ライトニングカタパルト（Lightning Catapult）currently outside the Japan top 100
「The Weekndの目からレーザー」#68
DJ Matsunaga of Creepy Nuts (クリーピーナッツ) spent roughly two weeks opening for The Weeknd's Asia tour across Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand, offering a rare inside look at a global stadium production that travels with 150-plus staff, a personal chef, and eye-mounted lasers that light up entire arenas. The most startling detail: despite sharing the same tour for two weeks across multiple countries, Matsunaga never once crossed paths with The Weeknd himself, kept at bay by an ironclad security protocol.
What this episode answers
What approach did Creepy Nuts take when performing as openers in each country?
They committed to a 'don't ask for too much' philosophy, embracing the warm-up role rather than trying to steal the spotlight—R handled MCs in local languages to hype the crowd while Matsunaga delivered a wordless, consistent DJ set exactly as he would in Japan.
How did audience reactions differ across Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand?
Singapore and South Korea both came together by the second night, but Thailand across three nights was the toughest—carefully rehearsed Thai-language MCs somehow killed the energy, while English and Japanese got a bigger response.
How large-scale was The Weeknd's tour, and what was his performance like?
The tour runs 150–160 staff with a personal chef; The Weeknd performed for two hours without MC breaks or water, maintaining perfect pitch three nights in a row, and fired stadium-wide lasers from the eyes of his mask alongside massive gold-robot set pieces.
Why was Matsunaga unable to meet The Weeknd despite touring with him for two weeks?
A strict security protocol requires all staff to clear the corridors and wait in their dressing rooms every time The Weeknd enters or exits the venue, so despite two weeks and multiple countries together, Matsunaga never once encountered him—he is now pinning his hopes on the final Malaysia date.
How does R-Shitei behave in Creepy Nuts' work group LINE chat?
R almost never replies to the group LINE, leaving Matsunaga to handle virtually every design, video, and mastering approval alone, though R reliably sends a message only when he is busy recording for RAPSTAR, announcing he is 'tied up and will leave it to everyone.'
Still Adjusting to Japan: Four Straight Days of Stomach Trouble
DJ Matsunaga returned home on October 14th after two weeks on The Weeknd's Asia tour, where Creepy Nuts served as the opening act. The run covered Singapore (two nights), South Korea (two nights), and Thailand (three nights), with one date remaining—Malaysia, around November 4th.
Back in Japan, Matsunaga said he's been feeling a little lonely. On the road the entire crew travels together, so you're surrounded by people constantly, and he found that steady human contact felt closer to a "normal way of living" than his everyday life at home. Things weren't helped by four consecutive days of stomach pain and diarrhea since landing. "Maybe my body just doesn't agree with Japan," he said, half laughing.
"Don't Ask for Too Much" — The Opener Philosophy That Guided Every Show
Walking out in front of 50,000 Weeknd fans in a stadium is about as hostile a starting point as an opening act can face. Matsunaga and R-Shitei (R-指定) settled on a single guiding principle before departure: don't ask for too much. Rather than over-hype the crowd or push for their own moment, they would play the role of a pre-show designed to get everyone ready to enjoy The Weeknd's set.
R worked MC duties in local languages to warm the room up, and the line that landed best was essentially: "You're pumped for The Weeknd, right?" Singapore clicked on night two, South Korea the same. Thailand across three nights was the steepest challenge. R went as far as calling in a translator and drilling his Thai pronunciation—but the carefully rehearsed Thai MC somehow deflated the crowd, while shouting in English or Japanese fired them up just fine. The Thailand shows ultimately settled into a cooler, more understated tone, and Matsunaga says they came away reasonably satisfied.
Matsunaga's own approach never varied by country: no words, just the same DJ set he would play anywhere in Japan. He noted that overseas audiences respond more visibly to raw DJ technique, and getting clear, immediate feedback on a skillful mix was its own reward.
150 Staff, a Personal Chef, and Lasers from His Eyes: The Scale of a Weeknd Tour
Nothing quite prepares you for seeing a major global tour up close. The Weeknd travels with 150 to 160 people. A dedicated personal chef is on the road—Matsunaga spotted a sign backstage that simply read "Abel's Chef." The production hauls enormous set pieces—gold robot statues among them—from country to country, a logistical cost Matsunaga found genuinely staggering.
The performances were another level entirely. Two hours on stage, almost no MC breaks, not a sip of water, and perfect, transparent pitch from start to finish—then the same again the next night, and the night after. "Something about him doesn't quite work as a biological organism," Matsunaga said, genuinely puzzled. The effect that stopped him cold: while wearing a mask, The Weeknd fires lasers from the eyes powerful enough to reach every corner of the stadium. "I'd love that setup for myself—though it would make DJing pretty difficult," Matsunaga joked, his admiration entirely sincere.
Two Weeks, Multiple Countries, Never Once Met: Security as a Way of Life
Of everything he witnessed on tour, Matsunaga was most struck by the security operation around The Weeknd himself. Every time The Weeknd enters or exits the venue, every staff member is directed back to their dressing room and the corridors are completely cleared before he moves. The protocol is absolute.
The result: despite two weeks and multiple countries alongside the same touring party, Matsunaga never once encountered The Weeknd in person. The crew even carved out a group vacation in Pattaya between dates—all 150 to 160 people—though Creepy Nuts weren't included. Even so, Matsunaga was grateful: "I don't think there's been a precedent for a Japanese act joining a major international artist's overseas tour like this. It's probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience." He's holding out hope for Malaysia, the final date. "I'm choosing to believe I'll actually meet him there," he said.
R's Habit of Ignoring the Group LINE—and a Listener Who Can Relate
A listener letter (radio name: Marion) described working from home and ignoring their manager's work emails for roughly 48 hours—only to instantly reply to a colleague's restaurant recommendation while the manager was sitting right beside them, leading to a frantic scramble to catch up.
Matsunaga laughed because it hit close to home. In Creepy Nuts' shared LINE group with management and their label, virtually every design check, video approval, and audio mastering sign-off is handled by Matsunaga alone—it's unclear whether R even reads the messages. The one reliable exception: whenever R is busy recording for RAPSTAR, he sends a timely note saying he is "tied up with judging right now and will leave everything to everyone." Matsunaga recounted it with a wry smile—R communicates only when he has a reason to show he's occupied.
Takeaways
- By committing to a 'don't ask for too much' opener stance, Creepy Nuts made a positive impression across the Asia tour, though Thailand was the outlier—rehearsed Thai-language MCs backfired while English and Japanese got the crowd going.
- The Weeknd's tour operates at a staggering scale—150 to 160 staff, a personal chef, two-hour pitch-perfect sets delivered three nights running, and eye-mounted lasers that illuminate entire stadiums.
- Airtight security kept The Weeknd completely out of reach throughout the two-week, multi-country tour, meaning Matsunaga never once met him, and all hopes are now riding on the final Malaysia show.
This article is edited from a machine transcript of the first 30 minutes of the episode. It is not an official summary — please listen to the episode itself.