Yuki Kajiura Live 22~Precious Pieces
260808-09 Saitama
Omiya Sonic City Large Hall is a very good venue, on the same par as the Disney amphitheater, if not better. I’m really impressed.
Slient moon (a cappella): Only 6 vocalists came on the stage. Yuuka sounds so sweet and gentle, yet she still sounds powerful and her voice sounds less rough compared to the last time I heard her live in the first Kaji Fes. (It’s what some Kajiura’s fans complained on the live performances of singers with nasal voices like Yuuka and Hikaru. It’s better now for Yuuka, but sadly, I think it’s worse for Hikaru.) She delivered such angelic vibrato. I heard only her voice, and cried a lot from the start. They stood in half circle line, facing the audience. Their harmony sounds so great.
I had a problem with my IC card so I came late on the 2nd day TT. The staff made late attendants wait outside until the first song ended. We didn’t hear anything inside at all. Probably because it’s a paella or the hall is very good.
Overture~Crush: Rie was on the top stage, playing her flute, and Konno stood right in front of me. What a feast to Konno and Rie fan like me…! LoL. My seat was in front of KonnoSan’s again on Day 2. Yeah~~~
Pandora hearts expanded: I totally fell in love with Joelle version. Rie was still on the top stage. Joelle was the main voice with Yuriko and Kaori as backing, while Lino took the part where she repeated what Joelle sang. Joelle’s and Lino’s voices blended so well. Emiko wasn’t on the stage.
Everytime you kissed me: Kaori was beyond my expectation. She leaded the song well, sang it in a very emotional way, and performed nice vibrato. Yuriko was the main chorus. She also took the lead during bridge where Joelle supporting her. Joelle had her brilliant part during the bridge as well.
MC: On Day2, it seems that they talked about how to pronounce Rayearth properly…lol.
Rayearth theme: Joelle sounds like the lead of the song. The song didn’t grow on me yet. It has heavy harmonization, sounds bright and a kind of heroic, but not that grand, and doesn’t sound fantasy-like either. I love the last part before the end that all five sang together. Then it followed by Joelle alone, then the combination with Emiko and the other three.
Lighthouse: Lino did well, but she became a bit weak during the first hook, but she slowly got back and was fine near the end. It’s like this for both days. Joelle wasn‘t there. The bridge by Kaori sounds great, while Yuriko and Emiko gave amazing chorus.
From now, it’s Yuuka session.
Day 1
I’m Here: What a great choice to open the guest session, telling the fans that right now, ‘I’m here’! I love her voice so much…;A;. Seriously, I heard only her again. Konno brought us a great violin playing as well. When the 2nd half of the song started, Yuuka walked down the stair while singing. Yuriko and Kaori sang the chorus, but the main chorus was Kaori. Kaori sang ‘I’m here’ at the ending of many parts, and her legato was really nice.
Honoo no Tobira: Yuuka made me cry again…;w;. I don’t think I can enjoy Joelle’s or other covers any more. The original is here! Yuriko and Kaori were the main backing vocals. I think Yuuka did some mistake in the part before the violin solo, before the bridge part. But the bridge was great. It sounds more like Yuuka sang over the chorus, unlike the recording that sounds like a duet. Yuriko high note part during the bridge was so brilliant. The violin ending from Konno was really epic!
MC: I think Yuuka talking about Korean drama. LoL
Rokugatsu wa kimi no eien: Only Kajiura on piano and Yuuka. It sounds so great.
Day 2
Silly-go-round: Yuuka was on the top stage. Yuriko, Kaori and Joelle were the supporting voices. The bridge where Kaori and Yuriko joining her was duet-like and sounds so great. Many fans stood up when the song started.
Yakusoku: Yuriko and Kaori gave the nice intro, then Yuuka brought the first verse. She walked down after that. Yuuka was so great and the Kajiurago ending by Yuriko and Kaori was nice as well. I didn’t expect that I’d cry because of this song. Though it’s not one of my favourites, it’s the meaningful song she sang near the end of Live 4, as a promise that she’d be back again. It can’t help that I cried, right?
Piano: This is one of my favourites! (Though I have sooooo many favourite FictionJunctionYUUKA songs.) It’s only Kajiura accompany her on Piano. Yuuka sang it in a very emotional way. I love it so much.
Akatsuki no Kuruma: It’s a MUST for FictionJunctionYUUKA. It’s the usual live version. She sang the first part alone with the slower tempo. The speed was back to normal in the second part and Kaori was the only back vocal, giving the chorus in the 2nd hook. Kaori did great as the backing vocal, emotionally and nice vibrato. Yuuka may not sound as powerful as she was, but the way she handled the feeling of the song was superb. No one can beat the original singer. Konno’s violin was so emotional. I love how they made the hall very bright during the last hook, as if the morning has finally come just like in the lyrics.
MC
Kanata: It’s sung by 5 people. Emiko started the song strongly, while Yuriko provided great chorus. Kaori also did the back vocal. Lino sounds clearly weaker during the hook. It isn’t that Lino was bad, but Emiko was just too good, and there was the contrast there. The end of the hook was the duet between Lino and Emiko, which are done nicely. I love the melody during the hook more, but the way Emiko sang the verse was just much more alluring. Yuriko sounds very great during the bridge. It’s Emiko who leaded the bridge, with Yuriko and Joelle as the chorus. Then Lino came after that. I love the ending by Lino where Emiko supporting her. The song was quite bright and full of hope (really…? I wonder about the story of the movie.) I suspect that it may have key change between Emiko&Lino part.
Madoka Magica Walpurgisnacht Rising M06: It’s the catchy Kajiurako song in the movie teaser. The instrumental intro sounds quite Arabian-like. It may sound repetitive and have simple structure, but definitely dark and bewitching. Konno’s violin’s part, which followed by Yuriko’s solo sound so creepy and mysterious. While Konno’s part sounds sad, it sounds more energetic when the other instruments joined, and when Yuriko’s part came, it’s fiercer. It seems like the mood of the song keeps swinging every time this happens. I really love their parts here! It’s Yuriko who dominated the song. There’re nice guitar and violin parts. The ending was Yuriko’s solo and then Konno’s violin.
Numquam vincar: Always love the violin here, and this time, I really enjoyed the drum. Konno’s solo sounds so great and he had an unordinary-vibe that is different from what he usually plays. He sounds wilder…, I guess. The percussion nicely gave the mysterious atmosphere. The guitar solo was awesome, but for me, nothing beat the violin!
Black rose: Emiko was on the top stage, delivering strong legato in the opening and made the hall went nut. She’s so great and energetic, made the fans stand up and clap along. It’s funny that the audience kept clapping lively during Konno’s violin part and stopped right away when the vocal parts came. However, as the hype went stronger when the time passed, they also clapped softly when Emiko sang with violin near the end of the song, and ended up clapping along the whole time…lol.
From the edge: The energy clearly dropped after Black rose. Kaori and Emiko shared the main parts of the song. Emiko sang the EhHeHe… part at the end of the song. Kaori was very energetic, while Emiko was more on the power house side.
MC
Stone cold: Kaori carried the song nicely, but I don’t know why it sounds quite lukewarm. By the way, both fans and performers seemed very enjoyable. The audience stood up, and Kajiura sang along a lot.
Day1 - Zodiacal sign: Everyone just had fun with the song. It’s typical Zodiacal Sign. Kajiura also sang along a lot. Emiko’s and Lino’s energy were over the top!
Day 2 - Nowhere: Yuuka also joined from the top of the stage. OMG…I don’t know that I could cry and dance along the song at the same time. I love this song that much! The whole hall stood up. The atmosphere was at the peak! Yuuka was the best! It’s the best Nowhere I’ve seen at lives.
MC
Yume no tsubasa: It’s a surprise playlist added only on Day 2 which is the last day of the tour. Kaori sounds so great. All 5 vocalists were on the stage. They asked fans to clap along at a slow speed, and also sing the lalala part. It’s Kaori 20th anniversary this year, and this is her debut song as FictionJunctionKAORI. I may not be a big fan of Kaori, but I just got emotional and kept crying. Seriously, I cried too much in these two days.
Encore
Intro+Parade: It’s Joelle who carried the song with her delicate singing. Lino wasn’t there.
Day 1 - Longing: Kaori leaded the song with Yuriko and Joelle. Kaori did so well, though she’s very different from the original singer. Kaori’s just more energetic. I think Kaori was really great tonight. Probably her best since I’ve watched her at live. Yuriko always steals the scene when she sang Kajiurago. Not to mention Konno’s violin solo.
Day 2 - Hikidashi de hakkou shite iru: It’s very FictionJunctionKAORI. I love the way she sang it. It’s like all strong points in her singing were demonstrated in this song.
MC: I think KajiuraSan talking about getting Piano birthday cake and she had already eaten it~. And she said, again, that Konno’s violin is ‘eroi’ lol.
Day1 - Sing a song: All 6 vocalists gathered in this song. Again, whenever Yuuka sang, don’t know whether it’s because she’s my bias or it’s because her nasal voice always stands out, I only heard her singing, except the part where each member got their own solo. But in general, I feel that Yuuka was the main lead. The harmonization is great for the whole song as well. It sounds so amazing.
Day 2 - Angel gate: It’s angelic Yuuka! Her voice was so full and clear. With 5 other vocalists singing in the background, Yuuka’s voice really stood out. Love this. I realize how much I love FictionJunctionYUUKA who made me start listening to pop songs. Thank you. Hope to see you in YK live again.
（全て載せられずごめんなさい）
She's just too powerful and often has to tone her power/vocal weight down to blend with the others (it's also good for her to use more restraint and be more precise at times). I believe her dad had a big voice too so that's partly where she developed her bold belt style.
