Well, I finally watched the whole concert
so here are my thoughts:
Red Moon: At first listen I thought this was a bit too much like the original recording for my taste, but after I really listened to it, I realized it was amazing. The beginning keyboard was wonderful, and the bridge was perfect. Keiko's epic at the end! But I don't know if I like it as the opening song, for some reason... 9/10
Te to te to me to me: Great from the first second. Loved the opening bass, the piano improvisations, and even the choreography wasn't half bad!
10/10
Fantasia: The Kajiurago harmony at the beginning was just glorious! I always liked the chorus of this song, and hearing it live is nice, but it sounds a little...flat for some reason. Nothing much stands out here. 7/10
Sapphire: I forgot how sad this song is! Pretty much the only difference is in the vocals, and of course they're amazing, Studio Magic or not. The piano is great too, very gentle. And no flourishes this time, I noticed. He must be a strong man...if it was me I'd be improvising all over the place
8/10
Hoshi no Utai: The guitar at the beginning's a little too loud, but Koichi-san's so awesome that it doesn't matter. Keiko and Hikaru sound very strong here. Quite frankly, they could've cut out the flute and I wouldn't have missed it, not with the piano around. But the poses in the middle... :uh: 9/10
Yami no Uta: I'm a little ambivalent about this one...with that weird rhythm, it seems tough to do good drum accompaniment. Keiko's drowned out a little at the beginning too. But the guitar definitely gives it an edge that the original didn't have. And Wakana's Kajiurago in the middle is glorious
If she sounds that good, why was Yuriko in the original?! 8/10
Natsu no Ringo: Hikaru's chorus-ender was a little grating, but not bad for me. That's just the way she sings, and her falsetto probably wouldn't have sounded right. I definitely think the flute should've been replaced by the violin, though. This is a little too similar to the original sometimes, but the bass is cool and it's nice to hear the guitar a little gentler. 7/10
fairytale: My goodness, I love this one!! All three of them sound wonderful. And the arrangement...the piano at the beginning and the end is beautiful, and adding in the guitar quietly in Keiko's line was absolute genius. Hikaru's 'sayonara' gives me chills
This version of fairytale had a different feel than the original. The only problem is that horrible choreography... 10/10
Aria: Hikaru's performance is great here! Keiko and Wakana are beautiful on the Kajiurago and of course Koichi-san was awesome again. There's a lot more passion in this performance than in the original, and everything comes together nicely. Wakana actually does a very good job on the penultimate chorus! 9/10
Progressive: Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! This is one of my favorites. I just love how Hikaru and Keiko sing 'hontou no jibun...' together. And finally Konno-san gets a solo! 10/10
Haru wa Kogane no Yume no Naka: Actually better than I thought it'd be! I always found this song depressing, but it turns out beautifully. And I loved how Konno-san played alone without the recorded string quartet. He definitely gives the song more emotion. (Wish they'd done that with Sapphire...) 10/10
Storia: Another song that doesn't need the flute...the arrangement is just as good, though. Nothing really stands out, aside from a few wonderful inflections here and there by Hikaru and Wakana. 8/10
Intermezzo: This sounds even better without the filter on the vocals! Wakana is good in the beginning, but Hikaru can really carry the melody - everything picks up when she comes in. And the solo piano is perfection. 10/10
Lacrimosa: I noticed that this arrangement is pretty much the same as the previous live performance, but it's a little better sometimes. I personally love having Hikaru sing along with the recorded chorus, but the three of them do the Kajiurago beginning wonderfully. And...there's some more piano and bass flourishes
9/10
Mata kaze ga tsuyokunatta: The bass is a little less headache-causing than the original
All of them really felt this song, and it's obvious. Hikaru's wonderful on the choruses, but she overdid it just a little on the 'subete no hikari' part. Loved Koichi-san whipping his hair around at the end... 9/10
Kyrie: I like how the sound effects are a little different at the beginning. Pretty much everything is cool - the drumbeat, the guitar, the background piano too. I adore the bridge with that different music, but I have no clue what Keiko says
And the penultimate chorus is beautiful! 8/10
Ongaku: I never really liked the album version of this song, but this has so much more energy, I love it! Keiko does a great job, and it's obvious that she's really enjoying herself. It's cool how Koichi-san modifies his original part. And Konno-san gets an unexpected solo too
10/10
Hikari no Senritsu: I'm not a big fan of this. Hikaru's lip-synching in the choruses is annoying, and I wish (again) there was no flute. Plus, it's so long...
Like Fantasia, it's kinda lackluster. 7/10
love come down: So much fun! The album version really, really irritated me, but again this one's much better. I love the jumping up and down part
10/10
Sprinter: Konno-san's violin is gorgeous here. All their voices blend together really well, and I love how Keiko goes up instead of down in that certain part
I think there's a lot of passion in this, even though they don't move around much. 10/10
I have a dream: Finally they cut out the flute!!
And the violin is so lovely in its place!!
What a perfect ending song this was. Wakana and Hikaru sing it beautifully, although I like Keiko's parts the best. 10/10
Memorable stuff:
Their dancing in Te to Te
The beautiful guitar behind Keiko's line in fairytale
Konno-san in Haru wa
The piano in Intermezzo
Keiko falling to her knees in Mata kaze
Koichi-san suddenly appearing out front in Ongaku
Walking around in the middle of Hikari no
Konno-san jumping up and down with Kalafina in love come down
Guess he really likes that song.
My top five:
1. fairytale
2. Intermezzo
3. Te to te to me to me
4. Sprinter
5. Progressive
Average rating: 8.95