This was rather exciting! What do you guys think?
Showing posts with label concert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label concert. Show all posts
Friday, 27 April 2012
Maaya's official Youtube posts DVD+Blu-ray Digest for 'in the silence'
This was rather exciting! What do you guys think?
'In the Silence' first press edition goodies revealed
First up, apologies for the silence on this blog. In the silence...get it? Ah...bad joke. Unfortunately real life has been very hectic recently (work and then my parents visited Japan so was travelling with them!) so the blog as been quiet. However! Maaya's official site has been active!
Both the covers AND an image of the first press goodies have now been revealed here. The back shows the two first press slip cases, then we have the disc and photobook followed by the ear plugs and special case up front. It looks so cool! I cannot wait to have this in my hands.
Hope you are all well!
Both the covers AND an image of the first press goodies have now been revealed here. The back shows the two first press slip cases, then we have the disc and photobook followed by the ear plugs and special case up front. It looks so cool! I cannot wait to have this in my hands.
Hope you are all well!
Thursday, 22 March 2012
'In the Silence 2011' DVD and Blu-Ray pre-order at CDJapan now open
You can now pre-order Maaya's new concert DVD at CDJapan on DVD disc or Blu-Ray. As I thought, Amazon.co.jp has the concert at a cheaper price but when calculating shipping CDJapan might be best for international orders.
Either way, exciting times! I've got my pre-order in, have you? (^^)
Either way, exciting times! I've got my pre-order in, have you? (^^)
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
'In the Silence' DVD and Blu-Ray Contents Revealed - May 2012
It was announced last month that the December 2011 concert 'In the Silence' would be getting a DVD and Blu-Ray release at the end of May but Maaya's official site has updated with news on what we can expect to find included on the discs.
Release date: 30th May 2012
Blu-Ray price: 7,350 yen (tax included)
DVD price: 6,300 yen (tax included)
The first press edition of the concert will include:
1) Sleeve case
2) 40 page colour photobook
3) Original design earplus (thanks for the correction, homosaka!!!)
The Blu-Ray and DVD will both feature 5.1ch and 2ch sound tracks and special features include backstage and making-of footage as well as both the live version of 'Chikai' and footage of a rehearsal-only rearrangement
The disc will have 27 songs in total and, and, AND (the most exciting part to me) is that they've included 'Rule -ro asenai hibi-' which was the performance I went to. Joy! More interesting though is that with the set list and 'Rule -iro asenai hibi-' included, that means there is one more performance included...
Perhaps they will include 'Pocket wo kara ni shite' from the final concert? It seems they filmed a few days in a row so it's possible that she chose that as the 'proper' ending to the DVD?
Exciting times!
Concert set list and report (entry from December 2011)
Release date: 30th May 2012
Blu-Ray price: 7,350 yen (tax included)
DVD price: 6,300 yen (tax included)
The first press edition of the concert will include:
1) Sleeve case
2) 40 page colour photobook
3) Original design earplus (thanks for the correction, homosaka!!!)
The Blu-Ray and DVD will both feature 5.1ch and 2ch sound tracks and special features include backstage and making-of footage as well as both the live version of 'Chikai' and footage of a rehearsal-only rearrangement
The disc will have 27 songs in total and, and, AND (the most exciting part to me) is that they've included 'Rule -ro asenai hibi-' which was the performance I went to. Joy! More interesting though is that with the set list and 'Rule -iro asenai hibi-' included, that means there is one more performance included...
Perhaps they will include 'Pocket wo kara ni shite' from the final concert? It seems they filmed a few days in a row so it's possible that she chose that as the 'proper' ending to the DVD?
Exciting times!
Concert set list and report (entry from December 2011)
Monday, 6 February 2012
IDS Fanclub Tour 2012 'Winter Songs' Zepp Nagoya Report - 5/2/2012
On Sunday I had the privilege of going to
one of the Nagoya IDS fanclub events at Zepp Nagoya. Like the tour in 2009, the
venue was small and even sitting right at the back we were still close enough
to see everything clearly and make eye-contact with Maaya, nod along to her
conversation and wave when she looked our way (I dragged a friend along.)
The fanclub events are nice as not only are
they intimate in the sense Maaya chats a lot with the audience and there’s more
interaction than a regular concert, but the band is made up of four members:
percussion, guitar, cello and piano. The acoustic arrangements of her songs are
really lovely and give off a completely new vibe in some cases to the original.
As you can see from the setlist, this
concert focused on the winter themed songs of Maaya’s discography (mostly ‘Driving
in the Silence’ as a lot of fans didn’t get to go to the Tokyo concerts in
December 2011) for the first half then from ‘Remedy’ onwards Maaya said they
were just the songs she wanted to sing.
The ‘Driving in the Silence’ tracks in
particular had wonderful arrangements, and the percussionist’s performance in
'Kyoku-ya’ was great; she had so many different instruments clustered around her
and each sounded unique and atmospheric. I was really, really impressed.
Another track that stood out was the
acoustic performance of ‘Melt the snow in me’. This isn’t a song I would have
imagined being acoustic but once the guitarist started strumming the opening it
was hard to go back to the original. Even ‘Mizuumi’, a song I don’t have a
particular love for in it’s original form, sounded deep and gorgeous.
Audience interaction, there was a game in
the middle of the setlist where we were all gradually whittled down by
rock-paper-scissors and questions to one person who was invited up on stage
(!!) to draw from a lottery to select the next song. The woman pulled ‘Kiseki no Umi’ out of the box and when Maaya
asked if she liked that song the woman replied in the negative and we were all
duly shocked. You’re up on stage with Maaya Sakamoto, at least say you like the
song you pulled out!
Still, it was a good performance of a
classic, along with ‘Pocket wo kara ni shite’ it was the only other really early
Maaya song.
My friend had only heard ‘Loop’ before
going to the event (I was reasonably confident she would enjoy it after hearing
that as I don’t think of ‘Loop’ as high-quality convert someone to Maaya fare)
and thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing, especially the performances of ‘Kotoshi
Ichiban’ and ‘Mizuumi’. Although we were sitting at the back but one row the
seats were on a raised platform and it just so happened there was no one in the
two rows in front of us so we had the perfect view.
So you can imagine how excited I was to be
waving and be seen (and embarrassed, I did try and keep my dignity mostly.)
Here’s the setlist, apart from the song
lottery, it’s the same as before. I’m going to Osaka next weekend with another friend so I’m
looking forward to seeing what is pulled out of the box next time.
She also discussed plans for the 10th
anniversary of IDS next year, they are currently collecting ideas from members
about what sorts of things they could do to mark the occasion. One bizarre idea
was to put on a play about how IDS was started starring Maaya and the IDS
staff, Maaya’s comment was: ‘Who on earth would come and see it?!’
By the way, when she was reading out the
list of merchandise and stuff she let out this really loud goofy laugh and my
friend was like ‘that was the best laugh ever!’ I’m glad she enjoyed herself.
1.Driving in the silence
2.Fuyu desu ka
3.Sayonara Santa
4.Melt the snow in me
5.Tatoeba ringo ga te ni ochiru you ni
6.Kotoshi Ichiban
7.Mizuumi
8.Kyokuya
9.Kiseki no Umi
10.Remedy
11.Chikai
12.Okaerinasai
13.Pocket wo kara ni shite
2.Fuyu desu ka
3.Sayonara Santa
4.Melt the snow in me
5.Tatoeba ringo ga te ni ochiru you ni
6.Kotoshi Ichiban
7.Mizuumi
8.Kyokuya
9.Kiseki no Umi
10.Remedy
11.Chikai
12.Okaerinasai
13.Pocket wo kara ni shite
Monday, 30 January 2012
IDS Fanclub Tour 2012 - Winter Songs Setlist
Well, I couldn't avoid the spoilers as I am committed to providing up to date and in depth news, to quote Bridget Jones. But here is the set list to the current fanclub tour which started last week (you may remember she announced the release of the 'In the Silence' DVD and Blu-Ray last week at the first tour stop.)
Because it's always nice to know what's going on. Here is the set list from Saturday's show in Fukuoka courtesy of Mixi and 100331. I'm really looking forward to going next week! Exciting times, the theme of it being winter though...there are a lot of songs missing (Mahiru ga Yuki, Rule - iro asenai hibi etc.) which I would have thought she'd include.
Perhaps some songs will be on rotation. I am happy to see the 'Driving in the Silence' songs all included though.
P.S. I noticed that on COMA Pride and Prejudice (the BBC drama version) was listed as having a DVD/Blu-Ray release here. And Maaya is in it. Yes. One of my favourite series ever and Maaya is in the Japanese version playing....Lydia. Possibly one of the most annoying characters in the history of literature. I suppose Maaya was younger when they dubbed it so couldn't be Elizabeth or Jane but...*tears* why Lydia, why?!
Sorry, I read Pride and Prejudice (again!) in December and every time I read it Lydia's character is so desperately awful.
Well, she is supposed to be. But still! Maaya as Lydia...sad times. I do love the BBC series though. Colin Firth!!
Because it's always nice to know what's going on. Here is the set list from Saturday's show in Fukuoka courtesy of Mixi and 100331. I'm really looking forward to going next week! Exciting times, the theme of it being winter though...there are a lot of songs missing (Mahiru ga Yuki, Rule - iro asenai hibi etc.) which I would have thought she'd include.
Perhaps some songs will be on rotation. I am happy to see the 'Driving in the Silence' songs all included though.
1.Driving in the silence
2.Fuyu desu ka
3.Sayonara Santa
4.Melt the snow in me
5.Tatoeba Ringo ga Te ni Ochiru You ni
6.Kotoshi Ichiban
7.Mizuumi
8.Kyokuya
9.Yasashisa ni tsutsumareta nara
10.Remedy
11.Chikai
Encore
12.Okaerinasai
13.Pocket wo kara ni shite
14.A HAPPY NEW YEAR
P.S. I noticed that on COMA Pride and Prejudice (the BBC drama version) was listed as having a DVD/Blu-Ray release here. And Maaya is in it. Yes. One of my favourite series ever and Maaya is in the Japanese version playing....Lydia. Possibly one of the most annoying characters in the history of literature. I suppose Maaya was younger when they dubbed it so couldn't be Elizabeth or Jane but...*tears* why Lydia, why?!
Sorry, I read Pride and Prejudice (again!) in December and every time I read it Lydia's character is so desperately awful.
Well, she is supposed to be. But still! Maaya as Lydia...sad times. I do love the BBC series though. Colin Firth!!
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Maaya Sakamoto 'In the Silence' 20111 Concert Report
So. It's been a while. I hope you've all been well. I've finally got a spare moment to post! Time has been lacking since we entered December and luckily there hasn't been any major Maaya news to post. Until now! Yes, thanks to roxfan and Jerome from Maayas.net I was lucky enough to be able to attend the Friday concert of Maaya's 'in the silence' 2011 tour.
Click here for a more official report but I shall post the setlist first:
The concert was all three concept albums back to back, and the venue was 700 seats - so pretty small! Everyone who attended the concert recieved a cute black and red stocking and a postcard which could be slotted into the pamphlet. 100 of the postcards each day were signed by Maaya herself, unfortunately I didn't get a signed one but the photo was really sweet and it had the date of the concert performance we attended printed on so it was a nice souvenir.
On to the performance! The stage was quite simple but each album performance began with a short, simple black and white animation introducing the concept and title of the album. Then Maaya and the band appeared behind a thin screen, Maaya herself dressed in an outfit reminiscent of the album covers themselves.
The music was just fantastic, and hearing the albums played in order was an amazing experience. Everything sounded fresh and the band were really tight. Not to mention Maaya's singing. 'easy listening' in particular sounded gorgeous after ten years, and Maaya's English for 'afternoon repose' and 'another grey day in the big blue world' was spot on.
I was shocked at how short she is in real life. When I went to the fanclub live in 2009 we were quite far back so she looked tall but on Friday I was but three (!!) rows back and when I saw her heels I was bowled over. She's so tiny! 150 cm sounds so big on the internet but in real life she was very petite. So, so pretty and cute. I like to think I didn't embarrass myself but I'm afraid I was very uncool when she came close to us...let's hope that it is not clearly shown on any DVD release T_T
The photo on the link above is from the 'Kyokuya' performance. Stunning!
But what was really special was 'Rule - iro asenai hibi-', this is one of my favourite Maaya songs ever, and I'm not ashamed to say I was crying when it started. What an amazing track. Although I wouldn't have minded hearing any of the other four tracks played on the different days either. I hope they are all included on the DVD!
In addition, I also took the chance to go and see the planetarium show...the aromatherapy? Well, it was quite nice in the end! I learnt my lesson, don't knock it till you've tried it. The show was an introduction to the European night sky and Maaya narrates different legends about where the constellation names comes from. 'Melt the Snow in Me' and 'everywhere' are both played in full as well. I hope she gets some new fans from the couples that were in attendance.
A nice couple of days! I'll try and get some pictures up from my iPhone once I'm back in Japan (home for Christmas right now)
Happy holidays!
Click here for a more official report but I shall post the setlist first:
1. inori
2. blind summer fish
3. doreddo 39
4. afternoon repose
5. bitter sweet
6. another grey day in the big blue world
7. birds
8. 30minutes night flight
9. Dreaming
10.Kioku -there’s no end
11.Bokutachi ga koi wo suru riyuu
12.Setsuna
13.Universe
14.30minutes night flight～sound of a new day
15.Driving in the silence
16.Sayonara Santa
17.Melt the snow in me
18.homemade christmas
19.Kotoshi Ichiban
20.Tatoeba ringo ga te ni ochiru you ni
21.Kyokuya
22.Chikai
23.Driving in the silence –reprise-
EncoreI suppose what I should tell everyone first off is that they filmed Friday's concert. Yes, this does mean it is highly likely that this tour will be out on DVD sometime within the next twelve months. Hopefully before spring comes so that 'Driving in the Silence' will still get to be a winter concept album! Maaya has been saying that she wants everyone to put it away once spring comes until winter next year.
01.Buddy
02.Okaerinasai
03.
13th December: Mahiru ga Yuki
14th December: Fuyu desu ka
16th December: Rule - iro asenai hibi
17th December: Kinobori to Akai Skirt
18th December: Pocket wo kara ni shite
The concert was all three concept albums back to back, and the venue was 700 seats - so pretty small! Everyone who attended the concert recieved a cute black and red stocking and a postcard which could be slotted into the pamphlet. 100 of the postcards each day were signed by Maaya herself, unfortunately I didn't get a signed one but the photo was really sweet and it had the date of the concert performance we attended printed on so it was a nice souvenir.
On to the performance! The stage was quite simple but each album performance began with a short, simple black and white animation introducing the concept and title of the album. Then Maaya and the band appeared behind a thin screen, Maaya herself dressed in an outfit reminiscent of the album covers themselves.
The music was just fantastic, and hearing the albums played in order was an amazing experience. Everything sounded fresh and the band were really tight. Not to mention Maaya's singing. 'easy listening' in particular sounded gorgeous after ten years, and Maaya's English for 'afternoon repose' and 'another grey day in the big blue world' was spot on.
I was shocked at how short she is in real life. When I went to the fanclub live in 2009 we were quite far back so she looked tall but on Friday I was but three (!!) rows back and when I saw her heels I was bowled over. She's so tiny! 150 cm sounds so big on the internet but in real life she was very petite. So, so pretty and cute. I like to think I didn't embarrass myself but I'm afraid I was very uncool when she came close to us...let's hope that it is not clearly shown on any DVD release T_T
The photo on the link above is from the 'Kyokuya' performance. Stunning!
But what was really special was 'Rule - iro asenai hibi-', this is one of my favourite Maaya songs ever, and I'm not ashamed to say I was crying when it started. What an amazing track. Although I wouldn't have minded hearing any of the other four tracks played on the different days either. I hope they are all included on the DVD!
In addition, I also took the chance to go and see the planetarium show...the aromatherapy? Well, it was quite nice in the end! I learnt my lesson, don't knock it till you've tried it. The show was an introduction to the European night sky and Maaya narrates different legends about where the constellation names comes from. 'Melt the Snow in Me' and 'everywhere' are both played in full as well. I hope she gets some new fans from the couples that were in attendance.
A nice couple of days! I'll try and get some pictures up from my iPhone once I'm back in Japan (home for Christmas right now)
Happy holidays!
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Thursday, 24 November 2011
Official site updates with 'in the silence' live info, fanclub lives and Maaya's winter reccomendations
Real life as once again intruded onto updates but we are also in post-release limbo. Maaya's PR run for 'driving in the silence' seems to be over and with a rehearsal schedule for two tours I imagine she's pretty busy at the moment. Not that I'm complaining! I'm heading back to the UK for Christmas and I have just enough time to stop by a 'in the silence' performance before running off to Narita airport and a good old family Christmas.
On to Maaya news, though! Or rather, continuing in the vein of concerts. Maaya's official site updated with information about 'in the silence' confirming what we already knew: she will be performing 'easy listening', '30 Minutes Night Flight' and 'Driving in the silence' in FULL. Looking at the venue, it seems like it's a 700 seat theatre which is a pretty small venue. Another interesting thing in the announcement is that tickets will be available on the day.
With all the demand for tickets and people failing to get tickets in the fanclub lotteries it strikes me as odd that they would make some available on the day too, but I guess if you aren't in the fanclub/haven't got a credit card/other reason then it means you also have a chance to go. Cool.
Next live announcement is that the title for Maaya's new set of IDS fanclub concerts in February 2012 will be called 'Winter Songs'. You know what you'll be getting!
Finally, Tower Records have a cute Maaya bulletin up with some hand-written comments by Maaya herself about 'Driving in the silence' here. Her reccomended winter movie is 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and her reccomended activity in winter is to curl up with a hot mug of coffee while listening to 'Driving in the silence'. Well, if you can't promote your album at a music store, then when can you? I shall follow her advice to the letter.
I really like 'Driving in the silence' though, it's so good *_*
On to Maaya news, though! Or rather, continuing in the vein of concerts. Maaya's official site updated with information about 'in the silence' confirming what we already knew: she will be performing 'easy listening', '30 Minutes Night Flight' and 'Driving in the silence' in FULL. Looking at the venue, it seems like it's a 700 seat theatre which is a pretty small venue. Another interesting thing in the announcement is that tickets will be available on the day.
With all the demand for tickets and people failing to get tickets in the fanclub lotteries it strikes me as odd that they would make some available on the day too, but I guess if you aren't in the fanclub/haven't got a credit card/other reason then it means you also have a chance to go. Cool.
Next live announcement is that the title for Maaya's new set of IDS fanclub concerts in February 2012 will be called 'Winter Songs'. You know what you'll be getting!
Finally, Tower Records have a cute Maaya bulletin up with some hand-written comments by Maaya herself about 'Driving in the silence' here. Her reccomended winter movie is 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' and her reccomended activity in winter is to curl up with a hot mug of coffee while listening to 'Driving in the silence'. Well, if you can't promote your album at a music store, then when can you? I shall follow her advice to the letter.
I really like 'Driving in the silence' though, it's so good *_*
Monday, 7 November 2011
Fanclub events decided for February 2012
Six fanclub events will be held across Japan in February 2012 according to Maaya's official fanclub IDS' homepage. Tickets will be allocated by lottery!
Hurrah!
Hurrah!
Saturday, 6 August 2011
Charity PC wallpaper on sale, I.D. essay re-issue ready to go on sale and more Kono Shin photos
Just a general round up. Firstly, Kono Shin's blog has been updated again with some more photos of the recording of Maaya's upcoming concept album here. Just some pictures of goofing around on bongos and the set of stringed instruments they have in the studio. I bet they sound beautiful all together.
Next, I think I mentioned this a few months ago but the charity wallpaper is now being sold on Maaya's IDS shopping site here. For 500 yen you get two different photos to put on your PC's background. The photos are all from the recent 'You Can't Catch Me Tour'. You can click the photos to see a close up of each photo - the money will be donated to the relief of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.
I can't believe it's already been five months since the disaster...we had a couple of earthquakes in Tokyo at the beginning of the week but apparently they're still having fairly strong aftershocks in the region. Please take the time to buy a wallpaper and give your 500 yen to people who really need it.
Finally, the re-issue of 'I.D' is finally out this week! And the Sai-zen-sen blog has been updated not once, but twice with pictures of the finished product! It's certainly a lot more compact than the original.
Ah..it's so hot ^^;;;
Next, I think I mentioned this a few months ago but the charity wallpaper is now being sold on Maaya's IDS shopping site here. For 500 yen you get two different photos to put on your PC's background. The photos are all from the recent 'You Can't Catch Me Tour'. You can click the photos to see a close up of each photo - the money will be donated to the relief of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.
I can't believe it's already been five months since the disaster...we had a couple of earthquakes in Tokyo at the beginning of the week but apparently they're still having fairly strong aftershocks in the region. Please take the time to buy a wallpaper and give your 500 yen to people who really need it.
Finally, the re-issue of 'I.D' is finally out this week! And the Sai-zen-sen blog has been updated not once, but twice with pictures of the finished product! It's certainly a lot more compact than the original.
Ah..it's so hot ^^;;;
Friday, 8 July 2011
New album is concept album and a concert announced
Well, they said they were going to be rolling out the big news and so they did on Friday morning, Japan time.
First up, the new album to be released later in the year will be a concept album based around the key word winter. Following in the footsteps of easy listening and 30 Minutes Night Flight it will be all based around a single theme. Considering how great those two albums are I'm really looking forward to more news about this release being unveiled.
The second piece of news they announced this morning was a special concert being held in September in Gunma Prefecture's world heritage site, the Tomioka Silk Mill (homepage in English.) It will be the 17th Sekai Isan Gekijou (World Heritage Theatre) which is an event which, according to it's official website, brings together Japan's history and heritage with popular artists for one-off concerts.
The concert will be held on Respect the Aged Day, September 19th 2011. As long as the weather holds out, apparently.
Tickets for the concert will go on sale August 7th. Interestingly there will be tickets available on the day according to Maaya's official homepage announcement about it all.
Exciting!
First up, the new album to be released later in the year will be a concept album based around the key word winter. Following in the footsteps of easy listening and 30 Minutes Night Flight it will be all based around a single theme. Considering how great those two albums are I'm really looking forward to more news about this release being unveiled.
The second piece of news they announced this morning was a special concert being held in September in Gunma Prefecture's world heritage site, the Tomioka Silk Mill (homepage in English.) It will be the 17th Sekai Isan Gekijou (World Heritage Theatre) which is an event which, according to it's official website, brings together Japan's history and heritage with popular artists for one-off concerts.
The concert will be held on Respect the Aged Day, September 19th 2011. As long as the weather holds out, apparently.
Tickets for the concert will go on sale August 7th. Interestingly there will be tickets available on the day according to Maaya's official homepage announcement about it all.
Exciting!
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
First photo book to be released
Goodness, what a day to be a Maaya fan. Her official site has announced the release of Maaya's first photo book! Well, they say photobook but it's not in the idol-vein of photobook at all; a collection of photos, text and reports about her latest tour!
The book will be released on the 19th of October 2011. The title is 'Sakamoto Maaya 1st & Last Photobook “You can't catch me”‐ document 2011.3.5-6.15' and it will be 112 pages, according to the official announcement. Photos of back stage, on stage, in the studio as well as interviews and messages from Maaya will be amongst the content included.
Well, that was a surprise. I can't help but smile at the title though, 'first and last' i.e. don't expect any more XD
Official announcement
The book will be released on the 19th of October 2011. The title is 'Sakamoto Maaya 1st & Last Photobook “You can't catch me”‐ document 2011.3.5-6.15' and it will be 112 pages, according to the official announcement. Photos of back stage, on stage, in the studio as well as interviews and messages from Maaya will be amongst the content included.
Well, that was a surprise. I can't help but smile at the title though, 'first and last' i.e. don't expect any more XD
Official announcement
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Official 'You Can't Catch Me' tour report and photos
Excite Anime News have posted up a lengthy report of Maaya's current 'You Can't Catch Me' tour by Tomoyuki Mori with photos from the 4th June performance at Tokyo International Forum. The report is basically a summary of the set list with embellishments, a few comments on the costumes etc. but the photos are worth a look.
Go there now!
EDIT: Maaya's homepage being slow on the updating as usual, they've now posted their own copy of the official report here.
EDIT no.2: deltafour has posted a translation of the report on his website here.
Go there now!
EDIT: Maaya's homepage being slow on the updating as usual, they've now posted their own copy of the official report here.
EDIT no.2: deltafour has posted a translation of the report on his website here.
Friday, 27 May 2011
News round-up: TEKKEN, Kimi to Boku and Tomita LAB photos
Just a couple of things that have been announced this morning.
First up, Maaya has been cast as Ling Xiaoyu in the new CG (and 3D) movie TEKKEN Blood Vengence, which is due to premier in the US in summer 2011 before opening in Japan in September. There's a nice promo photo on Narinari.com.
The character is a schoolgirl. Also, it says in the article that Maaya won the 2010 Famitsuu Female Chatacter Voice Award which I didn't know before. Or maybe I forgot. Anyway, that's cool. More details on the cast at Cinema Topics Online or Famitsuu Online.
Not specifically Maaya-centric news but the original author of Kimi to Boku has quite a long interview about the process of transferring his comic to the big screen on Close Up Net Tube here.
And finally, Natalie.mu has a report and some really pretty pictures of Maaya up on their website here for you to enjoy.
(C)
First up, Maaya has been cast as Ling Xiaoyu in the new CG (and 3D) movie TEKKEN Blood Vengence, which is due to premier in the US in summer 2011 before opening in Japan in September. There's a nice promo photo on Narinari.com.
The character is a schoolgirl. Also, it says in the article that Maaya won the 2010 Famitsuu Female Chatacter Voice Award which I didn't know before. Or maybe I forgot. Anyway, that's cool. More details on the cast at Cinema Topics Online or Famitsuu Online.
Not specifically Maaya-centric news but the original author of Kimi to Boku has quite a long interview about the process of transferring his comic to the big screen on Close Up Net Tube here.
And finally, Natalie.mu has a report and some really pretty pictures of Maaya up on their website here for you to enjoy.
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Tomita LAB - Live Combo - photos and set list
The BLUE NOTE TOKYO website has posted the set list and a couple of photos from the Tomita LAB concert that was held on Friday. Maaya was featured on his best album back in March singing the new song 'April Fool'. Other performers at the concert included Bird, Hiro-a-key and Motohiro Hata.
It seems like it was quite a short gig, as they go. 'April Fool' was, of course, one of the songs performed. You can see the photos here or view the setlist and an interview with Tomita Keiichi here.
Maaya looks very nice, I must say.
It seems like it was quite a short gig, as they go. 'April Fool' was, of course, one of the songs performed. You can see the photos here or view the setlist and an interview with Tomita Keiichi here.
Maaya looks very nice, I must say.
Monday, 28 December 2009
IDS Fan Club Tour 25/09 Osaka Report
This is the concert report I wrote after going to the Osaka Zepp leg of Maaya's 2009 IDS fan club mini-live in September. What a night!! It's not something new so there's no need for me to post it all over the place but it's nice to have up here - this is a Maaya blog after all. Oh the memories T_T
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IDS Fan Club Tour Mini Live - Osaka Zepp 25th September 2009
Well, I arrived in Japan on the 19th of September, the concert was going to be on the 25th. I was in Tokyo for a few days before going down to Kansai to meet my friend. The girl I went with is a girl who did her year abroad at my uni this year, that's how we met. We watched the Kazeyomi DVD together!
Anyway, she's also a big Maaya fan and was just as anxious as me to see her live. She spent about a month waiting for Osaka tickets to come up and then a nice guy off the MIXI Maaya community happened to have extra tickets he was willing to sell. We got them for 4,000 yen each. I got to her place the day before the concert and we spent the next 24 hours going 'Argh, we're going to see Maaya' every half hour or so.
Unfortunately I had caught a cold a couple of days before and the day of the concert was pretty sketchy. I felt awful, streaming nose and eyes, coughing, fever. And as I had to meet my friend out of university lectures I was waiting all day at her university. My friend was worried, 'oh my god, you look like you're about to die...are you sure you're ok?'. Now, Maaya's concert was in a few hours, I was not NOT going to miss it 'I'm...fine...perfect...woo!'. What an obvious lie but we both were anxious to go to the concert. Cue taking medicine, buying a mask and billions of tissues.
The doors to the venue opened at 6pm with the concert to start at 7pm. We arrived as the doors were opened and there were lots of people milling around the Zepp Osaka concert all. It was a lot smaller than I had thought it was going to be and instantly I got more excited. No more feeling ill, adrenaline (the power of Maaya) was suddenly giving me the strength to go on!
Queue up, give ticket, give 500yen for a drink token and we were inside!! After a bag check (no cameras!!) we were inside! A pamphlet was being shoved into our hands and suddenly we were in the queue for goods. Zepp Osaka is tiny and once you're in the doors you are in another queue, then another, then another.
The pamphlet was like those little booklets you used to make at school, two pieces of A4 folded to make a little book, photocopied again and again from the original that Maaya had made. The whole thing was hand written with little drawings Maaya had done, a little message, a note or two about the tour, band introductions etc. There was also a sheet of stickers with the IDS logo and OSAKA 25/09/09 on them. Each venue had their own venue sticker it seems.
Goods! This is where me and my friend were suddenly worried 'oh no....' - there was so much I wanted. The 2009 calendar, the ID essay book, the brand new 2010 calendar, the Kazeyomi tour towel, two designs of IDS t-shirt, a tumbler mug and...and...er....I think there might have been something else but I can't remember. It was hard to decide but I eventually went with the essay book and 2010 calendar. The calendar is really nice, shot in Portugal. The locations aren't as varied as the 2009 one but it's really pretty. The essay book I've wanted for ages, I know someone said it doesn't have many pictures but I was still surprised at how few photos there actually were, about 2 per 100 pages ^^;;; silly me! I shouldn't have been surprised. (side note: I've nearly finished reading it, really, really good so maybe I'll get round to translating some of it!)
They didn't give us bags to put our goodies in so we ended up paying 300 yen for a locker to shove it all in. Good plan. Then we picked up a drink with our tokens and it was into the venue!!
The venue was small. According to the Zepp website it holds about 900 people on the bottom floor and 180 on the top floor when everyone is seated. It felt small!! All the seats were filled and it felt really intimate. The stage was all set up with the instruments and mics. There were only 4 band members on this tour – percussion, piano, cello and guitar. The pianist doubled up on a little pipe thing and accordion sometimes though. That was later.
I was on the second floor, there were only about 5 rows and we were the third one in. So a really, really nice view. It all seemed so close! Or maybe I'd over-estimated how far we'd be when my friend said they were 'bad' seats. Not bad! I prefer 2nd floor (if it's not going to be the front row of course, haha) as you don't have to see over people. As it was a MASSIVE tall guy sat in front of me, er....excuse me? What happened to Japanese people being short on average? But I think he knew because he tended to sit to the side and I got to see more.
A couple of girls about our age (20ish) sat on my right, I think they were massive fans as well because when the lights went down they were like 'I'm going to die!!'. Also, they were crying loads. As was I. And my friend. And a lot of people. But more on that later.
The lights went down!!! The stage was pretty sparse, just the instruments in the middle and a few tall standing lamps here and there. The band came on, did a little tuning. The tension was palpable, the audience waiting with bated breath then....
Sonic Boom
Maaya came on!!!!!! She walked to the center of the stage, we were all silent of course, and then Sonic Boom began. We couldn't see much though because for this song the stage was lit from the floor at the back so we could just see them as black shadows on stage. Can't describe the feeling of seeing her in person. She wore a black dress which was kind of like the one from the Kazeyomi tour but different ^^;;
Mostly I just stared at her (with my mask on, of course) while this song was on. Occasionally patting my friend's arm in a sort of 'OMG' gesture. This isn't one of my favourites from Maaya but the atmosphere was intense.
When the song finished and we all clapped it suddenly felt like the room was really small. Maaya really makes you feel included, like it's just you and her. The live was less of a concert, more of 'an evening with Maaya Sakamoto' due to the amount of talking and songs there were. It was nice.
She introduced herself (needed??!) and then it was time for a chat. This tour was based on postcards that the IDS members sent in, apparently they had been asked to tell IDS their favorite Maaya songs and say why that song was their favorite. Interesting. Then this tour was made up from those songs. Which is why the set list was so different to the Kazeyomi tour I imagine. Anyway, Maaya produced a book which had some of the postcards she had selected to read out. A lot of these were the same for each stop of the tour but some where different, for example she read out some postcards from some Osaka fans. I'm not sure but I think maybe the person behind me WAS one of those fans because she started crying loads and going 'aah, thank god', sort of. Actually I think a lot of people were moved by these post cards because suddenly a lot of sniffing was heard!! I'll give you a few examples later!
Anyway, someone's favourite song was....
Strobe no Sora
Now, this is when I cried for the FIRST time. We'd been listening to Lucy in the car on the way to Osaka and somehow hearing it in person, live, was just...amazing. The arrangements in this concert were all acoustic so they all sounded a little different from the original tracks which was a nice touch. The cello especially was really nice in all the songs.
Me and my friend both agreed afterwards that Maaya sang beautifully. Even better than the Kazeyomi DVD. I'm not sure why but we were both confused as to why she would be better than on the DVD to such a noticeable degree. I think maybe she was less nervous?...no filming etc. No idea but she was incredible. Really powerful.
Remedy
Girls next door crying. I think I did at the end. I'm such a wimp, haha. What a nice song.
Kodoku
THIS is what I was waiting for. One of my most favorite, favorite Maaya songs ever. Stunning, really stunning. Acoustic arrangements are the best. And Maaya singing it as an adult...amazing. Before the performed this song she had a chat with us again. This time about how, when she was a teenager, although she tried to sing Yuho Iwasato's lyrics to the best of her ability, it wasn't until she got older that she realised how beautiful the songs she had been given to sing really were. As I understood it, her understanding of the lyrics and the craft of writing lyrics grew and with it came a new appreciation of her older songs. Which was nice. This was one of the ones she said she had a a new appreciation of.
Awesome performance. Amazing. Argh.
I can't remember where it was but it might have been before this song the she told us about being obsessed with a Nintendo DS game called 'Tomodachi Collection'. It's a bit like the Sims. You build all your friends and family etc. and then...I don't know, control them, make them a life etc. So she said 'At first I did the normal things like making my family, friends etc. but then I ran out of people...so I made my staff. Then...there was nothing for it but to make Johnny Depp!' etc.
Apparently her parents FINALLY got married on the game the day before (we cheered) after a lot of work on Maaya's part. Apparently her best friend had fallen in love with her father and Maaya had had to take a lot of time going 'Father loves mother, father loves mother' and making them fall in love. Also, it seemed like two of the band members for married on the game too (we cheered again). Made me want to play the game. Strange love triangle though.
The band members left the stage apart from the pianist after Kodoku and then came...
Ao no Ether
This was unexpected. I tried to avoid setlists before I went so this was truly a lovely surprise. The stage was pitch black, lit only by a light beam that shone in from the right side of the stage, so everything was lit up in profile (afterwards she joked that it was black instead of blue) but...oh man, the ATMOSPHERE. I don't know whether it was the way Ao no Ether echoed in the hall or something but it was like you could FEEL the atmosphere, or should I say, we could feel the ether. Almost like 'this is what ether must be'. It was electric. Note perfect. I'm not sure but I think the pianist might have changed the arrangement slightly in one place or two but I couldn't tell you as a fact.
You could hear a pin drop when it finished. Then we clapped.
Pianist left the stage then Maaya had a chat to us again. She's been thinking over what to give the IDS members as a Christmas present this year. She's done DVD's, radio shows, and she's decided to do a surprise message. At every tour stop she's asked the audience to shout a word, she records the words and then puts them together to make a sentence. We got the word 'Sound'. And we had a jolly old time practicing the way Maaya wanted us to say it then recording it. SOUND! I wonder what the sentence will be...also, there was a staff member at the end of the concert waiting to record messages from the fans for other fans. More on that later.
Maaya then lamented that she could still only play two songs so we wouldn't be surprised but I was still looking forward to hearing them!!
No Fear
Kazamidori
No Fear was, as you might expect, lovely. Kazamidori though....lovely.....but...she got the lyrics wrong! My friend seemed to think she got the lyrics wrong in two or three places during the concert including this one (I couldn't tell! I thought if I got it wrong then it must be because I forgot the Japanese and I was wrong but I wonder...). It was the last chorus, she started to sing a different chorus then had to correct herself. But the piano seemed more difficult than on the Kazeyomi DVD so maybe that's why. Still, it was gorgeous. She said that Kazamidori was a song that she wrote when she was wanting to go traveling and it is still the one closest to who she is right now.
Band came back, band introductions. Apparently they are the same band as last year but she reintroduced them anyway. The band is called 'Cucumbers!' Why? Well, three out of four of them hate cucumbers. Maaya asked the audience if people didn't like cucumbers, I didn't, as did some others. So it's not that rare! But Maaya seemed to think it was pretty weird that so many people in her band didn't like cucumbers.
Then it was time for...
Yakusoku wa Iranai
This was fun! The marching band bit in the middle was extended and the pianist brought out a little tin whistle/pipe thing, it was like a scottish jig! Really cute. I tried to start a clapping thing but...Maaya fans are serious! No one joined in so it was just me.
Dive
Think I cried again here. Stage was lit from the back with some kind of light that made it looks like we were under water. I'm not sure how often this song has been performed but I felt privileged to hear it. Really, I did. Beautiful. So much emotion put into it and the arrangement was beautiful. I would never have thought a four piece band could put so many layers into a song like this. Better than the original. Not just because Maaya's vocals were so much stronger than they were ten years ago.
Back to the postcards. Reasons why people like the songs! A few examples from some of the other tour stops Maaya told us about:
- a couple who just got married, not sure what song they said they had at the wedding but Maaya made them stand up (maybe this was Tokyo?) and they had a round of applause
- someone who had been in hospital for a long time listened to 'Sora wo miro' while he was in his hospital bed looking out the window. He was able to go to the Nagoya concert and got a round of applause too.
No one got picked out like that at ours but there were a really, really affecting story before Wakaba, A man and his older brother spent a long time looking after their dying father in hospital. They took turns watching over him for a week before he finally passed on. The young man did everything that was expected of him, until the body was cleaned etc. without breaking down. After they had put his father's body in a hearse, the young man followed in his own car. He hadn't cried even though he was heartbroken. And it was finally in the car, in the rain, following his father's body in the car in front, that he started to cry (he added that he did pull over!) and it was Wakaba that was the song which came he had been listening to.
I think a lot of audience members cried here. It was a really sad story. Then Maaya sang...
Wakaba
Made me like this song more. Maaya explained that it's really interesting hearing people's interpretations of her songs because she writes them in completely different circumstances. Wakaba was written about her friend's experience in university, for instance. So she liked reading everyone's impressions of her songs.
Get no Satisfaction was written after an IDS concert last year. She wrote it because of all the energy she got from the fans who attended and wanted a song that reflected that energy (we all stood up and went crazy in this song...well.....me and the two girls next door and my friend got up and clapped etc.) and this was the result. Also, this year's IDS tour t-shirts were designed as a uniform for everyone to recognize each other. She wants all fans to cheer each other on – you are not alone!
Get no Satisfaction
Clapped loads, waved to Maaya a lot too. The venue was pretty sure and we were the only people going crazy on the balcony so hopefully, fingers crossed, she saw us and appreciated our energy!
Encore
Same as above really, dancing, cheering, going crazy when she looked our way. Apparently at the Sapporo tour venue like, it was embarrassing because NO ONE was dancing or clapping or anything. The guy who sold us the tickets apparently went and said it was like....he felt embarrassed because he felt he couldn't go crazy because everyone else was so stoic. Apparently Maaya caught the eye of someone in the front row and had a giggling fit at the lack of reaction. Also, in Tokyo she actually had to say 'come on, stand up!!!'. The Osaka people, I'm glad to say, on the bottom floor, did stand up and clap straight away. We rock.
It did look like she looked our way. It was really bright and lit up and we all sang along etc. Especially Pocket!! Really nice end to the evening! Bright, upbeat, happy!!
Kazemachi Jet
Poketto Kara ni Shite
After all the clapping and goodbyes it was time to go. Outside we all lined up to give our recordings to the IDS staff member. Of course, I got it wrong, AGAIN. Stupid hand written Japanese I couldn't read. We had to give where we were from, our goal for 2010 and where we would like to travel to. Fine. Did it. Then apparently we had to give the IDS slogan call or whatever. Couldn't read it. Made one up. Ran away. Haha, so embarrassing, I can't believe I made one up (-_-);;;;;; boo.
It looks like those will be collected for the new year present thing though.
Anyway!!! There we go.
AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING! Apparently I was shouting 'Maaya' a lot at the end. I'm not surprised (although I don't really remember haha) it was stunning. Incredible. Awesome!
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IDS Fan Club Tour Mini Live - Osaka Zepp 25th September 2009
Well, I arrived in Japan on the 19th of September, the concert was going to be on the 25th. I was in Tokyo for a few days before going down to Kansai to meet my friend. The girl I went with is a girl who did her year abroad at my uni this year, that's how we met. We watched the Kazeyomi DVD together!
Anyway, she's also a big Maaya fan and was just as anxious as me to see her live. She spent about a month waiting for Osaka tickets to come up and then a nice guy off the MIXI Maaya community happened to have extra tickets he was willing to sell. We got them for 4,000 yen each. I got to her place the day before the concert and we spent the next 24 hours going 'Argh, we're going to see Maaya' every half hour or so.
Unfortunately I had caught a cold a couple of days before and the day of the concert was pretty sketchy. I felt awful, streaming nose and eyes, coughing, fever. And as I had to meet my friend out of university lectures I was waiting all day at her university. My friend was worried, 'oh my god, you look like you're about to die...are you sure you're ok?'. Now, Maaya's concert was in a few hours, I was not NOT going to miss it 'I'm...fine...perfect...woo!'. What an obvious lie but we both were anxious to go to the concert. Cue taking medicine, buying a mask and billions of tissues.
The doors to the venue opened at 6pm with the concert to start at 7pm. We arrived as the doors were opened and there were lots of people milling around the Zepp Osaka concert all. It was a lot smaller than I had thought it was going to be and instantly I got more excited. No more feeling ill, adrenaline (the power of Maaya) was suddenly giving me the strength to go on!
Queue up, give ticket, give 500yen for a drink token and we were inside!! After a bag check (no cameras!!) we were inside! A pamphlet was being shoved into our hands and suddenly we were in the queue for goods. Zepp Osaka is tiny and once you're in the doors you are in another queue, then another, then another.
The pamphlet was like those little booklets you used to make at school, two pieces of A4 folded to make a little book, photocopied again and again from the original that Maaya had made. The whole thing was hand written with little drawings Maaya had done, a little message, a note or two about the tour, band introductions etc. There was also a sheet of stickers with the IDS logo and OSAKA 25/09/09 on them. Each venue had their own venue sticker it seems.
Goods! This is where me and my friend were suddenly worried 'oh no....' - there was so much I wanted. The 2009 calendar, the ID essay book, the brand new 2010 calendar, the Kazeyomi tour towel, two designs of IDS t-shirt, a tumbler mug and...and...er....I think there might have been something else but I can't remember. It was hard to decide but I eventually went with the essay book and 2010 calendar. The calendar is really nice, shot in Portugal. The locations aren't as varied as the 2009 one but it's really pretty. The essay book I've wanted for ages, I know someone said it doesn't have many pictures but I was still surprised at how few photos there actually were, about 2 per 100 pages ^^;;; silly me! I shouldn't have been surprised. (side note: I've nearly finished reading it, really, really good so maybe I'll get round to translating some of it!)
They didn't give us bags to put our goodies in so we ended up paying 300 yen for a locker to shove it all in. Good plan. Then we picked up a drink with our tokens and it was into the venue!!
The venue was small. According to the Zepp website it holds about 900 people on the bottom floor and 180 on the top floor when everyone is seated. It felt small!! All the seats were filled and it felt really intimate. The stage was all set up with the instruments and mics. There were only 4 band members on this tour – percussion, piano, cello and guitar. The pianist doubled up on a little pipe thing and accordion sometimes though. That was later.
I was on the second floor, there were only about 5 rows and we were the third one in. So a really, really nice view. It all seemed so close! Or maybe I'd over-estimated how far we'd be when my friend said they were 'bad' seats. Not bad! I prefer 2nd floor (if it's not going to be the front row of course, haha) as you don't have to see over people. As it was a MASSIVE tall guy sat in front of me, er....excuse me? What happened to Japanese people being short on average? But I think he knew because he tended to sit to the side and I got to see more.
A couple of girls about our age (20ish) sat on my right, I think they were massive fans as well because when the lights went down they were like 'I'm going to die!!'. Also, they were crying loads. As was I. And my friend. And a lot of people. But more on that later.
The lights went down!!! The stage was pretty sparse, just the instruments in the middle and a few tall standing lamps here and there. The band came on, did a little tuning. The tension was palpable, the audience waiting with bated breath then....
Sonic Boom
Maaya came on!!!!!! She walked to the center of the stage, we were all silent of course, and then Sonic Boom began. We couldn't see much though because for this song the stage was lit from the floor at the back so we could just see them as black shadows on stage. Can't describe the feeling of seeing her in person. She wore a black dress which was kind of like the one from the Kazeyomi tour but different ^^;;
Mostly I just stared at her (with my mask on, of course) while this song was on. Occasionally patting my friend's arm in a sort of 'OMG' gesture. This isn't one of my favourites from Maaya but the atmosphere was intense.
When the song finished and we all clapped it suddenly felt like the room was really small. Maaya really makes you feel included, like it's just you and her. The live was less of a concert, more of 'an evening with Maaya Sakamoto' due to the amount of talking and songs there were. It was nice.
She introduced herself (needed??!) and then it was time for a chat. This tour was based on postcards that the IDS members sent in, apparently they had been asked to tell IDS their favorite Maaya songs and say why that song was their favorite. Interesting. Then this tour was made up from those songs. Which is why the set list was so different to the Kazeyomi tour I imagine. Anyway, Maaya produced a book which had some of the postcards she had selected to read out. A lot of these were the same for each stop of the tour but some where different, for example she read out some postcards from some Osaka fans. I'm not sure but I think maybe the person behind me WAS one of those fans because she started crying loads and going 'aah, thank god', sort of. Actually I think a lot of people were moved by these post cards because suddenly a lot of sniffing was heard!! I'll give you a few examples later!
Anyway, someone's favourite song was....
Strobe no Sora
Now, this is when I cried for the FIRST time. We'd been listening to Lucy in the car on the way to Osaka and somehow hearing it in person, live, was just...amazing. The arrangements in this concert were all acoustic so they all sounded a little different from the original tracks which was a nice touch. The cello especially was really nice in all the songs.
Me and my friend both agreed afterwards that Maaya sang beautifully. Even better than the Kazeyomi DVD. I'm not sure why but we were both confused as to why she would be better than on the DVD to such a noticeable degree. I think maybe she was less nervous?...no filming etc. No idea but she was incredible. Really powerful.
Remedy
Girls next door crying. I think I did at the end. I'm such a wimp, haha. What a nice song.
Kodoku
THIS is what I was waiting for. One of my most favorite, favorite Maaya songs ever. Stunning, really stunning. Acoustic arrangements are the best. And Maaya singing it as an adult...amazing. Before the performed this song she had a chat with us again. This time about how, when she was a teenager, although she tried to sing Yuho Iwasato's lyrics to the best of her ability, it wasn't until she got older that she realised how beautiful the songs she had been given to sing really were. As I understood it, her understanding of the lyrics and the craft of writing lyrics grew and with it came a new appreciation of her older songs. Which was nice. This was one of the ones she said she had a a new appreciation of.
Awesome performance. Amazing. Argh.
I can't remember where it was but it might have been before this song the she told us about being obsessed with a Nintendo DS game called 'Tomodachi Collection'. It's a bit like the Sims. You build all your friends and family etc. and then...I don't know, control them, make them a life etc. So she said 'At first I did the normal things like making my family, friends etc. but then I ran out of people...so I made my staff. Then...there was nothing for it but to make Johnny Depp!' etc.
Apparently her parents FINALLY got married on the game the day before (we cheered) after a lot of work on Maaya's part. Apparently her best friend had fallen in love with her father and Maaya had had to take a lot of time going 'Father loves mother, father loves mother' and making them fall in love. Also, it seemed like two of the band members for married on the game too (we cheered again). Made me want to play the game. Strange love triangle though.
The band members left the stage apart from the pianist after Kodoku and then came...
Ao no Ether
This was unexpected. I tried to avoid setlists before I went so this was truly a lovely surprise. The stage was pitch black, lit only by a light beam that shone in from the right side of the stage, so everything was lit up in profile (afterwards she joked that it was black instead of blue) but...oh man, the ATMOSPHERE. I don't know whether it was the way Ao no Ether echoed in the hall or something but it was like you could FEEL the atmosphere, or should I say, we could feel the ether. Almost like 'this is what ether must be'. It was electric. Note perfect. I'm not sure but I think the pianist might have changed the arrangement slightly in one place or two but I couldn't tell you as a fact.
You could hear a pin drop when it finished. Then we clapped.
Pianist left the stage then Maaya had a chat to us again. She's been thinking over what to give the IDS members as a Christmas present this year. She's done DVD's, radio shows, and she's decided to do a surprise message. At every tour stop she's asked the audience to shout a word, she records the words and then puts them together to make a sentence. We got the word 'Sound'. And we had a jolly old time practicing the way Maaya wanted us to say it then recording it. SOUND! I wonder what the sentence will be...also, there was a staff member at the end of the concert waiting to record messages from the fans for other fans. More on that later.
Maaya then lamented that she could still only play two songs so we wouldn't be surprised but I was still looking forward to hearing them!!
No Fear
Kazamidori
No Fear was, as you might expect, lovely. Kazamidori though....lovely.....but...she got the lyrics wrong! My friend seemed to think she got the lyrics wrong in two or three places during the concert including this one (I couldn't tell! I thought if I got it wrong then it must be because I forgot the Japanese and I was wrong but I wonder...). It was the last chorus, she started to sing a different chorus then had to correct herself. But the piano seemed more difficult than on the Kazeyomi DVD so maybe that's why. Still, it was gorgeous. She said that Kazamidori was a song that she wrote when she was wanting to go traveling and it is still the one closest to who she is right now.
Band came back, band introductions. Apparently they are the same band as last year but she reintroduced them anyway. The band is called 'Cucumbers!' Why? Well, three out of four of them hate cucumbers. Maaya asked the audience if people didn't like cucumbers, I didn't, as did some others. So it's not that rare! But Maaya seemed to think it was pretty weird that so many people in her band didn't like cucumbers.
Then it was time for...
Yakusoku wa Iranai
This was fun! The marching band bit in the middle was extended and the pianist brought out a little tin whistle/pipe thing, it was like a scottish jig! Really cute. I tried to start a clapping thing but...Maaya fans are serious! No one joined in so it was just me.
Dive
Think I cried again here. Stage was lit from the back with some kind of light that made it looks like we were under water. I'm not sure how often this song has been performed but I felt privileged to hear it. Really, I did. Beautiful. So much emotion put into it and the arrangement was beautiful. I would never have thought a four piece band could put so many layers into a song like this. Better than the original. Not just because Maaya's vocals were so much stronger than they were ten years ago.
Back to the postcards. Reasons why people like the songs! A few examples from some of the other tour stops Maaya told us about:
- a couple who just got married, not sure what song they said they had at the wedding but Maaya made them stand up (maybe this was Tokyo?) and they had a round of applause
- someone who had been in hospital for a long time listened to 'Sora wo miro' while he was in his hospital bed looking out the window. He was able to go to the Nagoya concert and got a round of applause too.
No one got picked out like that at ours but there were a really, really affecting story before Wakaba, A man and his older brother spent a long time looking after their dying father in hospital. They took turns watching over him for a week before he finally passed on. The young man did everything that was expected of him, until the body was cleaned etc. without breaking down. After they had put his father's body in a hearse, the young man followed in his own car. He hadn't cried even though he was heartbroken. And it was finally in the car, in the rain, following his father's body in the car in front, that he started to cry (he added that he did pull over!) and it was Wakaba that was the song which came he had been listening to.
I think a lot of audience members cried here. It was a really sad story. Then Maaya sang...
Wakaba
Made me like this song more. Maaya explained that it's really interesting hearing people's interpretations of her songs because she writes them in completely different circumstances. Wakaba was written about her friend's experience in university, for instance. So she liked reading everyone's impressions of her songs.
Get no Satisfaction was written after an IDS concert last year. She wrote it because of all the energy she got from the fans who attended and wanted a song that reflected that energy (we all stood up and went crazy in this song...well.....me and the two girls next door and my friend got up and clapped etc.) and this was the result. Also, this year's IDS tour t-shirts were designed as a uniform for everyone to recognize each other. She wants all fans to cheer each other on – you are not alone!
Get no Satisfaction
Clapped loads, waved to Maaya a lot too. The venue was pretty sure and we were the only people going crazy on the balcony so hopefully, fingers crossed, she saw us and appreciated our energy!
Encore
Same as above really, dancing, cheering, going crazy when she looked our way. Apparently at the Sapporo tour venue like, it was embarrassing because NO ONE was dancing or clapping or anything. The guy who sold us the tickets apparently went and said it was like....he felt embarrassed because he felt he couldn't go crazy because everyone else was so stoic. Apparently Maaya caught the eye of someone in the front row and had a giggling fit at the lack of reaction. Also, in Tokyo she actually had to say 'come on, stand up!!!'. The Osaka people, I'm glad to say, on the bottom floor, did stand up and clap straight away. We rock.
It did look like she looked our way. It was really bright and lit up and we all sang along etc. Especially Pocket!! Really nice end to the evening! Bright, upbeat, happy!!
Kazemachi Jet
Poketto Kara ni Shite
After all the clapping and goodbyes it was time to go. Outside we all lined up to give our recordings to the IDS staff member. Of course, I got it wrong, AGAIN. Stupid hand written Japanese I couldn't read. We had to give where we were from, our goal for 2010 and where we would like to travel to. Fine. Did it. Then apparently we had to give the IDS slogan call or whatever. Couldn't read it. Made one up. Ran away. Haha, so embarrassing, I can't believe I made one up (-_-);;;;;; boo.
It looks like those will be collected for the new year present thing though.
Anyway!!! There we go.
AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING! Apparently I was shouting 'Maaya' a lot at the end. I'm not surprised (although I don't really remember haha) it was stunning. Incredible. Awesome!
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Kazeyomi Tour 2009 MC 6.5 a.k.a after Universe
Yes, I had indeed missed an MC out. As one or two other Maaya fans kindly noted for me a long time ago...yes, it took me this long to get down to watching the DVD again. And for being all of 5 seconds long it had a tricky part! Thus, I have had a second opinion/help from Frecklegirl. Joint effort! And thus, the entire DVD is now translated (apart from the songs, which are, of course, on Frecklegirl's site).
Note: where I've put 'there are other's who've gotta come back from somewhere', in Japanese Maaya actually says: 'there are also people far away'. But I thought I could make it sound more natural than that ^^;; but take it literally or take it paraphrased, it's up to you. The Japanese transcription of that line was all Frecklegirl. I just couldn't hear it!
Kazeyomi Tour 2009 MC 6.5 a.k.a after Universe
Translation by me and Frecklegirl
Thank you very much! (waves) Hey band, why don't we all come to the front together...? I forgot what we were meant to be doing. Thank you very much...ah, there are others who've gotta come back from somewhere...please talk amongst yourselves for a second (audience laughs as other band members run on) No one knew anything. String people too! I’m so sorry. Sorry. I forgot everything when the blue lights came on. (bow)
(waving, bowing, audience applause as they leave the stage)
Note: where I've put 'there are other's who've gotta come back from somewhere', in Japanese Maaya actually says: 'there are also people far away'. But I thought I could make it sound more natural than that ^^;; but take it literally or take it paraphrased, it's up to you. The Japanese transcription of that line was all Frecklegirl. I just couldn't hear it!
Kazeyomi Tour 2009 MC 6.5 a.k.a after Universe
Translation by me and Frecklegirl
Thank you very much! (waves) Hey band, why don't we all come to the front together...? I forgot what we were meant to be doing. Thank you very much...ah, there are others who've gotta come back from somewhere...please talk amongst yourselves for a second (audience laughs as other band members run on) No one knew anything. String people too! I’m so sorry. Sorry. I forgot everything when the blue lights came on. (bow)
(waving, bowing, audience applause as they leave the stage)
Friday, 26 June 2009
Kazeyomi Tour 2009 Encore Intro
Well, I went back and found the missing part of the tour! It was (as I had thought) at the beginning of the encore. So now we're finished! Enjoy the last translation, I hope that these translations, however amateur they may be, helped you enjoy the show a bit more than you might have done previously. It was a great tour!! Maaaayaaaaaaaaaaa!
Kazeyomi Tour 2009 Encore Intro
You called? (cheer) Anything wrong with being in a short skirt again? (cheer) Eh…You got me completely. I was tricked. Actually, I was determined that ‘Kazamidori’ would be moved to become the last song on this tour.
On the bullet train on the way back from Osaka I had been saying to the staff “How would it be if we switched ‘Universe’ and ended with ‘Kazamidori’?” And then they replied really strongly with “No, no, probably doing ‘Universe’ would be best”(laugh) So that’s what it was! I wonder when that was planned. Thank you very much everyone, it was wonderful. (cheer)
Well…I can feel deeply the energy overflowing in the atmosphere right now. Lives really are good, aren’t they? (cheer) I really think that. Well! We were called by everyone and rushed out here so I guess it’s OK to sing a bit more, right? (cheer)
OK. Heh, heh, OK. Let’s go back to when I was a teenager (audience woos) Platina!
Kazeyomi Tour 2009 Encore Intro
You called? (cheer) Anything wrong with being in a short skirt again? (cheer) Eh…You got me completely. I was tricked. Actually, I was determined that ‘Kazamidori’ would be moved to become the last song on this tour.
On the bullet train on the way back from Osaka I had been saying to the staff “How would it be if we switched ‘Universe’ and ended with ‘Kazamidori’?” And then they replied really strongly with “No, no, probably doing ‘Universe’ would be best”(laugh) So that’s what it was! I wonder when that was planned. Thank you very much everyone, it was wonderful. (cheer)
Well…I can feel deeply the energy overflowing in the atmosphere right now. Lives really are good, aren’t they? (cheer) I really think that. Well! We were called by everyone and rushed out here so I guess it’s OK to sing a bit more, right? (cheer)
OK. Heh, heh, OK. Let’s go back to when I was a teenager (audience woos) Platina!
Kazeyomi Tour 2009 MC 8
Here it is, the final MC. Apart from the one I've lost. I think it's at the beginning of the encore, actually. Thinking back. That must be why I missed it out because it's not labeled as an MC. Oh well. I'll go back. Enjoy!
Kazeyomi Tour 2009 MC 8
OK, this time to the front! This time out to the front. And also the strings, once more! Ah I’m so happy, thank you for wearing the T-shirts. (To Kouno Shin) It’s fine, it’s fine I haven’t got one either.
Note: Maaya snorts her word into the microphone here ^^;; so I’m not sure what she says but I’m pretty sure Kouno Shin was worried about not having his flag because everyone else is waving theirs quite happily and he turns to go back and Maaya’s like ‘no, no, I haven’t got one either’. Anyhoo, back to the MC.
Thank you everyone, we are Kazeyomi! Thank you! (cheer)
Everyone really surprised me…well, there’s one more surprise from me. I’m sorry, the time’s really getting late. Well, this is for me as well. Today’s really the first time I’ve played this so my hearts pounding really hard. (cheer) anyway, this for me as well so let me sing this song once more.
Everyone here, everyone here today, and the people in Nagoya and Osaka, the band and the staff, thanks to everyone I’ve fallen in love with concerts. This is truly the last song.
‘Kazamidori’.
Kazeyomi Tour 2009 MC 8
OK, this time to the front! This time out to the front. And also the strings, once more! Ah I’m so happy, thank you for wearing the T-shirts. (To Kouno Shin) It’s fine, it’s fine I haven’t got one either.
Note: Maaya snorts her word into the microphone here ^^;; so I’m not sure what she says but I’m pretty sure Kouno Shin was worried about not having his flag because everyone else is waving theirs quite happily and he turns to go back and Maaya’s like ‘no, no, I haven’t got one either’. Anyhoo, back to the MC.
Thank you everyone, we are Kazeyomi! Thank you! (cheer)
Everyone really surprised me…well, there’s one more surprise from me. I’m sorry, the time’s really getting late. Well, this is for me as well. Today’s really the first time I’ve played this so my hearts pounding really hard. (cheer) anyway, this for me as well so let me sing this song once more.
Everyone here, everyone here today, and the people in Nagoya and Osaka, the band and the staff, thanks to everyone I’ve fallen in love with concerts. This is truly the last song.
‘Kazamidori’.
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