Marty Friedman at the Cotton Club
Marty Friedman, the guitar maestro who keeps moving forward.
Marty Friedman at the Cotton Club, Marunouchi, Tokyo, Japan on 2nd January 2026
I go to a lot of concerts. The artist I have seen perform live the most is, without doubt, Marty Friedman. I have no idea how many times I have seen him in concert. But it’s many times. What sets Marty apart from many other guitar wizards is that he continues to push the boundaries and bend the rules. Where many other guitarists, once they get recognised as special, stop innovating. They continue to perform the same songs and musical style that made them famous. But often they quickly become boring because we know exactly what to expect when there is a new album or a performance. Same, same.
Marty is different. He doesn’t stand still. He keeps moving forward as an artist. At the Cotton Club in Tokyo, Marty played two immaculate sets containing a variety of musical styles. One moment, he was sitting down with an acoustic guitar, playing the romantic ballad “Romance no Kamisama”. A few moments later, he was jumping around and shredding away on thrash metal classic “Tornado of Souls”. The sharp contrasts are part of what makes Marty different. He is such a fabulously enjoyable artist to follow.
Marty’s band was rock solid as expected. The core band – Chargeeeeee on drums, Naoki Morioka on guitar and Wakazaemon on bass – was once again joined by Mika Maruki on keyboards. With such a foundation in place, Marty could do his thing without having to worry.
The two identical sets were almost entirely instrumental. We got favourites such as “Deep End”, “Angel”, “Kaze ga Fuiteiru”, “Illumination”, “Tearful Confession”, “Amagi-goe” and “Kaeritakunattayo”. On “Waka Hyper”, we got to hear Wakazaemon sing lead. The unexpected twist this time was the splendid track “Lung”. “Lung”, a terrific bass-happy rock song with a mix of Japanese and English lyrics, was written by Wakazaemon and released as a solo single by her a few months ago. Here, Marty took a backseat and let Wakazaemon shine on both bass and lead vocals.
What an enjoyable way to kick off what is shaping up to be a busy year of live music: Not one, but two, fabulous shows by the one and only Marty Friedman.
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