Hi all! I'm new to these forums.
I signed up just to give a little report on the Okayama live :)
The setlist was the same as above ^
I wish they had Lirica and/gogatsu no mahou D:
They sounded amazing tonight.
The arrangements were all really interesting and the volumes were so well balanced. I could hear all three of them sounding super crisp and their harmonies rang throughout the hall~
01.In dulci jubilo
This one sounded pretty much like it does in the album except Keiko sounds uber deep and satisfying. Wakana was also really strong here.
02.fairytale
Sakurada's piano was a bit different here. It was super whimsical and cute of him. XD
Highlight was the Kajiurago bridge. Wakana sounded so operatic and so powerful.
MC1
They talked about how it's their first time in Okayama.
03.Eden
There was a lot of high and low with this song (in volume). It felt like they were taking us for a ride. Keiko was being super cool, like a conductor. Everytime they held a long note she'd raise her arm and close her fist to signal the end of the note to everyone. She does this all evening in all the important long notes. Conductor Keiko <3
04.ひかりふる Hikarifuru
05.君の銀の庭 Kimi no Gin no Niwa
Madoka Medley! Intense feels. The people next to me started weeping. then I started weeping.
I do think Hikari Furu is nicer with the full sound effects though.
They were super into these. All three of them moved around the stage a lot.
Keiko walks like she glides @__@
MC2
Keiko talks about each song's world view, a little about MadoMagi for those who don't know it, and explains why they wander and spin round the stage XD
Then Wakana introduces the next song by making a joke about chairs. lol
06.空色の椅子 Sorairo no Isu
Wakana makes more people cry.
The harp in the album version is played by Sakurada's piano. so similar to the Far on the Water live version.
07.輝く空の静寂には Kagayaku Sora no Shijima ni wa
Nostalgia hit here. Keiko's Kajiurago bridge part was godly.
08.seventh heaven
Sounds like the studio version except a little slower, everyone got to carefully place their notes, and all the harmonies blended nicely. Maybe just a little tooooo slow? For me anyway. Original Seventh Heaven was already pretty slow.
09.blaze
I read from earlier posts that some are curious about this one
This was surprisingly the highlight of the concert! I'm not super into Blaze as a single, but this arrangement was actually magical.
It started with Hikaru acapela. all the intense anisong intros/bridges were converted into this mellow, gliding piano glissando sequence.
The verses were nearly all acapela too. with Sakurada and Konno strings playing some connecting lines here and there.
They played around with their expressiveness and contrasted volumes a lot in this arrangement. Keiko did her cool conductor thing again. This song was the most musically interesting piece of the evening! It was an eye opener.
MC3
Hikaru talks about Blaze. She Talks about the meaning of the word "blaze" and explains that this acoustic arrangement is meant to contrast the studio version. the studio version is up beat and expressed a blaze that's burning outwards. whereas as their acoustic version tried to portray an internal, heartful kind of flame.
Keiko reveals that acoustic Blaze was Hikaru's idea.
10.from heaven above
11.we wish you a merry Christmas
12.もろびとごぞりて Morobito Kozorite (Joy to the World)
Xmas special~ these were really fun. they weren't too long and they felt really good.
13.moonfesta
This was fun. I still think it's such a weird song. but the performance had so much energy I just went along for the ride.
14.storia
15.into the world
Historia block! The older Japanese audience were super happy about this one. There was an elderly couple in front of me who started holding hands and swaying to the music.
In Storia, Wakana had a near miss with the lyrics where she swapped a word XD. but she just went through with it and Keiko seemed to have picked it up and sang it like that with her it didn't affect anything.
Into the World was so grand.
MC5
The girls talk about Rekishi Hiwa Historia.
Then Keiko tells everyone about their beginning as a group (from Kara no Kyokai). they introduce their next block, and say it feels like timeslip, performing in Okayama for the first time, and being able to perform the works from the series of their origin there.
16.dolce
17.アレルヤ Alleluia
18.sprinter
Kara no Kyokai block. they performed them like in the Winter acoustic album. Likely mentioned before, Keiko sounds super grand and satisfying when she doesn't get her volume mixed into the background.
The Kajiurago bridge in Alleluia was super high, and probably the only part where Wakana sound a bit weak.
MC6
They introduce their Winter Album.
19.やさしいうた Yasashii Uta
This was heavenly. the studio version doesn't even compare.
Keiko sang her lines significantly differently to the studio version. She sounded super youthful and innocent. I can't explain. But for reference, she sounded like when she sang Everlasting Song back in 2008 and she sounded like ASUKA???
Wakana's final line was much nicer and smoother than the studio version too.
The contrast between loud and quiet in this song left quite an impression.
[enc.]
clap clap clap clap
They came back out straight away lol.
They did a little talk about ring your bell before singing. They said this song signifies them putting a flag down on a new place.
enc.1 ring your bell
I love this song and this arrangement. I think at one point Wakana and Kajiura did say that the Ring
Your Bell was originally meant to be slow like this, but they made the tempo quicker so that the TV size could be short enough.
Super grand.
Also it was really funny, the audience clapped before the song was over because there's this pause after their grand "kienai karaaaaaaaa". and Keiko counted them back in XD
enc.2 胸の行方 Mune no Yukue
They made this arrangment a lot skippier than their normal version. It was FULL of energy. I'm personally not too fond of this song, but once again, I just tagged along for the ride.
MC7
They thank everyone for the encore.
And introduce...the ultimate Christmas song.
enc.3 Jingle Bell
SO. MUCH. FUN. They didn't even 10 seconds into the verses and everyone started clapping along. the claps made the song so much more snappy. especially when they got to the "ONE~*CLAP* HORSE~*CLAP* O~~~ PEN~ SLEIGHHHH".
This was a crowd pleaser XD
MC8
Hikaru's goods corner. oh my God.
She tried to do it in Okayama-ben and it was hilarious.
She introduced the t-shirt, which, in this tour, is long sleeved! Apparently they've always made short sleeved shirts.
She revealed that they have S, M, L, and XL. and that the size that sold out first is XL. she also revealed that she ordered the XL size so she could use it as pyjama's. apparently it goes down past her knees and the sleeves are nearly twice her arm length lol.
Then she tried to sell the S sizes to the guys in the crowd by saying "It's kind of in fashion to wear slim clothing". Keiko and Wakana start laughing. and she backs it up with "not TIGHT TIGHT, just slim!"
enc.4 have yourself a merry little Christmas
The real "last song".
MC
member introduction + bow + Wakana's hand was on Keiko's bum ;D ;D
Keiko finishes the night by saying her mother is originally from and raised in Okayama. but she herself had only been in Okayama once and the only memory of it is an old photo of her as a kid on a swing in a nearby Park. so getting to perform I'm her mother's hometown warlike a dream come true to her.
Kisses blown. Long standing ovation. Waved at everyone.
Overall it was one of the best sounding concerts I've ever been to, even amongst their lives.
The hall was great. The stage set-up was so pretty. All three of them sang beautifully. The pieces were musically interesting. There was so much energy.
Honestly I was listening out for flaws. But there really wasn't anything notable. Hikaru had the occasional strain/nasal moment. Except for her little word swap in Storia and that bridge in Alleluia, Wakana really was on the ball all night. Keiko was just standing in the middle being grand like she does. In the end I just got absorbed by their aura.
I think I prefer this live over their normal lives. I got to appreciate their voices much more, without having to fight through the sounds of the full front band.
Got home super satisfied.
Sorry for the long post.
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