Eiichi Ohtaki Tribute Concert 'A Tribute to EIICHI OHTAKI' Held; Akira Kobayashi Makes Surprise Appearance

On June 10, 2026, the tribute concert 'A Tribute to EIICHI OHTAKI' took place at SGC Hall Ariake in Tokyo as part of the 'MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2026' (MAJ) event week.

Over the course of three hours, a diverse group of guests performed classic songs Ohtaki composed during his time in 'Happy End,' his solo career, and as a songwriter. The stage opened with NIAGARA'S CLUB BAND performing 'Natsu no Paperback' and 'Kimi wa Tennenshoku,' which featured archived vocal recordings of Ohtaki himself.

Actor Shiro Sano served as narrator, mimicking the radio program 'Go! Go! Niagara.' Featured guests included Mari Sugiyama, Ginji Ito, Tortoise Matsumoto, Marina Watanabe, Junichi Inagaki, Maki Nomiya, Fumiya Fujii, and Humbert Humbert. The crowd's reaction peaked during a surprise appearance by Akira Kobayashi, who appeared in a white suit to perform 'Atsuki Kokoro ni.' Minako Yoshida closed the evening with 'Yume de Aetara.'