THE ALFEE in Utsunomiya

The Japanese rock trio THE ALFEE formed in 1973 and made its recording debut the following year under the name Alfie. They began with acoustic folk and later adopted pop-rock, hard-rock and progressive-rock arrangements. Their best-known songs include “Mary Ann,” “Hoshizora no Distance” and “Koibito-tachi no Pavement.” In 1982, THE ALFEE began a long-running series of open-air summer concerts. Two years later, December performances at Nippon Budokan established another concert tradition, while the outdoor series included the 1986 TOKYO BAY-AREA event. THE ALFEE performs around its three-member core, supported by additional musicians. Masaru Sakurai’s bass and lead vocals, Kohnosuke Sakazaki’s acoustic guitar and vocals, and Toshihiko Takamizawa’s electric guitar and vocals allow the set to alternate lead singers and feature three-part harmonies. THE ALFEE plays Nagoya and Osaka on its nationwide tours. The group’s year-end concert history also includes Yokohama Arena.