понедельник, 27 января 2014
I already watched 4 6nin concerts so I was well-prepared and really looking forward to this one. I was very excited all the way and yet the critical part of me still made critical analysis which I'm going to document further.
Overall it was a grandiose and well-produced concert. The scale of it was very impressive and it kinda reminded me of L'Arc~en~Ciel's 20th Anniversary concert. It was also one of the most emotional concerts I've even seen. I kinda wish I didn't watch Full Swing PV beforehand since it has no meaning when you don't know the context.
Production. was great. I mean it was clearly a very difficult concert to produce. It was very long and grand-scale and of course there was giant pressure to make it the best ever and leave a strong impression and I'm sure the aim was achieved. The whole castle set-up was awesome. I liked the flying too. They could even rotate and someone was enjoying it too much. ♥ I really like how each of them took an old song they produced the performance. Everyone did such a good job and the songs really got a new life. Everything flowed smoothly and the fireworks were simply amazing. One thing that really bugs me still is the thing with the multiple encores. Ok, I can understand the second Chankapana, but third?
MORECostumes. were pretty good. I quite liked the white ones. Too many fathers but they're still JE so that's ok. The pink ones were good too though I wish they performed Sakura Girl in them. The brightly colored ones were really cute as was the whole space ships/curry eating part was. And of course I was especially excited about the black set. Everyone made fun of it but I still think it was hot. They all have great bodies so it looked good. Tegoshi even used eyeliner which I don't think he ever did before. That really added to the effect. Also I need to say I LOVE Massu's skirts. Massu is awesome and so are all of his outfits.
Playlist. was awesome. Basically they released the Best Album so I think they did pretty much all the singles+some forgotten b-sides. They performed almost every song I like. Except Snow Express but it was a summer outdoor concert so that's perfectly justified. Maybe Forever would be nice too but that's pushing it. The sexy dancing part in those black leather suits was great. I was really looking forward to it and it didn't disappoint. I only wish the cameras didn't jump every milisecond of it. I also think some old songs sounded better than before. All of a sudden I liked Beach Angel which I remember hating.
Performance was more than good. I honestly think Shige and Koyama worked hard to improve and it shows. Both their voice and their bodies have leveled up. Way to go! Of course choreography was all over the place as usual but that probably shouldn't even be rated.
Solos. were kinda disappointing. All 4 of them. Well, not Koyama's since I didn't expect anything from him either way but the other three were. Tegoshi's video intro... oh, please. It was embarrassing to watch. I know he was 24 but still. Though on second though it might be good for fanvideos. The angsty ones. Too bad I'm not into Tegopi. Anyway. Obviously Tegoshi's solo was the one I expected to be the best but it was pretty lame. It was like a copy of Massu's but worse. Even his voice didn't help. While Massu's was very predictable. I've seen 3 of his solos and they all look pretty much the same. I kinda liked Superman but Peek-a-boo... not really. And Shige... I don't even know. I didn't like the idea before I even saw it but it kinda grew on me. I liked the chorus, it's really catchy but the intro with the rapping was very WTF and the stupid mask and fangs were just lame. Also that voice generator thing made me think of Pi's solos, I really hate that stuff. Guys, I know you can do better than this.
6=>4
I suppose this part will be very subjective but here goes. Most of the old songs didn't sound much different to me. Even News Nippon which was originally for 9 members. Tegoshi still makes up for about 40% of the sound. But there were some that didn't sound right. I guess it's mostly because I got used to certain parts in songs and it's weird not hearing them when you expect to. Like that stupid part in Weeek where Yama Pi goes "Ikimasu!" Also I za na i zu ki and Sayaendou and Sakura Girl. But I think it's only natural that something seems to be missing. After all the band lost 1/3 of its members, there has to be a bit of a gap. But there were also some old songs such as Akai Hana that sounded brand new with the new arrangement, in a good way.
Of course this concert had a very special meaning to the band and the fans. It was a very emotionally charged concert. Unlike with most DVDs this concert wasn't the last one in the tour - it was the first one. Which makes a lot of sense. It was their magnificent comeback, make or break and they didn't know how well it would go. It was so touching how Massu broke down in the middle of it. Koyama and Shige weren't far behind. Aww~ And the whole MC part where everyone cried their eyes out one after another... You could really feel their sincerity. I think most of the audience cried. But the climax was the moment when Tegoshi broke down at Full Swing. When I rewatched it to make screens I shed a single tear too. But it was agreed upon that the one who was the happiest that day was Shige. This band means the world to him.
There were many other epic moments in this concert like Koyama getting the check, Massu impersonating Shige or Massu running around the stage with a blanket over his head like a 3-year old but all in all this is a concert laced with so much love, hope and passion that it's something to be rewatched over and over again.
Extras:
The documentary wasn't quite like I expected. I wish they'd focus more on the backstage than the recording and such. I really wanted to know about the costume creation process. Also I hate those solemn narratives. It was all solemn enough without dramatizing. But it's interesting that each of them had their own reason for deciding to continue. For Massu it was about the songs and all the legacy the band made in 9 years, for Tegoshi it was more about pride and not wanting to lose. But in the end I guess the happiness they felt was the same.
The tour was very short and languid with one concert every 6 days or so but I guess that made it all the more special. It was good to see so many KoyaShige fans. Probably not as much as TegoMass but still a lot. I'm sure Shige will still find a hundred reasons to bitch about though. Like how his platform (S) was the smallest and stuff. The tour final was also splendid. When the fans began singing Full Swing on their own before the encore if was really amazing and even Tegoshi cried.
I really loved the Fanmeeting part. It’s really amazing. I’ve seen THSK do almost exactly the same things at theirs but while they have been mildly amused at best NEWS looked like they were absolutely happy. The way they shook hands with every single fan in every city was really touching. I really wish they’d release a longer version of this.
@темы:
NEWS.,
Concerts
