Snow Man's dome tour stopped in Hokkaido from October 30 to November 1, and a high school brass band from the prefecture played as part of the show. The band's appearance was not announced beforehand, and it drew both praise and criticism from fans, Tokyo Sports reported.
All nine members performed, including Meguro Ren, 29, who joined the tour while filming abroad. The band was the brass band club of Komadai Tomakomai High School, formally called a 吹奏楽局 (suisōgakukyoku), whose performances are considered national-level. The school is also known as the alma mater of Giants pitcher Tanaka Masahiro.
An entertainment industry figure told Tokyo Sports that fans reacted in two directions. Some said they were moved. Others asked why a high school band was playing at all.
Fans who travel to a Hokkaido show are mostly not locals, the same person said. Many fly in from Tokyo and elsewhere around the country and pay for airfare and a night's hotel before the concert. "They came to Hokkaido looking forward to the show, and then a high school brass band suddenly played, so there were surprised voices too," the person said.
A rare pairing, and no explanation
Idol groups from Johnny's, now SMILE-UP., and STARTO Entertainment rarely sing with a high school brass band behind them. The nearest recent example is SUPER EIGHT, which collaborated with the Komazawa University High School brass band at a Yokohama show in October 2024.
Snow Man's collaboration with the Tomakomai band was not announced in advance, and the reason for it was not made public either.
STARTO checks staging and information control closely whenever one of its groups works with an outside partner, including partners outside the entertainment industry. The same scrutiny has been visible in Travis Japan's collaborations. The group is an ambassador for the J.League's 2026 and 2027 seasons, and on August 7 the members appeared at the J1 opener between Yokohama F. Marinos and Kashima Antlers at the Japan National Stadium, performing "On My Road." They have since been visiting J2 and J3 grounds in turn.
J.League clubs that have dealt with STARTO come away surprised by how closely the company checks staging and information, a music industry figure told Tokyo Sports. The company appears determined to make each collaboration succeed. "That is why the Snow Man collaboration with the Komadai Tomakomai band leaked in advance nowhere and reached fans as a surprise," the person said.
On social media, a detail known by one person can spread across the country in moments. STARTO is thought to have met the school repeatedly to settle the staging and to have asked the band and the school to keep it quiet.