SMTOWN LIVE 2025 in Tokyo gathered 95,000 fans with 16 artists performing 51 songs over two days, celebrating 30 years of SM Entertainment.

The live event "SMTOWN LIVE 2025 in TOKYO" hosted by SM ENTERTAINMENT was held at Tokyo Dome on August 9 (Saturday) and 10 (Sunday), featuring 16 groups and 65 artists from the agency. It attracted 95,000 spectators over two days. This is the 15th year of SMTOWN LIVE being held in Japan, and it is a big event that has taken place 23 times out of a total of 36 performances at Tokyo Dome. This time, Kanta, Tohoshinki, SUPER JUNIOR, Zhoumi from SUPER JUNIOR-M, Hyoyeon from Girls' Generation, Key & Minho from SHINee, Suho, Chanyeol & Kai from EXO, Irene, Seulgi & Joy from Red Velvet, NCT 127, NCT DREAM, WayV, aespa, RIIZE, NCT WISH, Hearts2Hearts, XngHan & Xoul, and SMTR25 performed, showcasing a total of 51 songs over approximately 4.5 hours each day. Additionally, at the end of the first day on the 9th, a surprise announcement was made for "SMTOWN LIVE 2025-26 in FUKUOKA" to be held at Mizuho PayPay Dome in Fukuoka on January 31 (Saturday) and February 1 (Sunday) next year, delighting fans. This year marks the 30th anniversary of SM ENTERTAINMENT, and Tohoshinki opened the show. They performed their early hit song "Rising Sun," which left a strong impression of their rise as artists, followed by SHINee's "Lucifer" and EXO's "Growl" covered by the debut project team SMTR25. This time, in addition to rare collaborations that crossed the boundaries of their own songs and groups, hit songs celebrating the 30th anniversary of the agency, which can be considered the history of K-POP, were performed by various artists throughout the show. Furthermore, the cover songs from each group also drew attention. The rookie girl group Hearts2Hearts covered "Gee" (originally by Girls' Generation), and EXO covered "Fighting, Git It Up!" (originally by H.O.T.) faithfully expressing the original songs. EXO even paid homage to the era with their costumes. Red Velvet's "Run Devil Run" (originally by Girls' Generation) transformed into a jazz arrangement, showcasing a more mature side, while Tohoshinki expressed a new aspect as artists with delicate singing and dancing in their performance of "Psycho" (originally by Red Velvet). The collaborations that crossed group boundaries unique to "SMTOWN LIVE" were abundant. H.O.T's "Full of Happiness," representing the first generation of K-POP, featured original member Kanta collaborating with younger fourth and fifth-generation artists like Xiaojun and Hendery from WayV, Wonbin and Anton from RIIZE, and Sion and Yushi from NCT WISH. Additionally, Seulgi from Red Velvet and Sungchan from RIIZE performed a duet of "Bad Boy, Sad Girl." The gorgeous "DESSERT" was performed by Hyoyeon from Girls' Generation, Yangyang from WayV, and GISELLE from aespa, while Tohoshinki's Changmin, SUPER JUNIOR's Kyuhyun, and RIIZE's Shotaro returned to shake the Tokyo Dome again with last year's "IDOL" (originally by YOASOBI). They covered the trending song "Love♡Scream!" (originally AiScReam) this year, energizing the venue with their cute calls of "What do you like?" This time, the rookie girl group Hearts2Hearts and the artist brand XngHan & Xoul, led by Seunghan, made their first appearance. Jiwoo, the leader of the all-teen Hearts2Hearts, said, "I vowed to stand on this stage after watching aespa's senior performance at Tokyo Dome during my trainee days," and they performed their debut song "The Chase" among others. XngHan & Xoul, who just debuted on July 31, had their first stage in Japan. Seunghan expressed in Japanese, "I am really happy to be on the same stage as my seniors. I am very excited. We will also hold our first SHOWCASE in Japan in October!" NCT WISH, who decorated the debut stage at last year's "SMTOWN LIVE," appeared on the first day in prince-like white outfits. They wrapped the dome in cuteness and freshness with their debut song "WISH (Japanese Ver.)" and announced additional performances for their hall tour starting in November at Kobe World Memorial Hall in Hyogo and Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo in January 2026, exciting fans. They also revealed a teaser video for their new song "Surf," set to be released on August 12. RIIZE, who showcased sharp performances during their Japan arena tour, performed catchy songs like "Boom Boom Bass," "Bag Bad Back," which features a backpack motion as described by Shotaro, and "Fly Up," focusing on songs from their latest album, expressing their determination, "We will do our best until the Yoyogi (National Gymnasium performance) in September! We also want to stand on the Tokyo Dome stage someday!" aespa excited the venue with their new song "Dirty Work" and the super GISELLE time of "Whiplash," while during "Supernova," fans from all groups sang along loudly, shaking the dome. In their talk segment, GISELLE revealed, "We will make a comeback in Korea on September 5! I will give you a spoiler," showcasing different choreography over the two days, raising expectations for their new song "Rich Man" and mentioning their upcoming arena tour in Japan this fall. WayV sang "Give Me That (Korean Ver.)" with smiles, and Kun asked the audience, "Which do you prefer, cute WayV or sexy WayV?" before performing the sexy "Love Talk" and their latest song "BIG BANDS (Korean Ver.)." Xiaojun, who celebrated his birthday on August 8, shared with fans, "I am fresh and happy to celebrate my birthday in Japan." NCT DREAM showcased their latest album's double title tracks "BTTF" and "CHILLER," along with the refreshing Japanese second single "Moonlight," which highlighted the ad-lib parts of Renjun and Haechan. On the second day, they displayed a relaxed and fun stage filled with freedom, joking around with each other. NCT 127, who held their final performance of the world tour at Tokyo Dome in May, captivated the audience with their performance of "Walk" using bandanas amidst overwhelming cheers. After a finely polished performance, they made the audience laugh with their self-introductions, and Doyoung prompted Haechan to reveal a spoiler about his solo in September and Yuta's new album in October, leading to Haechan blowing a kiss, surprising the members. They also announced that solo concerts for Yuta and Doyoung will be held in the fall, performing "Fact Check" and "2 Baddies" to unite the audience. Mark and Haechan, who are part of both NCT 127 and NCT DREAM, showcased a performance of Mark's solo album track "+82 Pressin'" that exuded a twin vibe, captivating the audience. Red Velvet appeared with Irene, Seulgi, and Joy. In addition to collaborations and covers, they performed the classic "Bad Boy" and the summer anthem "Red Flavor." Irene and Seulgi announced, "We will hold a concert together at Tokyo Garden Theater in September!" while Joy, who will release her first solo album on August 18, expressed, "I want you to listen to my album filled with my love." From SHINee, Minho and Key each performed their solo songs. Key gave a first performance of his new song "HUNTER," set to be released on August 11. Key, who appeared with impactful red hair, shared a memory, saying, "I dyed my hair red at home yesterday. I also dyed it red at the dorm before SHINee's first Tokyo Dome performance." He energized the venue with his talk, saying, "Congratulations on SM's 30th anniversary! I will do my best to greet you again here (Tokyo Dome) with SHINee!" EXO also showcased solo songs from Suho, Chanyeol, and Kai. Suho appeared with a band and sang "1 to 3," passing the baton to Chanyeol, who passionately sang his emotional song "Thinking About It" that he wrote in Japanese while playing guitar. Kai captivated fans with his graceful dance and singing in "Wait On Me," which had a different color from the other two. In their talk, leader Suho delighted fans by stating, "(Member) Sehun will be discharged in a month. Please wait a little longer. EXO will be back!" Hyoyeon from Girls' Generation brightened the venue with her pop dance tune "Retro Romance," expressing her happiness to meet everyone in this commemorative year of the 30th anniversary. She thanked the fans, saying, "Thanks to everyone who has always waited for me without change, I can perform on stage. I am currently doing DJ and solo activities, but I will show various appearances and stages in the future. Please look forward to it." The loudest cheers were gathered by SUPER JUNIOR, who celebrated their 20th anniversary this year. After performing the historic K-POP hit "Sorry, Sorry," Heechul appeared in the latter half, eliciting surprise and joy from the audience. He responded to the cheers by shouting "SUPER JUNIOR!" at the end of the song. He also showcased his coolness as an adult artist with his dance in "Black Suit" and the activity song for their 20th anniversary, "Express Mode." The talk segment began chaotically with a humorous remark, "SUPER JUNIOR is 20 years old, SM is 30 years old, and (member) Shindong is 40 years old." In the ballad song "At Least There’s You (Korean Ver.)" by SUPER JUNIOR-M, they showcased their soothing singing voices. Kanta, the eldest of SM, performed his solo song "My Life" and the nostalgic song of H.O.T in collaboration with the aforementioned younger artists, stating, "SM is 30 years old, and this is a new beginning. I promise to continue to expand categories through good music and deliver wonderful music and performances." Tohoshinki, the oldest group, performed "Rising Sun" at the opening and "Spell-MIROTIC" at the end, showcasing their breakthrough in Korea and their expansion into Asia, representing the essence of SM with these famous songs. Tohoshinki also celebrated their 20th anniversary in Japan. Yunho announced, "We will hold fan club events in Japan starting in November, and I plan to release my first album," while Changmin shared, "I will hold a solo hall tour in Japan." BoA, who could not participate due to surgery for acute bone necrosis, celebrated her 25th anniversary this year, and before the opening on the 9th, the MV for her original new song "Good for U" was exclusively released. As symbolized by Tohoshinki's song selection and the SMTR25's 20-member "SM 30th Tribute Performance" at the end, this "SMTOWN LIVE" was structured to reflect on the 30-year history of SM ENTERTAINMENT. It is a unique attempt by SM ENTERTAINMENT to have active artists from the first generation, Kanta, to the fifth generation newcomers, all gathered in the same venue for a live performance. Expectations are already rising for the future activities of the agency's artists.