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coldrain get Sakurazaka46 fans spinning penlights during one of their heaviest songs

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There are plenty of things you expect to see during a coldrain set. Penlights, more commonly associated with idol shows, are not usually one of them.

That changed on Saturday, January 24th, when the band appeared at day 1 of FUKUOKA MUSIC FES. 2026 and found themselves playing to a crowd partially made up of fans waiting for Sakurazaka46, one of Japan’s most popular idol groups, who were due on the opposite stage shortly after. At Fuku-Fes, performances alternate between left and right stages inside the same dome.

With moshing off the table, frontman Masato addressed the idol fans directly, telling them, “For the next song, I wanna see you spinning those penlights around”, before launching into ‘Rabbit Hole’, one of the heaviest tracks in their catalogue. To the surprise of many in the room, they did. Red lights first flared from a dense pocket of Buddies, the official name for Sakurazaka46’s fanbase, at the front of the right stage, before gradually spreading across the dome.

Fan-shot footage of Sakurazaka46’s Buddies during coldrain’s ‘Rabbit Hole’ filling the dome with red penlights.

The moment spread quickly online. “When you’re told something like that, it’s all about the ‘We’ve got this, Buddies!’ spirit”, wrote one Sakurazaka46 fan, as penlights lit up from the floor through to the stands. coldrain fans, meanwhile, reacted with equal disbelief. “coldrain × penlights is something you’ll probably never see again lol”, one wrote. Sakurazaka46 fans thanked coldrain for the invitation, while longtime coldrain listeners returned the sentiment, praising the Buddies for throwing themselves into the moment.

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coldrain bassist RxYxO later acknowledged just how unlikely the situation was, posting on X:

“First festival of 2026—Fuku-Fes!
Thank you for inviting us again this year!
A timetable that sandwiches Sakurazaka46 between coldrain and Hormone probably won’t be easily realised again in the future, so burn it into your hearts 🤘”

Fan-shot footage showing a dense cluster of Sakurazaka46’s Buddies at the front of the right stage, waving penlights during coldrain’s ‘Rabbit Hole’.

FUKUOKA MUSIC FES., held at Mizuho PayPay Dome Fukuoka and produced by Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, Space Shower Entertainment, and BEAMS, has built its identity around mixed bills that would rarely exist elsewhere. This year’s Saturday line-up continued that theme, placing Sakurazaka46 directly between coldrain and MAXIMUM THE HORMONE.

MAXIMUM THE HORMONE frontman DAISUKE-HAN also took advantage of the opportunity, sharing a backstage photo with Sakurazaka46 captioned, “That time I got reincarnated as Sakurazaka46”.

coldrain
OPTIMIZE

Release Date: 24/10/2025
Label: Century Media Records
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Music