Yuki Kajiura LIVE vol.#16 ~ Sing a Song Tour 2020 ~

I thoroughly enjoyed this live. super good performances overall.

Houseki *sniff :( so good....

I really don't care for Gaika or Aimer. Aimer's voice is... no. sounds like full of glottal fry to me. sorry just not my thing.

loved stone cold. so fun.

Joelle on the other hand hmmm thumbs up. ehhe Rie was out of breath for one split second in zodiacal sign but super duper throughout. loved the drum in zsign.

mezame is never right without hanae, sorry yuriko.

maybe tomorrow is also so good. I almost said "isn't that right .... " at the end. Xenosaga died but Kajiura still uses the ending song in her lives, *sniff. and I think it's fitting end to the live.

the setlist still suffers lack of variety. they did a very good job though. Joelle saying thank you is so cute:)
 
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Went back to Hitorigoto since I dozed off on it last time. It was very pretty. I liked it.
 
I want to like Hitorigoto live but the best part of Hitorigoto live was the Yuriko Keiko engrish section from the elemental live tour and that part is absent now. I really liked the contrast between Yuriko's and Keiko's voice.

Btw is it just my new speaker or did the harmonies on some part sound really... distant or drowned? Joelle's voice especially got drowned very often. Maybe it's the rerecording though, idk.
 
Btw is it just my new speaker or did the harmonies on some part sound really... distant or drowned? Joelle's voice especially got drowned very often. Maybe it's the rerecording though, idk.
Not you. I think they are just mixed with playbacked original Aaaaaahs and selected other kajiurago backing vocals. Or maybe those were mixed in later who knows. v( '')v
 
Btw is it just my new speaker or did the harmonies on some part sound really... distant or drowned? Joelle's voice especially got drowned very often. Maybe it's the rerecording though, idk.
Yea i noticed too that she had an expression like trying very hard to sing loud and yet i couldnt hear her voice 😅😥
 
I was so disappointed in the live that I didn't even type down my impressions hue. Might as well since I'm relistening.

-Beginning: pretty nice overture. Keiko is singing in a lighter tone BUT it fits the song so it's fine. Almost didn't recognize Joelle's voice when she started singing. One of her few solo lines in the concert hue. She and Keiko sound good. Kaori is a little too pushy. Yuriko's new part is lovely. Surprised that it didn't have violin like in the Saeko Chiba live.
-Kioku no mori: Keiko fits the verses so good. Yuriko's solo is gut gut. Kaori is once again pushing too much ree.
-Distance: No Joelle on refrain? Really? Eh, well Kaori fits the dramatic tone of the song so no biggie.
-Fields of hope: big nope from me. Kaori doesn't fit the tone of the song at all. Well, she starts fine singing all breathy, but once she starts pushing and sounding all dramatic pop diva ballad ala Calling/Michiyuki, it's completely ruined. Should've been Keiko or Joelle. On the bright side, Joelle sounds very pretty singing her parts. That high "fields of hope" was delicious.
-Houseki: is houseki. Next.
-Gaika: Joelle is not bad, but would've sounded better if she darkened her tone. Kaori on refrain is nope. Should've been Joelle singing in either mixed or head voice for an extra haunting tone. Yuriko's parts are fine. Joelle sounds extra fine on the second verse.
-Moonlight melody: the extra flute is cute. Other than that is another good performance of the song.
-Hitorigoto: I prefer Keiko in the vol 11 performance. She's too light here. The rest of the performance is good. Rie still nails that delicious solo.
-Yakusoku: Even though Kaori fits the song and she sounds fine through the performance, I'm already tired of her hue.
-Hana no uta: Bretty good performance, though there's seems to be a weird disconnect when Aimer starts using vibrato.
-I beg you: For a moment I thought the intro would have a new arrangement hue. Aimer sounds good but out of breath at times. Yuriko and Kaori are pointless here hue. Like, they didn't even sing the Lie lie la la. Also, the volume of their mics is way low.
-Wonderland: very good, once again. Keiko and Joelle are barely audible, but Joelle sounded good in the bridge.
-Haru wa yuku: No complaints from Aimer. Why didn't Joelle and Keiko sing the "hah hah"s through the song? Like, wtf.
-Eternal blue: oh boy, more Kaori.
-Stone cold: oh boy, more Kaori. At least it sounds better than the bootleg... for obvious reasons hue.
-Yume no tsubasa: oh boy, more Kaori.
-Mezame: Overture sounds like a collection of all Kajiura sfx hue. Still don't like that Yuriko and Joelle don't sing together on the second part of the refrain. Main melody SHOULD have more emphasis. Keiko didn't need Kaori's help at all. Oh and still don't like Yuriko's intro.
-Zodiacal sign: No complaints here. Rie's energy is awesome. Shame the rest of the girls don't share that energy. Well, Joelle does a little.
-Maybe tomorrow: oooh finally a clean version of Joelle's version. It's even more expressive than the bootleg. Good performance to end the concert.

Well, that was disappointing. I don't hate Kaori, but I'm not really interested in a Kaori-led concert. And I'd like to know Kajiura's logic for turning FJ songs into Kaori songs.
 
Re: fields of hope

i agree @Lorde-Kowz - Kaori’s tone doesn’t match the original’s at all, I don’t feel ANY melancholy. She turns the ballad into something sweet and I’m not here for it. It’s supposed to be a relatively sad song but she makes it feel like spring.

I thought I would be happy with a Kaori-led live considering how I felt Vol 11 was very Wakana heavy and vol 1 reprise was basically a Joelle-led one whereby old English covers previously covered by Kaori were taken over by Joelle; but man she was too prominent on this one. I BARELY heard Yuriko on melody like wtf. Now I’m pissed.
 
Yeah, she did seem kind of overwhelmed at times, like out of breath. i haven't watched it totally, but yeah. I liked Joelle in Gaika, even though she was too happy for it. lol Keiko at least was serious in that song. I thought I would hate Gaika without Wakana, but liked it all right. I still love the original.
For the Aimer songs: wow. She did not get out of breath at all! She was amazing. I like Haru wa Yuku better than Hana no Uta, and Wonderland better than I beg you. I like parts of the other songs though. I beg you with the others backing was cool. That's where I left off was after her set. I love the violin in Wonderland so much. (Konno helps too lol) Did Aimer where the same thing she wore in the live she did last year? Not that I really cared all that much, but I just noticed that. heh

I would have liked more Keiko like in Kioku no Mori. That was awesome. I like that version unlike Synchornicity. (I know, unpopular opinion.) She was great in beginning also. She would have been better in Fields of Hope, honestly, sorry Kaori, I still love you. Maybe she felt too much pressure since Wakana wasn't there? I don't know. But Joelle usually sings Wakana's parts, right? Anyways... I like what Kaori and Keiko were wearing. Joelle's reminded me of a military uniform, I didn't hate it though. Yuriko just looked uncomfortable. Those puffy sleeves... I just thought I would be itching the whole night, but that's just me. Anyhow... I loved what Yuki was wearing, as always.

I look forward to maybe hearing the soundtrack ones someday. I hope for more Joelle in ost as well, like the Fena track. Or for their next album to have Joelle songs. She has a great voice.
 
Okay, finished it. I think Kaori did well on the FJ songs. Even the Yuuka ones. It's just the other ones. I loved her in Yakosaku. She did an excellent job with it. The rest after Aimer was all right. Zodiacal Sign is their Ongaku, and Mezame too. We've seen them a million times. Zodiacal is so long, wow. Yuki still enjoys playing it so much it seems, and singing. I actually didn't mind eternal blue and stone cold without Wakana. It was a little weird, sure, but still fine. And distance I actually preferred. Kaori has come a long way with her English, they all have really. But was listening to Key of the Twilight that Kaori sang and it was not as good as it is now. She actually sings 'blue' instead of 'brue' lol Keiko too. I would have loved Keiko doing the whole of Kioku no Mori, but it was still good. Overall I give it a 8/10. I always smile when listening to live versions of songs better because I know that's Yuki on piano. And then she smiles.
 
Wow, the FictionJunction vocals have never sounded more powerful before. I'm not sure if they just brought their A-game or if the addition of Joelle's powerful voice forced the rest of the group to step it up a notch, but damn. Songs that sounded halfway lazy in the lives before, such as eternal blue, distance, gaika, stone cold, and yakusoku (in my opinion) sound as powerful as their studio versions for a change and it's really refreshing to hear. I've always felt those songs suffered in translation to the lives, but not this time! They might even be slightly better than the studio versions at times. Hitorigoto definitely is! That song seems to have a noticeable vocal power increase from its studio version on elemental, but damn I miss that saxophone. The flute does not compare! Also I think this version of mezame was much more improved from the vol 1 reprise version, which had disappointment me then. And I love how zodiacal sign is this constantly evolving song with new additions every single time I hear its new live version. Definitely bummed we didn't get the Kalafina songs and got the Aimer ones instead but maybe that's due to legal reasons? My only real complaint is that as much as I liked Joelle's lead on maybe tomorrow, I think Keiko's version is the superior of the two. My heart really missed hearing her nail that last note the way she did in volume 9. Overall, an amazing concert and it makes me think that Volume 17 is going to be mind blowing
 
Just watched it. Here’s a quick review:

*Overture* Beginning: I’m not actually familiar with this song, or with a lot of Saeko Chiba’s stuff, really. Anyways, Keiko sounded really good, and I got excited! Then Joelle started singing. Actually, she was alright, but the song just kind of got boring. Kaori was solid though! And Yuriko’s part was so good! Anyway, yeah, still not a favorite of the night. Maybe it’s my unfamiliarity, who knows.

Kioku no Mori: I absolutely love this performance. Keiko’s voice is so mysterious at the start, Kaori’s got a ton of power, and that long note from Yuriko is killer! I was unsure how this one would fare without Yuuka, but I was quite pleasantly surprised!

Distance: It’s a good performance, and it does what it needs to, but isn’t much more than that. I feel like this concert needed a bit more variety, especially with Kaori singing lead on just about everything.

Fields of Hope: I was curious to see what Kaori did with it, and she did a great job! Her voice has a certain reserved vulnerability to it here. She definitely seems to be imitating Rie Tanaka’s soft style. And of course the composition is great, it’s a lovely ballad!

Houseki: Not much for me to say here. It’s Houseki. The song’s amazing, Keiko’s amazing, the instrumentalists are amazing, the performance is amazing. As it pretty much always is for me. Next!

Gaika: Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Joelle sounds fine in her parts, with the mystical atmosphere, and Yuriko’s high segments are spectacular. It’s Kaori that’s the problem. When Wakana does it, there’s an intense, scary, hypnotic air, where as the verses bring you in, the chorus immediately makes you take a step back and realize what you’re in for. It’s a great song, but Kaori just . . . Sings. Very monotonously. And as a result, Joelle and Yuriko’s parts don’t mix as well. Ugh.

Moonlight Melody: Rie! Also another clunker. Yuriko’s voice is so grating in this one, and Kaori doesn’t really match Yo Taichi’s performance either. Joelle, meanwhile, just honestly sounds like she’s forcing her happiness. I’m sure she is actually getting into it, but it comes across as overdone. Next.

Hitorigoto: Ah, that’s more like it! A lot quieter, more atmospherically focused, and with great performances from Keiko and Kaori! My only problem is that Joelle kind of goes a bit too hard on her parts, but honestly that’s not the end of the world.

Yakusoku: Alright, so this is my favorite Yuuka song. Like, my absolute favorite, I adore it. Every single part of the song comes together to create this awesone, desperate, tragic, mystical, and slightly terrifying atmosphere that flows together beautifully. And, of course, I did have fun with this performance on that front. It’s just difficult for me to dislike in concept. The problem is once again Kaori. Where’s that desperation? Where’s the sorrow? The fragility? Why?! It’s a shame because there’s a lot to like about this performance (the guitars, the Kajiurago, Kaori’s last ‘Michi wo’), but Kaori made the song’s vocals boring! HOW DO YOU EVEN DO THAT?! Kaori, I like you, but what the heck was that?

Hana no Uta: Thankfully Aimer has come with my favorite song of hers to put me in a better mood. Phenomenal performance! Every element is just so well done!

I Beg You: Also excellent! I really like how the song starts and ends slow and unsure. The bookends are a really nice touch!

Wonderland: My goodness, Aimer sounds so good! Her stamina in this one is particularly impressive! Anyways I love the song, of course, it’s got a lot going on and the darkness fits that perfectly!

Haru wa Yuku: I found this song at just the right time, so I’ve always had a soft spot for this one. Lovely, just lovely. Oh no Aimer’s going away PLEASE NO.

Eternal Blue: Not gonna lie, I skipped this one. I’ve never liked it. Also, please give Kaori a really long break!

Stone Cold: A jam, of course. I love the harmonizing! And also, Kaori, where was this intensity during Gaika?

Yume no Tsubasa: It’s good and sounds more genuinely happy than Moonlight, but I’m starting to get tired. Still solid, though.

Mezame: This sounds better than the Reprise one did, but I still think it sounds a bit too rough at some parts.

Zodiacal Sign: This one’s great, especially Kaori’s part at the end and the instrumental showcase. But wow this one is long.

Maybe Tomorrow: And we end with Joelle going way too hard on the song, constantly switching tone, and her vocal quality grating me! I liked her more in this entire live than I usually do but wow that is one way to end a concert.

Anyways, this was all 50/50 for me. There was some good, some bad, and a lot of Kaori. I still had a fun time, though!

Favorites: Kioku no Mori, Fields of Hope, Houseki, Hitorigoto, Hana no Uta, I Beg You, Wonderland, Haru wa Yuku, Stone Cold, and Zodiacal Sign.
 
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