted stories unfolded on the screen above. Thankfully, there were English subtitles presented so those of us in the North American audience can follow what is happening on screen. Watching Tozuka-san provide live voices for multiple characters having back and forth dialogue in The Journey of Rani & Kai was a jaw-dropping experience, as all the characters sounded completely different in a way that really showcased Tozuka-san’s tonal spread and inflection range. The fact she made it look effortless as she threw herself into these characters was mindblowing. The accompanying animations were quite wonderful too, and I liked that Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW kept varying the style of art used to keep it appropriate to the story being told.

The 15-minute intermission came in at 37ish minutes into the show after another track from Modulations, and the full band was welcomed to the stage afterwards. In what was the most surprising part of Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW for me, the show became almost completely not about Uematsu-san from there on out, but instead really showcased the entire group as an ensemble. For example: Michio Okamiya, Chihiro Fujioka, and Nubia were there to play instruments, and they were really each given opportunities to shine throughout the remainder of the show, and they expertly lent their playing prowess to making the remaining six pieces (before the encore) shine.

Xiao provided the vocal song performances for Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW. She sang multiple songs across the concert, including Melodies of Life (FINAL FANTASY IX), Kiss me Goodbye (FINAL FANTASY XII), and Eyes on Me (FINAL FANTASY VIII). These vocal songs were not played as a one-to-one composition like the original soundtracks like you would expect to hear at a Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY concert, and that makes sense because of the limited number of band members present. However, they were absolutely instantly recognizable.

Xiao performing Money Talks, Even in Hell at Nobuo Uemtasu con TIKI Show at Carnegie Hall. — *Xiao performing Money Talks, Even in Hell at Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW at Carnegie Hall. (Image owned by AWR Music).*

What absolutely was the show-stopping moment of Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW for me, however, was when Xiao sung Answers from FINAL FANTASY XIV Online. This was the debut performance for that song by Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW, and it was the first time I have heard that song sung live in a long time. The depth of emotion in Xiao’s voice, and the clarity of her voice that rang out over the audience as she sang the lyrics “walk free” and “entrust unto tomorrow” made me feel like I was back at the end of 1.0 watching Dalamud crash down into Eorzea as battle raged on the Plains of Carteneau. There was such a rich depth of heart, desperation, and emotion in her voice that you could not help but be swept away by her vocals as she effortlessly held the audience in her hand. If Naoki Yoshida (producer/director for FINAL FANTASY XIV Online) does not request Xaio to perform Answers at a future Eorzean Symphony concert (oprainfall‘s review), then that is a seriously missed opportunity for fans of FINAL FANTASY XIV Online to witness a modern-day, perfect, recitation of this classic. That one performance alone was worth the price of admission to Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW and I hope it will be a staple for the remainder of this year’s tour.

Xiao singing Suteki Da Ne and Melodies of Life at a prior Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW.

Of course, the second half of the show contained more original music by Nobuo Uematsu that was not related to FINAL FANTASY. My personal favorite was Money Talks, Even in Hell, which was another energetically vocal song (with Tozuka-san as a backup vocalist) that was uniquely weird and yet funny in its own way. A lot of the animation in the back-half of the concert utilized ink line drawing graphics, which I thought was rather unique, and it really helped to develop the stories being told as they descended further and further into quirky madness. Another song I particularly enjoyed was I’ve Been Waiting All Along, composed by Nobuo Uematsu for Hironobu Sakaguchi (creator/director of FINAL FANTASY) when his grandson was born. This was another narrative track voiced by Tozuka-san in Japanese, and other than the first couple of minutes which bafflingly did not have an English accompanying translation available on the screen, was an intimately told story about a baby coming into the world and finding a family.

With Money Talks, Even in Hell presenting a wildly energetic, upbeat composition with soaring vocals, and I’ve Been Waiting All Along having a much slower and intimate heartbeat that focuses on storytelling while accompanied by soft instrumentation, these two songs showcase the sheer variety of music present at Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW. If you do not like what you’re currently seeing for some reason, then the show is about to go in a completely different direction just a few minutes later. Uniquely, Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW does not have a dedicated setlist for each show, and so you will most likely see something different every time you attend, too! My personal favorite composition by Uematsu-san, the little-known The Forest of Thousand Years, did not make an appearance tonight, but I am hopeful it will appear at a future stop.

Additional photography from Nobuo Uemtasu con TIKI SHOW. — Even though the concert was nearly two hours long (with an intermission), it did not seem that long with the full band on stage interacting and having fun during the performance. (Image owned by AWR Music).

The merchandise situation was also fitting for an indie band group. There were literally only T-shirts and tote bags available for purchase, but I was pleased with the quality of the shirts available. If you have a meet-and-greet for the band, and you don’t know what to have everyone to sign, I suggest you buy a Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW tote and request everyone sign it. It makes for a really cool keepsake! I am hopeful that at later shows this year, they will start selling their brand-new first album, AKARIGATARI (アカリガタリ), currently available digitally and through Nobuo Uematsu’s official Japan-exclusive online store.

The double-sided shirt and tote bag sold at Nobuo Uemtasu con TIKI Show. — *The double-sided shirt and tote bag sold at Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW. This was the only merchandise sold at the Carnegie Hall tour stop. (Image by author).*

If you are a FINAL FANTASY fan and you are coming to see FINAL FANTASY music performed by the composer himself, then you’re going to walk away happy. If you’re a fan of Uematsu-san and/or indie shows, and yet you do not care for FINAL FANTASY, you’re still going to be satisfied. Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW is an amazing, can’t miss concert for music fans. Even if you missed the two performances at Carnegie Hall, there are still three more North American performances in Los Angeles (October 31, 2026), Toronto, Canada (November 4, 2026), and Seattle (November 6, 2026). While tickets for Toronto and Seattle are sold out as of this review being published, there are still plenty of tickets available for the Los Angeles show at the link listed below.

If you have the time (or even if you don’t), you should go see Nobuo Uematsu con TIKI SHOW, as I promise you won’t regret it.