Kame no Ongaeshi 5/3/09: Nihon Budoukan
May. 3rd, 2009 11:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meimichi
This was my first time at the Budoukan. Very small and compact. The globe shape is kind of fun in how compact it is because you can see the whole audience. Though the downside of being able to see everything in the round, is that when people are opening the doors to go to the bathroom during the show, it's super distracting.
The stage was shaped like three squares, rotated and stacked on top of each other in a line. The orchestra pit was in the middle square. Weird shape, and nobody used the stage to great effect except Ga-su. (I have no idea what his fans call him, after Shukudai I only think of him as Ga-su. XD)
I was near the very top. They only used the screens about 1/4 of the time. This pissed me off. If you have them and are taping, use the damn things the whole time so everyone can see, please. I admit to having a massive entitlement complex as an audience member due to going to way too many idol concerts where the audience is rewarded with princess treatment no matter where their seat is... But, when shows do their ticketing through a lottery, I think it's bullshit not to use the screens for the benefit of those far away when they paid the same price as the people in the arena. Blah.
Kameda-san played guitar for all acts. There was a full orchestra accompanying many of the acts which was truly lovely. The sound quality was dubious, I thought, "Again, this place's sound system wasn't designed to be a concert hall." All the speakers were in the center with none behind the audience. A lot of the time the vocals and the music were competing against each other too much for volume. If I didn't already know the song, I couldn't decipher the lyrics because the sound quality was so poor. This might have been because of my seat to an extent, though; people with closer seats might have been better situated to hear better.
The breaks between acts had a sort of narrated picture book being shown on the screens. Some chapters had illustrations, some were photo stories.
Spitz
Haru no Uta
Cherry
Memories
Mizuiro no Machi
Masayume
Spitz opened. No screens used for their entire set. They stuck to the stage farthest away from me, and my view of them was largely blocked by the speakers hanging from the center ceiling. Of all the groups, their sound quality was the worst.
Seemed hilariously awkward speaking to the audience. Masamune was like, "This stage...weird, huh. I'm never going to perform on a stage this shape again. Oh, and...I'm not standing in the center today. Because I usually stand in the center. So I thought today I wouldn't stand in the center." That was about it.
My Spitz-fu is rather poor on an individual song basis (I tend to just put their albums on and listen all the way through without much distinction between songs). I definitely recognized some of them but none were my favorites so I didn't know the titles. Overall, they left me disappointed. I think their music is unquestionably gorgeous but there was absolutely nothing remarkable about them live to me.
CHARA
Tomorrow
Cherry Cherry
orion
FANTASY
Atashi Nande Dakishimetain Darou?
Chara came out in a shortish red dress that draped over one shoulder. She was wearing boots or high socks with sparkles on them that glittered in the stage lights!
She opened with a sparse, almost acapella version of "Tomorrow" from Annie. I started crying almost immediately. It was amazing. And somehow it's just so hard to believe that voice is real until you actually see it coming out of her in real time.
The audience sat down since it was sort of ballad-y and they never really got back up for her set. I wanted to stand up but felt awkward blocking all the people sitting in back of me. But ugh, she was AMAZING. Can't believe she's over forty. She was so unbelievably sexy without ever being in the least risque - dancing all around, kept getting crazy into it and dropping to her knees while managing to belt out the high notes... I've loved her music forever and nothing about her live disappointed. I really want to see her solo now.
"FANTASY" sounded amazing with the orchestra and "Atashi Nanda Dakishimetain Darou?" was a blast with the audience clapping along.
KREVA
Seikou
Aguresshi-bu
Kureba Ii no ni (w/ Masamune)
Umaretekite Arigatou (w/ Masamune)
Ongaeshi
Akasatana wa Yarawa won(?)
Next was KREVA. The only song I know of his is "Uragiri Gomen" and he didn't do it so totally clueless about his set.
He didn't really jive with the rest of the lineup, though he was good onstage.
Masamune came out and did two songs, doing underlying vocals while KREVA rapped. Sounded really good.
Also, Kameda-san had written a new song for KREVA, and they debuted it there. It was called "Ongaeshi." It wasn't a rap, the vocals were straightforward, I liked it better than the other stuff...
KREVA's whole attitude was really fun, though; making a big act out of having a huge ego? Someone yelled, "You're so cool!" at him, and he was like, "I'm cool, yeah. Totally cool. I get that all the time. People never stop saying it to me! I mean, why would they?"
Do As Infinity
Kuusou Ryodan
Tooku Made
Enrai
Boukensha-tachi
Hi no Ataru Sakamichi
I got really dehydrated and sick at this point and sneaked out to go get something to drink and some air. So idk about Do As Infinity's first few songs but they sounded pretty good through the walls. ^^;
I went back in for the last two songs. Tomiko's vocals live sounded infinitely better than the old album songs I remember, though I never listened to any of her solo stuff and none of their new stuff since the reunion... I think she's really evolved since the early days? I always enjoyed DaI back in the day, but I never recalled thinking the vocals were such a standout.
Second-to-last was an old single, I recognized it, yay.
When she said, "This is our last song," the audience yelled out, "EHHHHH." The last song was "Hi no Ataru Sakamichi."
Ayaka
Okaeri
Yume wo Mikata ni
Arigatou
Mizazuki
Ayaka had her hair piled into these two weird beehives, and was wearing an almost-floor-length strapless dress. The hair would have been a mistake on anyone else, but she managed to pull it off. She was absolutely lovely, though I got a feeling like the audience wasn't very warm to her. Then I remembered she was added to the lineup as a last-minute addition, so people who bought tickets weren't really her fans, I guess. Too bad.
She opened with "Okaeri." Her voice is flawless. The version of it with the orchestral accompaniment was much like that at FNS this year. Gorgeous.
Ayaka said she thought Kameda-san would be scary person before she met him. He asked why she thought he'd be scary, and she replied, "Because you're important and I feel like all important people must be scary. But you're not at all!"
Then, Kameda-san had written a new song for her too, and it was her first time ever performing it. She said, "I'm very very very very nervous so please be understanding! This is my first time singing it, so...! It's called 'Arigatou.' While we were making it, I was thinking of how important saying 'thank you' is. Like, it can take on such different meaning depending on the person and situation. You can say it in a totally atarimae way, or it can be the most important word..."
She sang it, and it was lovely, though as I already mentioned the sound was too iffy to really make out lyrics. It also sounded amazing with the orchestra and had a definite groovy jazz feel to it. Really liked it. She would belt out, "ARIGATOU!" and let her voice soar and stretch out the syllables.
When the song was over she exclaimed, "It's my first time singing it live, so I was amazed at how fun it is to really get into singing 'arigatou' in lyrics! I can really go crazy with it, it's so much fun to sing!"
Then she said, "The next song is my last..." and sort of paused, and there was no reaction like there was for DaI, and she said, "I was kind of hoping for an, 'EHHHHHH,' from you guys! Now I feel dumb for expecting it!" and everyone chorused dutifully, "EHHHHHHHH!" and she laughed and said, "You guys are sweet."
Then she launched into "Mikazuki," and holy shit, amazing, that VOICE.
What's most amazing is the realization that there's no studio post-production magic required with her. That voice is all her. She never skips a beat or hits a wrong note. Everything is perfect.
Suga Shikao
Shunkashuutou
Manatsu no Yoru no Yume
Hop Step Dive
Kono Yubi Tomare
Yozora no Mukou (w/ Ayaka)
I wildly thought almost immediately when he came out, "Please let him do 'Yozora no Mukou' with Ayaka. I want for nothing else."
I think I award him best in show in terms of his whole set. Chara managed the single song highlight of the night with the encore, and they were very closely matched on their individual sets even so, but...he was just awesome. So, so, so much fun to watch.
I'm kind of in love with him a little. I'm not kidding when I say I have it BAD. He's ADORABLE and DORKY and PLAYS GUITAR and has that SEXY VOICE and writes THAT MUSIC and is CUTE AS FUCK?! How is he everything at once?! Suffice to say that saying, "I'd hit it," is like...the world's biggest understatement, though. My thoughts re: Ga-su can pretty much only be filed under "impure" so I'll stop before getting totally creepy.
I don't remember his first song, but he was only doing vocals there, and he ran all around the stage, leaping from one "square" to another, jumping on top of the speakers, looking overall like he was having the time of his life. That was pretty much why he got best in show overall from me, he just looked so happy to be there. I LOVE HIM.
Then he got his acoustic guitar out, and played while singing "Manatsu no Yoru no Yume." Gorgeous.
After that, he handed off the acoustic guitar to a roadie, and said, "Guys, I have a confession. The truth is... I've always wanted to rock out. And I know what you're thinking. Because I've said this before, and I've even sort of tried it out, and everyone's like told me to my face, 'SUGAO AND ROCK? DO NOT WANT!' But I can't help it! I just wanna give it a shot! So Kameda-san wrote a rock song for me to play tonight!"
Then the roadie gave him an electric guitar. I don't remember what the new song's title was, but OMG. It wasn't really all that "hard rock" in the least, it pretty much sounded like you'd expect a more fast-paced Ga-su song to sound like, just...with electric guitar. But BOTH Ga-su and Kameda-san were on wireless electric guitars, and they ran up to each other and started rockin' out on the stage with each other. Like two dorky high schoolers pretending to be hardcore rockers in their garages. SO FUN.
The next was the final song of the main set, and he traded the electric guitar back for the acoustic again and said, "At an event like this, it doesn't seem right for me to close the show solo, so I asked for a special guest..." and I held my breath and was like OH PLEASE I CAN DIE HAPPY IF THIS HAPPENS! and he called, "Ayaka!" AND SHE CAME OUT AND I WAS LIKE, OMG THEY'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO DO IT!!!!!!!!
She came out and they were adorably awkward. Ayaka said she was super nervous, and Ga-su said he was too, and really dokidoki, because he doesn't do duets usually. He said, "We're going to be Kobukuro for a song, okay!" and everyone laughed. He asked her, "Anyway, can you tell me your secret? Exactly how are you so ridiculously good at singing?!!" She laughed it off and said, "I go to karaoke all the time. That's how I practice!"
He asked, "Do you ever have moments of massive fail?!" She said she definitely did, and he answered, "But, I've never heard you fail! Not even once!" She said, "Please don't raise the bar any higher by saying that, I'm nervous enough right now!!"
And then they did "Yozora no Mukou." And it was perfect and I can die happy after seeing that live with the orchestra! PERFECT.
And finally, the encore. They should have switched the order, because the first song was the best of the whole night...
Spitz as the band, with Chara and Tomiko singing "Yasashii Kimochi" as a duet.
FUCKING PERFECT.
Everyone in the Budoukan was clapping like crazy to the rhythm, and Chara got everyone to chime in with the, "Te wo tsunagou, te wo tsunagou, zutto koushite itai no!" part. SO MUCH FUN. Chara was definitely running the show, but Tomiko's vocals were fab and she was clapping along with the audience too. When it ended, Tomiko and Chara ran at each other, threw their arms around each other and hugged, then dashed offstage with Chara exclaiming into her microphone, "Wah! It's all over!"
Then last: Spitz and Ayaka, as a duet for "Mahou no Kotoba." But back to bad sound and Ayaka's vocals were totally drowned out. I LOVE this song though, it's one of my Spitz favorites.
And then I went home! A girl walking out said, "I feel like I just ate a delicious meal, there aren't many concerts that can make you feel this way!"
I frequently go to concerts alone, but this is the only one I've ever gone to solo where I felt like I really wished I'd gone with someone to share it with. And I definitely want to see Ga-su and Chara solo at least once after this!
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Date: 2009-05-03 04:06 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2009-05-05 08:58 pm (UTC)http://www.ticket.co.jp/sys/search.php?com=init&ki=2522&st=20090530
How do you purchase the tickets though?
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Date: 2009-05-05 09:22 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2009-05-04 06:57 am (UTC)Also, because I don't want to intrude on the fan conversations you have going in your other posts, your epic joy over SV's last inning turnaround makes me seriously laff XD;;; But I'm also very happy for you! All fans should know the joy of a total payoff at least once, and since you've pretty much developed Stockholm syndrome with this property I'm glad it could end this happily X3 ♥
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Date: 2009-05-05 01:21 am (UTC)I KNOOOOOOOOW <3
Edited for html fail
Date: 2009-05-04 03:14 pm (UTC)How sad that Spitz had sound quality issues, and that you didn't get a good view of them.
Masamune came out and did two songs, doing underlying vocals while KREVA rapped. Sounded really good.
D-does this mean you don't have "Kureba ii no ni." Shall I provide it.
Okay, now is the time when I make shifty eyes and admit that I have never ever even heard a single song by Ayaka, ever. Where should I start?
Re: Edited for html fail
Date: 2009-05-05 01:21 am (UTC)I really don't know anything about KREVA? XD; I had no idea he was such a big deal, the only time I've ever even heard of him was his ending song for the Kakushi Toride remake last year. His music isn't really my thing?
She only has two albums, the more recent one called "Sing to the sky." "Okaeri" is her most famous single for being used as the ending theme to the Watase Yuu "Zettai Kareshi" drama last year. I keep meaning to rip her FNS performance of it last year to mp3 because it's amazing, check it out here.