Been to yesterday and today's concerts (7/09 with
@raintower and 7/10), here are some details, thoughts and facts:
- Kajiura's first time in Hitomi Memorial Hall (inside an University), and it's a really beautiful one.
- Most FBM's solos are differents in each performance, from slight changes to more drastic ones.
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Umi to Shinju: JUNNA + Yuriko & Keiko. E.G solo was very good and clean, maybe better than the original.
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Silly-Go-Round: JUNNA + Yuriko, Keiko, Kaori. I was surprised when this song kicked-in directly after "Umi to Shinju".
One more song not performed since Vol.#11. A good choice for JUNNA, proven by her powerful deliveries on "Kimi he / Kimi to / and Kimi ni". I imagine her retaining herself to do the Walküre hand sign on this.
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Taiyou no Kouro: JUNNA + Yuriko, Keiko, Joelle. Joelle didn't sing much though, maybe only during the Kajiurago parts. A bit too much playback.
- JUNNA didn't have that much presence on scene, she tried a little bit but the audience didn't react much to her song, unlike with "stone cold", "zodiacal sign" and even "nowhere" cover by ASCA. I was disappointed because she's supposed to be some kind of cheerleader, a Walküre familiar with larger audiences such as Yokohama Arena (17k capacity).
- Kaori headpatted Keiko during Zodiacal Sign.
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Hanamori no Oka: First time since Vol.#12. Kaori leads. Keiko joins during the second part of the verses. Yuriko joins during the first part of the second verse. Joelle sings during the interlude. This version is closer to the original, similarly to Vol.#11 (and possibly Vol.#12), unlike the previous ones where the violin replaced most of the flute parts.
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Hibari: Again, sweet memories from the past (Vol.#15). Accurate.
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Kimi ga Mita Yume no Monogatari: I was waiting for this one, since I like the MV. ASCA wasn't as badass as in it, but still moved a lot. Short Music Box intro. Sh* I forgot who sing what. Wouldn't have it been good if "starting the case" was played before it so we can get an ASCA drop?
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nowhere: ASCA went back to the pedestal to sing this. She hyped the crowd with some sentences. She tried all possible positions during the song, even turning her back to the audience. Great! Violin solo as in every performance. Yet another different E.G solo, maybe closer to Vol.#11 compared to Vol.#4. I still prefer Vol.#4's. No "HEY HEY HEY" during those solos, maybe better. Again, I wished that someone would yell Korenaga and Konno's names during their moments. For me, YUUKA's voice is too high-pitched so I think I prefer ASCA's version overall. Fact: out of 86 (or 87..?) Kajiura lives so far, "nowhere" has only been performed 6 times but I consider it as a classic. This is a hype song as much as "stone cold", "zodiacal sign", "Mezame" and "E.G.O.". Being able to witness 3/4 of these songs in just one live is such an honor. The chills.
- ASCA was way more active on stage than JUNNA. She had a cute complicity with Keiko, at some moments holding each other's arm.
- Gosh, the stage lightnings are really on point. Dynamism, complexity, depth, chromatism... love especially how everything is agitated to the very back of the hall during Mezame until Hanae's last long note where it refocuses and stops on the stage. Been to TeamLab but nothing like a Kajiura show lol.
I won't be able to attend next month shows because I'm leaving Tokyo, and already have a lot of regrets :/
How great would have it been to see the premiere of at least two new FictionJunction songs... and maybe see another hidden guest?
But maybe it's better not to: I really like drums in Kajiura's lives unlike in her recordings, so maybe the final product will not be as good.
