Cowboy Bebop's Yoko Kanno gets first U.S. concert with anime legends SEATBELTS

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Published Feb 3, 2026, 12:18 PM EST

The two-day tour comes with a twist, too

For anime fans, there are a handful of artists who, through the work, fundamentally rewired the idea of animation. Composer-performer Yoko Kanno is the rare one who worked primarily in sound. Now, this April, fans close enough to New York City will get a chance to see her rocking in her purest form.

On April 10, Kanno and her band SEATBELTS will take the stage at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn for their first-ever North American performance. The band’s music, synonymous with Cowboy Bebop, famously smashed genre boundaries, blending jazz, rock, blues, and funk into something that made perfect sense when set against Spike Spiegel’s intragalactic adventures. “I’m excited for SEATBELTS’ New York debut,” Kanno said in a statement teasing the run. “No destination. You in?”

Thankfully, Kanno will be in town for two nights — and the second show promises something even more rare. On April 11 at The Town Hall in Manhattan, Kanno will go solo for “Piano Me,” an intimate, piano-led performance designed to explore her work in a quieter, more complex emotional register. Rather than the explosive energy fans associate with SEATBELTS, the show promises layered arrangements and immersive visuals — a side of her artistry many fans may never have experienced on TV, let alone live.

Across a career that spans Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Macross Frontier, Genesis of Aquarion, video games, and live events, Kanno has reshaped how sound and story intersect. Fans can celebrate the legacy when tickets for both performances go on sale this Friday at YokoKanno.nyc.

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