Concert Report: Kokuritsu 2010 Opening Day
The quickest and dirtiest concert report you'll see. Heavy on the MC and non-existant on actual songs besides the solos =D
I thought the overall feel for this year, like their album, is markedly different from previous years. The costumes, for instance, were slicker, shinier, and strangely free of exploding pastels, tropical rainbows, or giant feathers. (I-I kind of miss the exploding pastels, though *_*)
It reminded me of the NEWS vibe, since they had shimmery suits and deco-jackets and ripped jeans. But of course, Arashi looked awesome in everything.
Member Solos:
Nino: Got the whole floppy dance thing going again XD
Wore retro pants so baggy that he was forced to waddle up the staircase like a duck, but. It was cute ❤
Sho: Holy smokes, blind us with teh sexy, will you? *fans self*
The video playing on the giant screen for this song shows half-naked Sho panting, interspersed with close-ups of his sweaty muscles and pursed lips. Someone ALWAYS gets the sexy solo each year, and this year it's Sho. I could barely hear the song over the screams XD
Ohno: Self-choreographed ballad, reminiscent of Take me Faraway. Simple costume, simple message, simply Ohno.
Jun: The lead-in to this song was a really innovative, video game-themed show. The giant screen turned into a game console screen and Jun, suspended on wires, became the RPG sprite dipping and bobbing his way through hazardous terrain. He levels up by snagging a Nino coin. I thought this was one of the most memorable parts of the whole concert.
Aiba: Looks like a relatively average dance sequence until the stage dims and Aiba's costume lights up like a Christmas tree XD
He's got all his backdancers lighting up too, so it was really cool watching them dance and move the lights in interesting ways. Now I know why they saved his solo for last - they needed it to be dark enough for his costume to look its best.
MC:
Maybe because they were nervous on their first day, but the MC wasn't as polished as it usually is. Even Aiba, towards the middle, says, "Wow, our talk is really messy today, huh?"
They kind of jumped between topics at first.
Sho: It's hot today, huh? During our rehearsal, Aiba kept slathering on sunscreen continuously throughout the day.
Nino: How much do you use?
Aiba: I think I went through a whole bottle of it today.
Nino: Why on earth do you need that much?
Aiba: Look, when my face gets sunburnt it really hurts.
Nino: I wore only a hat today without any sunscreen, and I'm not burnt in the least.
Aiba: But it hurts when you're burnt!
Nino: This guy over here didn't burn either.
Ohno: That's cuz I was burnt to begin with.
Jun: Doesn't it hurt?
Ohno: I'm used to it.
Jun: I think if you stepped out of the spotlight, you'd disappear.
Sho: Let's try it. Spotlight people! Please help us out here.
Ohno: I'm going to walk out of the light now, okay?
Ohno: *Walks out of the light*
Audience: LOL
Ohno: *Walks away some more*
Nino: You're disappearing
Jun: We can't see you anymore
Then they talked about another rehearsal, where Sho had to leave halfway through for a Zero meeting.
Nino: Jun and I weren't there either, so it was just these two left. When I checked the logs to see their progress, apparently they didn't get anything done!
Aiba: What are you talking about? That's not true.
Nino: That's why he messed up during the last song.
Aiba: No,no, no, it was like this. When Sho left, I knew we were doomed--
Nino: Doomed?
Aiba: Without Sho, all our motivation disappears.
Sho: I didn't know I was that crucial, lol
Aiba: So after he left, I asked Captain what we should do, and he said he wanted curry. So we got the staff to buy us curry, and it was delicious. Then afterwards we went home.
Nino: So if the Curry Team messes up, you know why.
Aiba: But it's not like we aren't prepared. We did run through the whole concert once already that time.
Then there were some awkward silences and a few false starts into different topics.
Aiba: Sorry, can I change the topic?
Sho: Yes, please! Keep the topics coming!
Aiba: Let's talk about the messages on our jackets!
Sho: Oh yeah, we can talk about those.
The jackets in question are jean jackets, with lettering sewn onto the back. I spent the whole time before the MC trying to figure out what the letters said, but even with binoculars it was hard to tell. So I was super happy that Aiba brought it up, since the cameras could now give us closeups.
Sho: Mine says "Rock the World". It means making a change in the world.
Jun: *Turns around so camera can zoom in on it*. Mine's "Higher and Deeper".
The girls around me were sounding it out and looking puzzled XD So Jun translates it into Japanese for everyone*
Nino: Ohno, what's yours?
I was able to catch an 'S' and 'O' on Ohno's back, so at first I thought it was his name.
Ohno: Mine's "Switch On"
Audience: LOLOL
Nino: That's perfect for you. You're always off.
Sho: Are you on right now?
Ohno: I'm switching on.
Nino: Aiba, why don't you read mine?
Aiba: ..."The...l-land...land...s-s...s...?" Somebody who can read this, please?
Sho: *In near-perfect English* "The Landscape I'm Seeing"
Nino: It's the direct translation of boku ga miteiru fuukei.
Nino: We were told to write out our favourite words or saying and give it to the design crew. Guess what this guy wrote?
Nino: *spins Aiba around*
Aiba's shirt: "I LOVE CHIBA!"
Arashi: ???
Aiba: And plus, the exclamation mark is shaped like a peanut!
Arashi: ???????
Nino:...How did you get the design ppl to do that?
Aiba: I wrote, "I LOVE CHIBA, please use a peanut for the exclamation mark!"
Sho: Ah. Because Chiba is famous for growing peanuts?
Aiba: Yeah!
Jun: Aren't peanuts, like, high-quality luxury food in Chiba?
Aiba: Yeah, so actually I haven't really eaten any before.
.
My memory gets really shaky at this point T__T
Ohno disappears and reappears as Kaibutsu-kun to sing his solo. Then he chats with Jun, totally in character, while Jun kind of blinks and stutters and doesn't know how to respond.
Kaibutsu: So you're part of this group called Arashi or something?
Jun: Yeah, but I've been watching you, too!
Kaibutsu: You have?!
Jun: Yeah. There was that one guy in the last episode who looked a lot like me.
After Kaibutsu disappears, Nino teases Aiba again for something, and for the life of me I can't remember what, but Aiba gets this look on his face, and just stalks towards him. Nino starts backing nervously away. They keep this up for about ten steps, until the audience gets nervous too, probably because Aiba looked a bit *too* threatening for his image. =D
But then Aiba takes Nino's hand, scolds him, and drags him back to the join the group. And even after that, he doesn't let go right away, so everyone goes kyaaa over that ❤
And then. AND THEN!
They play Johnny's Super Intro Quiz DON!!!
This is my favourite game from Shounen Club! I almost jumped up and down in glee, but sadly, nobody seemed as excited as me TwT
Aiba set the answer button on the ramp and has the sound technician play the first three seconds from any senpai group's songs.
In the course of the game, Jun, Ohno, and Sho each get one answer right. Aiba gets one answer wrong. Nino doesn't even try; just sits on his haunches and says that he sucks at this game.
For some reason, audience reaction to this game was tepid. I-I hope they do it again tomorrow, though!
I think Nino's hand was acting up more than usual today. He looked like he was in a lot of pain at one point in the MC, and I knew it was real because when the cameraman realized what was happening, he panned away immediately and avoided filming Nino for awhile.
Just before their next song, Nino shook the kinks out of his hand and grimaced while Sho looked on in concern.
Member Speeches: (abbreviated version)
Sho: Thank you for coming today. It's been a year since we've been at Kokuritsu, it really feels great to be here again.
Ohno: Doing this is amazing. Even after all these years, I think, Wow, I can't believe we've been given the chance to do so many incredible things. This is happiness. (*I started crying at this point and could not stop T_T)
Aiba: akb48 (I forget the context lol) Like I said at the opening, I'm really touched. I hope we can keep having concerts like this next year, and the year after that, and for many years to come! Let's keep fighting against the harshness of the entertainment industry!
Nino: We shone today, but one guy was shining more than the rest...
Aiba: Hey. Don't say bad things about me.
Nino: That wasn't a bad thing!
Jun: You guys have summed it up pretty well. But, well, this scenery that we've been seeing, the sight of all of you come to see us, thank you for giving this scenery to us.
Summary:
The Scenery Theme was really well done. There were many times when the stage cameras turned around and filmed the audience, to show us what it's like to see things from Arashi's point of view. To see the scenery that Arashi sees.
I think the most stunning aspect of the concert, for me, was the visuals. They had a main screen and two side screens, but they also had screen-like surfaces woven between and around the whole set, so that when the images rolled out, they really were the size of the entire set.
For the songs, the main screen would show Arashi singing, but the images would overlap digitally with other scenery-themed images. For example, during one of the encores, the screen showed Arashi singing while fireworks went off behind them.
In reality, the fireworks were going off in a completely different part of the stadium. But the visual team worked some magic and made all the screen images like this.
It was a really moving concert and even though I'm not down with their new album yet, I had a lot of fun with the songs I knew =3
I thought the overall feel for this year, like their album, is markedly different from previous years. The costumes, for instance, were slicker, shinier, and strangely free of exploding pastels, tropical rainbows, or giant feathers. (I-I kind of miss the exploding pastels, though *_*)
It reminded me of the NEWS vibe, since they had shimmery suits and deco-jackets and ripped jeans. But of course, Arashi looked awesome in everything.
Member Solos:
Nino: Got the whole floppy dance thing going again XD
Wore retro pants so baggy that he was forced to waddle up the staircase like a duck, but. It was cute ❤
Sho: Holy smokes, blind us with teh sexy, will you? *fans self*
The video playing on the giant screen for this song shows half-naked Sho panting, interspersed with close-ups of his sweaty muscles and pursed lips. Someone ALWAYS gets the sexy solo each year, and this year it's Sho. I could barely hear the song over the screams XD
Ohno: Self-choreographed ballad, reminiscent of Take me Faraway. Simple costume, simple message, simply Ohno.
Jun: The lead-in to this song was a really innovative, video game-themed show. The giant screen turned into a game console screen and Jun, suspended on wires, became the RPG sprite dipping and bobbing his way through hazardous terrain. He levels up by snagging a Nino coin. I thought this was one of the most memorable parts of the whole concert.
Aiba: Looks like a relatively average dance sequence until the stage dims and Aiba's costume lights up like a Christmas tree XD
He's got all his backdancers lighting up too, so it was really cool watching them dance and move the lights in interesting ways. Now I know why they saved his solo for last - they needed it to be dark enough for his costume to look its best.
MC:
Maybe because they were nervous on their first day, but the MC wasn't as polished as it usually is. Even Aiba, towards the middle, says, "Wow, our talk is really messy today, huh?"
They kind of jumped between topics at first.
Sho: It's hot today, huh? During our rehearsal, Aiba kept slathering on sunscreen continuously throughout the day.
Nino: How much do you use?
Aiba: I think I went through a whole bottle of it today.
Nino: Why on earth do you need that much?
Aiba: Look, when my face gets sunburnt it really hurts.
Nino: I wore only a hat today without any sunscreen, and I'm not burnt in the least.
Aiba: But it hurts when you're burnt!
Nino: This guy over here didn't burn either.
Ohno: That's cuz I was burnt to begin with.
Jun: Doesn't it hurt?
Ohno: I'm used to it.
Jun: I think if you stepped out of the spotlight, you'd disappear.
Sho: Let's try it. Spotlight people! Please help us out here.
Ohno: I'm going to walk out of the light now, okay?
Ohno: *Walks out of the light*
Audience: LOL
Ohno: *Walks away some more*
Nino: You're disappearing
Jun: We can't see you anymore
Then they talked about another rehearsal, where Sho had to leave halfway through for a Zero meeting.
Nino: Jun and I weren't there either, so it was just these two left. When I checked the logs to see their progress, apparently they didn't get anything done!
Aiba: What are you talking about? That's not true.
Nino: That's why he messed up during the last song.
Aiba: No,no, no, it was like this. When Sho left, I knew we were doomed--
Nino: Doomed?
Aiba: Without Sho, all our motivation disappears.
Sho: I didn't know I was that crucial, lol
Aiba: So after he left, I asked Captain what we should do, and he said he wanted curry. So we got the staff to buy us curry, and it was delicious. Then afterwards we went home.
Nino: So if the Curry Team messes up, you know why.
Aiba: But it's not like we aren't prepared. We did run through the whole concert once already that time.
Then there were some awkward silences and a few false starts into different topics.
Aiba: Sorry, can I change the topic?
Sho: Yes, please! Keep the topics coming!
Aiba: Let's talk about the messages on our jackets!
Sho: Oh yeah, we can talk about those.
The jackets in question are jean jackets, with lettering sewn onto the back. I spent the whole time before the MC trying to figure out what the letters said, but even with binoculars it was hard to tell. So I was super happy that Aiba brought it up, since the cameras could now give us closeups.
Sho: Mine says "Rock the World". It means making a change in the world.
Jun: *Turns around so camera can zoom in on it*. Mine's "Higher and Deeper".
The girls around me were sounding it out and looking puzzled XD So Jun translates it into Japanese for everyone*
Nino: Ohno, what's yours?
I was able to catch an 'S' and 'O' on Ohno's back, so at first I thought it was his name.
Ohno: Mine's "Switch On"
Audience: LOLOL
Nino: That's perfect for you. You're always off.
Sho: Are you on right now?
Ohno: I'm switching on.
Nino: Aiba, why don't you read mine?
Aiba: ..."The...l-land...land...s-s...s...?" Somebody who can read this, please?
Sho: *In near-perfect English* "The Landscape I'm Seeing"
Nino: It's the direct translation of boku ga miteiru fuukei.
Nino: We were told to write out our favourite words or saying and give it to the design crew. Guess what this guy wrote?
Nino: *spins Aiba around*
Aiba's shirt: "I LOVE CHIBA!"
Arashi: ???
Aiba: And plus, the exclamation mark is shaped like a peanut!
Arashi: ???????
Nino:...How did you get the design ppl to do that?
Aiba: I wrote, "I LOVE CHIBA, please use a peanut for the exclamation mark!"
Sho: Ah. Because Chiba is famous for growing peanuts?
Aiba: Yeah!
Jun: Aren't peanuts, like, high-quality luxury food in Chiba?
Aiba: Yeah, so actually I haven't really eaten any before.
.
My memory gets really shaky at this point T__T
Ohno disappears and reappears as Kaibutsu-kun to sing his solo. Then he chats with Jun, totally in character, while Jun kind of blinks and stutters and doesn't know how to respond.
Kaibutsu: So you're part of this group called Arashi or something?
Jun: Yeah, but I've been watching you, too!
Kaibutsu: You have?!
Jun: Yeah. There was that one guy in the last episode who looked a lot like me.
After Kaibutsu disappears, Nino teases Aiba again for something, and for the life of me I can't remember what, but Aiba gets this look on his face, and just stalks towards him. Nino starts backing nervously away. They keep this up for about ten steps, until the audience gets nervous too, probably because Aiba looked a bit *too* threatening for his image. =D
But then Aiba takes Nino's hand, scolds him, and drags him back to the join the group. And even after that, he doesn't let go right away, so everyone goes kyaaa over that ❤
And then. AND THEN!
They play Johnny's Super Intro Quiz DON!!!
This is my favourite game from Shounen Club! I almost jumped up and down in glee, but sadly, nobody seemed as excited as me TwT
Aiba set the answer button on the ramp and has the sound technician play the first three seconds from any senpai group's songs.
In the course of the game, Jun, Ohno, and Sho each get one answer right. Aiba gets one answer wrong. Nino doesn't even try; just sits on his haunches and says that he sucks at this game.
For some reason, audience reaction to this game was tepid. I-I hope they do it again tomorrow, though!
I think Nino's hand was acting up more than usual today. He looked like he was in a lot of pain at one point in the MC, and I knew it was real because when the cameraman realized what was happening, he panned away immediately and avoided filming Nino for awhile.
Just before their next song, Nino shook the kinks out of his hand and grimaced while Sho looked on in concern.
Member Speeches: (abbreviated version)
Sho: Thank you for coming today. It's been a year since we've been at Kokuritsu, it really feels great to be here again.
Ohno: Doing this is amazing. Even after all these years, I think, Wow, I can't believe we've been given the chance to do so many incredible things. This is happiness. (*I started crying at this point and could not stop T_T)
Aiba: akb48 (I forget the context lol) Like I said at the opening, I'm really touched. I hope we can keep having concerts like this next year, and the year after that, and for many years to come! Let's keep fighting against the harshness of the entertainment industry!
Nino: We shone today, but one guy was shining more than the rest...
Aiba: Hey. Don't say bad things about me.
Nino: That wasn't a bad thing!
Jun: You guys have summed it up pretty well. But, well, this scenery that we've been seeing, the sight of all of you come to see us, thank you for giving this scenery to us.
Summary:
The Scenery Theme was really well done. There were many times when the stage cameras turned around and filmed the audience, to show us what it's like to see things from Arashi's point of view. To see the scenery that Arashi sees.
I think the most stunning aspect of the concert, for me, was the visuals. They had a main screen and two side screens, but they also had screen-like surfaces woven between and around the whole set, so that when the images rolled out, they really were the size of the entire set.
For the songs, the main screen would show Arashi singing, but the images would overlap digitally with other scenery-themed images. For example, during one of the encores, the screen showed Arashi singing while fireworks went off behind them.
In reality, the fireworks were going off in a completely different part of the stadium. But the visual team worked some magic and made all the screen images like this.
It was a really moving concert and even though I'm not down with their new album yet, I had a lot of fun with the songs I knew =3