Just a couple of nights ago, at the quaint venue space Serra on Vine, Infinity and iHeartRadio teamed up for an exclusive “Infinitely Live” event featuring a special performance by Japanese Breakfast. The showcase also featured a first look at the new 2025 Infinity QX80.
“Give yourself a round of applause for coming out on a weekday,” said Manny Streets from 104.3 MyFM and iHeart90’s, sharing a positive compliment just moments before the rambunctious crowd turned quite rude.
The night began with made-to-order cocktails and four-star hors d’oeuvres, setting the stage for frontwoman Michelle Zauner and bandmate Craig Hendrix, who were joined by three violinists and a supporting guitarist for an unplugged set of somber songs, interlaced with moments of oohs and ahhs.
As the show transitioned from a DJ playing 2010s top 40 hits to Japanese Breakfast, Zauner kept the mood light, joking about the vibe while performing songs off her forthcoming new album, For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women), which is expected to be released on March 21, 2025. The set included a mix of unreleased tracks and older favorites such as “Be Sweet” and my personal favorite from the night, “Winter in LA,” transporting the crowd to a much more emo and hazy place than the sparkly boutique wedding venue we were standing in. Japanese Breakfast also performed their gorgeous new song, “Orlando in Love.”
However, one aspect that detracted from the lovely performance was the vast majority of people standing next to the bar, talking as loudly as they could. I’ve never encountered a group as rude as this one. It got to the point where a guest had to ask them to either quiet down or leave, and unfortunately, many chose to step outside rather than enjoy the performance.
Did they not realize they were missing something truly special? An unplugged performance in a room with less than 120 people is a rare experience, especially for a beloved artist like Zauner, who will perform once again at Coachella in April and whose 2025 tour is nearly sold out. Whoever selected the audience for this performance should have curated a group of real Japanese Breakfast fans because this crowd was certainly not it. It was a truly beautiful performance, but it was still such a shame that the crowd did not reflect the thousands of Japanese Breakfast fans living in L.A. who would have been over the moon to attend this event.
Japanese Breakfast deserved better.
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If you aren’t familiar with the name Japanese Breakfast and their melancholic soft alt-rock or shoegaze music, you may have at least seen the bright red cover of Zauner’s New York Times best-selling book, “Crying in H Mart,” while you have been out and about. Taking influence from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fleetwood Mac, and Pacific Northwest artists like Mount Eerie, Japanese Breakfast has carved a path for themselves throughout the indie music scene and even into the pop world. Grimy Goods has been covering Japanese Breakfast since the release of their debut album, Psychopomp (2016), and we can’t recommend this band enough. Go see them on tour if you can snag a ticket!
Photos & Words by Asha Moné
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