Arashi Japonism Concert Report for Sapporo, Nov. 14th
Sapporo, day two!
Went to lunch and relaxed a bit before heading to the dome early. It was colder today because of the wind and it was sprinkling halfheartedly.
Our seats we almost directly opposite where they were in Nagoya, so we've been able to see every angle of it.
We could hear the huddle shout from the back, making everyone excited for the start of the show.
The audience chuckled at "past Aiba's" child in the anime opening.
The first several songs didn't vary much from yesterday, so please check my previous reports for more details.
"Troublemaker" had a bit of an accident that was hilarious to hear Sho and Ohno explain in the MC. Therefore, Jun didn't do his surprised face behind their heart.
Sho must have been distracted by it because he nearly ran into Nino and mouthed "sorry" to him. Nino mouthed "it's okay" back.
The crowd oooohed for the penlights suddenly changing colors and patterns in "Aokimi".
J: Yeah! (X4) It's been a while! We wanted to meet you! Ii ne (Nice.) Ii yo (Good.) Are you ready?!
Jun was very persistent tonight, making us yell over and over.
Are you ready to be happy?! Louder!!
We kept yelling as loud as we could.
Jun teased us, "That's not enough to become happy!!!"
He then promised they would and to keep following them.
Nino's and Aiba's were their usual greetings.
Ohno pulled off his shouts smoothly today and there were no confusing pauses. He didn't do Jun's nasally impression, just held up a hand and said "Yoroshiku" normally.
Sho pretended to find the upper stands again. He also wouldn't let us slack off either.
In "Make a Wish", Aiba hugged Sho from behind, making us scream and Sho smile. After they separated, a mischievous Aiba smacked Sho on the butt, making Sho grin at him again. The crowd went wild, naturally.
In his solo, Nino was smirking at the crowd's "whoooos" to his tap dancing. He raised his hand to us in recognition. We "whooooed" again and he gestured for us to quiet down. He repeated it and being satisfied that we were following his directions, he gave us a thumbs up.
Jun looked very cool in his solo with his jumps and then all five of them for "In the Room" as they sang from their different spots around the stage while the dome was covered in red lights. Sliding their jackets on, they performed "Masquerade". I can't help thinking that when they spit out the water in Nagoya, it was more than they've used since then. Or maybe they have just switched angles?
Jun and Ohno walked to the large cart with their arms over each other's shoulders in "Happiness" while singing. When the carts came by, we could see the members pretty well.
During "GUTS", Jun and Ohno climbed off the cart and back onto the main stage, and I'd seen them playing around before, but today I could see just what they were doing. Jun was reeling Ohno in and Ohno was jumping around like a fish as he came closer. They were laughing at each other, yet still managed to find the camera filming them and point to it in the short time they had.
I also figured out why Jun was making Ohno laugh in "Ai wo Sakebe" last night. Jun couldn't properly keep his balance on the dance step that has them only using one foot, so he grabbed Ohno's shoulder to keep from falling over. Jun looked at Ohno like "What are you laughing for?", making Leader snicker at him more.
Jun and Sho both blew us kissing at the end, but Sho's expression of "deer in the headlights" was priceless.
MC
S: Yeah! (X5) Good evening! We're Arashi!
Nino said sweetly and over-pronounced, "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu". In a tiny voice, he exclaimed that it was so hot.
S: How is it so far, Jun?
Jun belted out, "Hot!!!"
S: But it should be the middle of November and cold outside-
J: It's hot!!! I'm sure I look like I just got out of the bath.
We laughed at his sweaty exhausted look.
S: True. We can almost see the steam coming off of you.
He turned to us and asked if we thought it was hot too. We shouted that it was.
S: Aiba, are you having fun?
A: I am. But I have something I need to apologize for.
Sho recognized what it was and smirked as he listened.
A: In the first half, when we went up on the high stage in "Aokimi", I ran into Sho. And then he froze up and stopped dancing. He even turned to glare at me too... I'm so very sorry.
We laughed loudly.
Sho smiled in forgiveness and exclaimed, "I thought my heart would stop!"
A: You should tell the audience. When you stopped dancing in "Aokimi", they probably saw it and wondered what happened. So you should explain to them it was because you were scared of the height.
Sho wasn't denying it, but he didn't jump in either.
Jun piped up, "I noticed something like that too. When we were in that line singing the "oh oh oh oh ohs", the position that we have to move to after that, I found my usual path blocked by that person. Because he was too scared to walk anywhere close to the edge.
Sho didn't deny that one either.
They demonstrated both versions for us, the correct one where they twirl smoothly in between each other and the "scaredy cat Sho" version where there's no room for Jun so he has to go around everyone.
N: Sorry MatsuJun, but you're just going to have to live with it this way.
S: I'm afraid to tell you that me and going around the edge is a big NG. (No good)
They pointed out that his feet barely left the ground for any of the dance steps.
Sho agreed and showed us how high they should have been going and how high they barely made it after he got the jitters.
S: My feet refused to leave the ground.
He showed us the move without even lifting his feet at all.
S: Ah! Ohno-san. That one.
Reminded of something else, he pointed it out to Ohno who grinned widely.
O: That was pretty awesome, wasn't it?
S: In the history of this tour, we had the biggest trouble happen in "Troublemaker".
He and Ohno showed us their pose for when they make their heart shape with their hands. And then the wind up pose that's supposed to get them ready for it. They pulled their arms back far.
J: How is that supposed to portray "wa" (harmony)?
S: That's the kind of harmony we learned about.
Us: Whoooo!
Sho paused their demonstration. "This doesn't really call for saying "whooo"."
They showed us the Nagoya version with Jun's surprised face behind their heart.
S: We really got into the pose for making our heart and in our enthusiasm, it ended up much too low.
Some people in the crowd got it right away.
S: We definitely couldn't do THAT version.
Us: Eeeeeh?!
S: No way! It's too low!
I was dying from laughing at this point.
S: It would be at a very bad spot for him (Jun).
The audience didn't seem to think so and cheered while laughing. I would have loved to see them do that version again. Of Ohno and Sho's heart framing MJ's crotch.
J: Wait. I took into account that the camera would be filming from a lower height, and even then, their heart was still too low, so I gave up and just stood there.
O: It would have fit so perfectly too.
We laughed that Ohno almost sounded disappointed that they wouldn't get to try.
Sho asked the other two if they'd even noticed their dilemma, but they hadn't.
Jun apologized to us. "Sorry for always talking about such pointless things."
S: Well at least "I" thought it was pretty fun to talk about.
J: Because it's funny to us, it looks like we have fun talking about it.
N: Ohno couldn't STOP laughing about it.
Sho: How has it been for you, Nino?
N: I always feel relieved after I finish my tapping.
O: You ARE first after all.
N: It's rare that I go first for solos.
S: It's usually Aiba.
N: That's right. Usually it's the loudest of us who goes first.
A: Me?
N: Yes, you... I was happy to be done first, because then I can just have fun and relax.
Jun agreed it was nice to go in the first half. "I'm just happy I'm still alive and made it to the MC."
It was time to go get changed. They let Jun go first. The four left behind wondered if they would be split up the same way it's been almost every time.
The results? Ohno and Aiba high fived at being paired. They allowed Sho and Nino to go first.
The two of them were hilarious, whispering to each other into their mics, neither having anything in particular to talk about and sort of half panicking about it.
A: You can go first. Do you have something to announce?
Ohno shook his head and whispered just loud enough for us to hear," Nope, nothing at all."
Aiba said in a hushed voice, "Me either. What should we talk about?"
We cheered for them, amused at their sideways glances at each other, both of them without a good answer and looking lost.
Still whispering, Aiba asked, "What should we do?"
Ohno retorted quietly, "I don't have an idea either."
Coming up with a good idea, Aiba said excitedly," Let's check out the thing MatsuJun left behind. It's still over there."
They were adorable as they shuffled across the stage, huddled close and refusing to walk separately from another. They looked up the wall that Jun runs to and climbs to the top of in a fluid motion during his chase.
O: It looks so high!
A: This is the one!
He pointed to it excitedly.
A: The "MJ Wall". He ran up to it and climbed all the way until the top.
He passed his mic to Ohno to hold, who was saying that it probably wouldn't be a good idea.
Aiba got a running start and dashed to the wall. He got his foot on it and it slipped right way, his hand too far away to reach the ledge.
A: This just proves that that person is a super man.
Looking at the wall again, he said, "No wonder he was just happy to be alive after that."
O: MatsuJun's amazing.
Ohno set his mic on the floor and stood back from the wall. He also tried, but worse results. He didn't even make it off the ground much because he slipped back down right away. He rubbed the arm that he'd crashed into the wall.
A: I told you it was slippery!!
Then he realized far too late.
A: Ah! We haven't even done our solos yet. That could have been dangerous...
They returned to the center of the stage.
A: They're still not out.
They were running out of stuff to do. And then Aiba remembered...
A: Tonight there's someone here who's very special. A really rare guest! Ogura-san!
A camera showed us Ogura, who was sitting at the very top of the dome, in some special separate VIP section. He waved down to them. We were cheering and chattering in excitement.
A: Thank you for coming!
They waved back at him, just as excited as all the fans in the dome.
A: He's a rare guest for Sapporo.
Aiba refocused on Ohno, double checking that he really didn't have any announcements.
O: None.
Aiba looked for some kind of savior and he got one when Sho reappeared.
A: So fast! Thank you so much for coming out!
Nino joined them, "You guys can go now."
S: That was dangerous. Those two alone. They even challenged that wall.
Nino went into his promotions. Sho asked that we please watch the movie and Nino retorted that HE wasn't the one in it.
N: You don't have any recollection of filming for it, do you?
S: No.
N: That's because it was me. Of course you have no memory of it.
Nino reminisced on an old press conference of his and the terrible question he'd gotten from one of the reporters.
And then about a costar who always watched "VS Arashi" every week, but Nino didn't know that, so he was completely baffled when he was told, "Aah, Kazunari-san, too bad you lost". He'd asked his manager if he'd lost at something and they took forever to realize that person was watching their show.
Jun came back and started stretching on the floor while Nino continued his promotions. Aiba and Ohno returned too.
Seeing all five of them were together, Sho said excitedly to Nino, "You should tell them the big news."
Nino smiled and teased slowly, "It's a really big surprise."
They pretended that nobody knew Ogura-san was there up until they said his name and waved at him for a few seconds. Then immediately the three of them turned on the Tennen couple, complaining loudly for leaving them out. Aiba and Ohno stood next to each other, bowing their heads as they got scolded.
A: Sorry, we kinda told them too early.
Ogura had thrown his head back and was laughing really hard at their antics.
N: How could you do that?!
A: But!!
S: Backstage, the three of us went, "Huh?!??!!"
A: It all happened so fast.
S: It should have been revealed when all five of us were here, right?!
A&O: We're so sorry.
We were loving them grilling Aiba and Ohno for revealing the secret early while Ogu-san was laughing at them too.
A: But we ran out of things to talk about!!
They apologized some more and all was forgiven.
Jun started to explain the concept of the tour, including that Johnnys always have a "kirakira smile". He attempted to give us the most dazzling smile he could, but it just turned out goofy.
N: What new character is that?
J: I don't know. A cheerful character that "looks back"?
Then they got the second half underway.
I have to say that Sho looked very handsome tonight during his solo. Not only did he go for a sexy look by running his fingers through his hair to brush it back, he also walked down the stage with his hands in his pockets for nice effect.
After being entertained by "Mr. Funk", we danced along to "Funky", which I was finally ready for this time, and shouted along to "Bolero". They all enjoyed doing their salsa moves.
We were close enough to center stage that I could watch Ohno's solo without really checking the screens.
Skipping ahead, we got a surprise in "Sunrise Nippon", when Aiba appeared on one of those raised stands directly in front of us. For "Oh Yeah", he focused mostly on our section and looked at our area with a hand up and squinted eyes as he tried to look around at us and inspect who was there. The cameraman was shuffling through the members and stopped on Nino, who noticed and pointed a finger at himself, going "Me?"
In "Believe", Jun was dancing the same dance as the juniors he was standing by. Nino sat down to sing to the people under the stage for his solo part. I was watching Ohno to see what he would do during Sho's rap and although he mostly waved to fans, he also did a little improvised dance to the music that was cute.
Sho's speech was almost completely the same as before. I liked his last line, "I hope we can draw those dreams together, realize them together and see them come true together."
O: The concert ended so quickly. I felt... that I moved a lot. This tour, I've been doing the "mask" for the first time in 20 years. As I remember back then, it reminds me of everything that is "Johnnys". I sure moved a lot... (We laughed) I hope that I can keep moving... (Laughter) Until I can't move anymore. (Laughter again) There's still more of the tour left, but I hope we can get through without any injuries. Please keep supporting us.
A: Did you have fun? I had fun, but I was nervous too. Thinking of what would happen if I let go. (We laughed because of the lighthearted way he said it.) This was the first time for me to do that "aerial tissue". It took about 2 to 3 months training to do. At first I couldn't hold on for more than 3 seconds. Through hard work, I made it that far. That's why you should never give up on your dreams. You hear that kids?! Don't give up! As long as you don't give up, your dreams can come true. Thank you for allowing us to perform here. Thank you to all the people in the world.
N: Thank you. I learned something special for this tour. That "tissue" thing. I did that for the first time ever.
Aiba stepped forward and called Nino out on his lie. "It's really hard to do! And dangerous! Don't joke about it!"
Nino agreed. " I'd die if I did it."
N: I tried tap this time. It made me remember when Leader was doing it in Kyoto. He did tap then. In a yukata and geta sandals. Now 19 years later, it's me. That same teacher who taught Leader was the one to instruct me. We talked about how nostalgic it was as I practiced. This concert is about remembering our roots so that we can go forward. It was a lot of fun too. Getting this many people together and having fun, we'd be happy to make fun memories with you. And when you kyaaa for us when we come.
Us: Kyaaaa!
N: Thank you. With that, I think I can work for another whole year.
J: We've entered our 17th year. It's not a big anniversary or anything, but this is a chance for us to look back and think of what kind of stage we'd like to make for you. For our challenges, some of them like Aiba's was really hard and while having very little time, we practiced. They worked hard for our individual corners and it warms my heart that we could do it together. We thought about what we could do to make the people watching it have fun. We hope it was a good concert. Hearing us do a cover song, for some, it might be the first time and others, it might be nostalgic. What we show you here, we hope you'll connect to others around you, to make this a brighter world. Thank you for today. We plan to keep going forward with the five of us, so we're counting on your support.
After the last song and many thanks from the members, the time showed as:
2016.11.14
8:28:08
The encore started after several minutes of calling for them.
They were split up on the carts in the same groups as usual. For Ohno's solo part in "Yume ni Kakeru", behind him, Jun was pointing to him with both hands.
In "Love So Sweet", Jun and Ohno sung their duet pointing at the camera, but Ohno was quite persistent with his pointing.
Nino didn't screw up Sho's rap in "Arashi", but he was standing directly behind him the whole time, eyes wide open, and throwing his hands out in a goofy rapper style.
Jun did the juniors introductions and for Mount Blast as well. Jun, Aiba, and Ohno were jumping to the bands melody. When they thanked the shamisen and taiko pros for coming, Nino and Sho were sitting seiza on the floor, pretending to hit taiko drums in the air.
As they said goodbye, Sho did the Disco Star wave and two of them picked up confetti from the ground and threw it in the air for themselves.
The concert ended at 8:44.
We had to wait an hour from the end just to get to the station yesterday, but today, we were already back at our hotel by then.
Tomorrow will most likely be the last concert for this tour for me.
<3
Went to lunch and relaxed a bit before heading to the dome early. It was colder today because of the wind and it was sprinkling halfheartedly.
Our seats we almost directly opposite where they were in Nagoya, so we've been able to see every angle of it.
We could hear the huddle shout from the back, making everyone excited for the start of the show.
The audience chuckled at "past Aiba's" child in the anime opening.
The first several songs didn't vary much from yesterday, so please check my previous reports for more details.
"Troublemaker" had a bit of an accident that was hilarious to hear Sho and Ohno explain in the MC. Therefore, Jun didn't do his surprised face behind their heart.
Sho must have been distracted by it because he nearly ran into Nino and mouthed "sorry" to him. Nino mouthed "it's okay" back.
The crowd oooohed for the penlights suddenly changing colors and patterns in "Aokimi".
J: Yeah! (X4) It's been a while! We wanted to meet you! Ii ne (Nice.) Ii yo (Good.) Are you ready?!
Jun was very persistent tonight, making us yell over and over.
Are you ready to be happy?! Louder!!
We kept yelling as loud as we could.
Jun teased us, "That's not enough to become happy!!!"
He then promised they would and to keep following them.
Nino's and Aiba's were their usual greetings.
Ohno pulled off his shouts smoothly today and there were no confusing pauses. He didn't do Jun's nasally impression, just held up a hand and said "Yoroshiku" normally.
Sho pretended to find the upper stands again. He also wouldn't let us slack off either.
In "Make a Wish", Aiba hugged Sho from behind, making us scream and Sho smile. After they separated, a mischievous Aiba smacked Sho on the butt, making Sho grin at him again. The crowd went wild, naturally.
In his solo, Nino was smirking at the crowd's "whoooos" to his tap dancing. He raised his hand to us in recognition. We "whooooed" again and he gestured for us to quiet down. He repeated it and being satisfied that we were following his directions, he gave us a thumbs up.
Jun looked very cool in his solo with his jumps and then all five of them for "In the Room" as they sang from their different spots around the stage while the dome was covered in red lights. Sliding their jackets on, they performed "Masquerade". I can't help thinking that when they spit out the water in Nagoya, it was more than they've used since then. Or maybe they have just switched angles?
Jun and Ohno walked to the large cart with their arms over each other's shoulders in "Happiness" while singing. When the carts came by, we could see the members pretty well.
During "GUTS", Jun and Ohno climbed off the cart and back onto the main stage, and I'd seen them playing around before, but today I could see just what they were doing. Jun was reeling Ohno in and Ohno was jumping around like a fish as he came closer. They were laughing at each other, yet still managed to find the camera filming them and point to it in the short time they had.
I also figured out why Jun was making Ohno laugh in "Ai wo Sakebe" last night. Jun couldn't properly keep his balance on the dance step that has them only using one foot, so he grabbed Ohno's shoulder to keep from falling over. Jun looked at Ohno like "What are you laughing for?", making Leader snicker at him more.
Jun and Sho both blew us kissing at the end, but Sho's expression of "deer in the headlights" was priceless.
MC
S: Yeah! (X5) Good evening! We're Arashi!
Nino said sweetly and over-pronounced, "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu". In a tiny voice, he exclaimed that it was so hot.
S: How is it so far, Jun?
Jun belted out, "Hot!!!"
S: But it should be the middle of November and cold outside-
J: It's hot!!! I'm sure I look like I just got out of the bath.
We laughed at his sweaty exhausted look.
S: True. We can almost see the steam coming off of you.
He turned to us and asked if we thought it was hot too. We shouted that it was.
S: Aiba, are you having fun?
A: I am. But I have something I need to apologize for.
Sho recognized what it was and smirked as he listened.
A: In the first half, when we went up on the high stage in "Aokimi", I ran into Sho. And then he froze up and stopped dancing. He even turned to glare at me too... I'm so very sorry.
We laughed loudly.
Sho smiled in forgiveness and exclaimed, "I thought my heart would stop!"
A: You should tell the audience. When you stopped dancing in "Aokimi", they probably saw it and wondered what happened. So you should explain to them it was because you were scared of the height.
Sho wasn't denying it, but he didn't jump in either.
Jun piped up, "I noticed something like that too. When we were in that line singing the "oh oh oh oh ohs", the position that we have to move to after that, I found my usual path blocked by that person. Because he was too scared to walk anywhere close to the edge.
Sho didn't deny that one either.
They demonstrated both versions for us, the correct one where they twirl smoothly in between each other and the "scaredy cat Sho" version where there's no room for Jun so he has to go around everyone.
N: Sorry MatsuJun, but you're just going to have to live with it this way.
S: I'm afraid to tell you that me and going around the edge is a big NG. (No good)
They pointed out that his feet barely left the ground for any of the dance steps.
Sho agreed and showed us how high they should have been going and how high they barely made it after he got the jitters.
S: My feet refused to leave the ground.
He showed us the move without even lifting his feet at all.
S: Ah! Ohno-san. That one.
Reminded of something else, he pointed it out to Ohno who grinned widely.
O: That was pretty awesome, wasn't it?
S: In the history of this tour, we had the biggest trouble happen in "Troublemaker".
He and Ohno showed us their pose for when they make their heart shape with their hands. And then the wind up pose that's supposed to get them ready for it. They pulled their arms back far.
J: How is that supposed to portray "wa" (harmony)?
S: That's the kind of harmony we learned about.
Us: Whoooo!
Sho paused their demonstration. "This doesn't really call for saying "whooo"."
They showed us the Nagoya version with Jun's surprised face behind their heart.
S: We really got into the pose for making our heart and in our enthusiasm, it ended up much too low.
Some people in the crowd got it right away.
S: We definitely couldn't do THAT version.
Us: Eeeeeh?!
S: No way! It's too low!
I was dying from laughing at this point.
S: It would be at a very bad spot for him (Jun).
The audience didn't seem to think so and cheered while laughing. I would have loved to see them do that version again. Of Ohno and Sho's heart framing MJ's crotch.
J: Wait. I took into account that the camera would be filming from a lower height, and even then, their heart was still too low, so I gave up and just stood there.
O: It would have fit so perfectly too.
We laughed that Ohno almost sounded disappointed that they wouldn't get to try.
Sho asked the other two if they'd even noticed their dilemma, but they hadn't.
Jun apologized to us. "Sorry for always talking about such pointless things."
S: Well at least "I" thought it was pretty fun to talk about.
J: Because it's funny to us, it looks like we have fun talking about it.
N: Ohno couldn't STOP laughing about it.
Sho: How has it been for you, Nino?
N: I always feel relieved after I finish my tapping.
O: You ARE first after all.
N: It's rare that I go first for solos.
S: It's usually Aiba.
N: That's right. Usually it's the loudest of us who goes first.
A: Me?
N: Yes, you... I was happy to be done first, because then I can just have fun and relax.
Jun agreed it was nice to go in the first half. "I'm just happy I'm still alive and made it to the MC."
It was time to go get changed. They let Jun go first. The four left behind wondered if they would be split up the same way it's been almost every time.
The results? Ohno and Aiba high fived at being paired. They allowed Sho and Nino to go first.
The two of them were hilarious, whispering to each other into their mics, neither having anything in particular to talk about and sort of half panicking about it.
A: You can go first. Do you have something to announce?
Ohno shook his head and whispered just loud enough for us to hear," Nope, nothing at all."
Aiba said in a hushed voice, "Me either. What should we talk about?"
We cheered for them, amused at their sideways glances at each other, both of them without a good answer and looking lost.
Still whispering, Aiba asked, "What should we do?"
Ohno retorted quietly, "I don't have an idea either."
Coming up with a good idea, Aiba said excitedly," Let's check out the thing MatsuJun left behind. It's still over there."
They were adorable as they shuffled across the stage, huddled close and refusing to walk separately from another. They looked up the wall that Jun runs to and climbs to the top of in a fluid motion during his chase.
O: It looks so high!
A: This is the one!
He pointed to it excitedly.
A: The "MJ Wall". He ran up to it and climbed all the way until the top.
He passed his mic to Ohno to hold, who was saying that it probably wouldn't be a good idea.
Aiba got a running start and dashed to the wall. He got his foot on it and it slipped right way, his hand too far away to reach the ledge.
A: This just proves that that person is a super man.
Looking at the wall again, he said, "No wonder he was just happy to be alive after that."
O: MatsuJun's amazing.
Ohno set his mic on the floor and stood back from the wall. He also tried, but worse results. He didn't even make it off the ground much because he slipped back down right away. He rubbed the arm that he'd crashed into the wall.
A: I told you it was slippery!!
Then he realized far too late.
A: Ah! We haven't even done our solos yet. That could have been dangerous...
They returned to the center of the stage.
A: They're still not out.
They were running out of stuff to do. And then Aiba remembered...
A: Tonight there's someone here who's very special. A really rare guest! Ogura-san!
A camera showed us Ogura, who was sitting at the very top of the dome, in some special separate VIP section. He waved down to them. We were cheering and chattering in excitement.
A: Thank you for coming!
They waved back at him, just as excited as all the fans in the dome.
A: He's a rare guest for Sapporo.
Aiba refocused on Ohno, double checking that he really didn't have any announcements.
O: None.
Aiba looked for some kind of savior and he got one when Sho reappeared.
A: So fast! Thank you so much for coming out!
Nino joined them, "You guys can go now."
S: That was dangerous. Those two alone. They even challenged that wall.
Nino went into his promotions. Sho asked that we please watch the movie and Nino retorted that HE wasn't the one in it.
N: You don't have any recollection of filming for it, do you?
S: No.
N: That's because it was me. Of course you have no memory of it.
Nino reminisced on an old press conference of his and the terrible question he'd gotten from one of the reporters.
And then about a costar who always watched "VS Arashi" every week, but Nino didn't know that, so he was completely baffled when he was told, "Aah, Kazunari-san, too bad you lost". He'd asked his manager if he'd lost at something and they took forever to realize that person was watching their show.
Jun came back and started stretching on the floor while Nino continued his promotions. Aiba and Ohno returned too.
Seeing all five of them were together, Sho said excitedly to Nino, "You should tell them the big news."
Nino smiled and teased slowly, "It's a really big surprise."
They pretended that nobody knew Ogura-san was there up until they said his name and waved at him for a few seconds. Then immediately the three of them turned on the Tennen couple, complaining loudly for leaving them out. Aiba and Ohno stood next to each other, bowing their heads as they got scolded.
A: Sorry, we kinda told them too early.
Ogura had thrown his head back and was laughing really hard at their antics.
N: How could you do that?!
A: But!!
S: Backstage, the three of us went, "Huh?!??!!"
A: It all happened so fast.
S: It should have been revealed when all five of us were here, right?!
A&O: We're so sorry.
We were loving them grilling Aiba and Ohno for revealing the secret early while Ogu-san was laughing at them too.
A: But we ran out of things to talk about!!
They apologized some more and all was forgiven.
Jun started to explain the concept of the tour, including that Johnnys always have a "kirakira smile". He attempted to give us the most dazzling smile he could, but it just turned out goofy.
N: What new character is that?
J: I don't know. A cheerful character that "looks back"?
Then they got the second half underway.
I have to say that Sho looked very handsome tonight during his solo. Not only did he go for a sexy look by running his fingers through his hair to brush it back, he also walked down the stage with his hands in his pockets for nice effect.
After being entertained by "Mr. Funk", we danced along to "Funky", which I was finally ready for this time, and shouted along to "Bolero". They all enjoyed doing their salsa moves.
We were close enough to center stage that I could watch Ohno's solo without really checking the screens.
Skipping ahead, we got a surprise in "Sunrise Nippon", when Aiba appeared on one of those raised stands directly in front of us. For "Oh Yeah", he focused mostly on our section and looked at our area with a hand up and squinted eyes as he tried to look around at us and inspect who was there. The cameraman was shuffling through the members and stopped on Nino, who noticed and pointed a finger at himself, going "Me?"
In "Believe", Jun was dancing the same dance as the juniors he was standing by. Nino sat down to sing to the people under the stage for his solo part. I was watching Ohno to see what he would do during Sho's rap and although he mostly waved to fans, he also did a little improvised dance to the music that was cute.
Sho's speech was almost completely the same as before. I liked his last line, "I hope we can draw those dreams together, realize them together and see them come true together."
O: The concert ended so quickly. I felt... that I moved a lot. This tour, I've been doing the "mask" for the first time in 20 years. As I remember back then, it reminds me of everything that is "Johnnys". I sure moved a lot... (We laughed) I hope that I can keep moving... (Laughter) Until I can't move anymore. (Laughter again) There's still more of the tour left, but I hope we can get through without any injuries. Please keep supporting us.
A: Did you have fun? I had fun, but I was nervous too. Thinking of what would happen if I let go. (We laughed because of the lighthearted way he said it.) This was the first time for me to do that "aerial tissue". It took about 2 to 3 months training to do. At first I couldn't hold on for more than 3 seconds. Through hard work, I made it that far. That's why you should never give up on your dreams. You hear that kids?! Don't give up! As long as you don't give up, your dreams can come true. Thank you for allowing us to perform here. Thank you to all the people in the world.
N: Thank you. I learned something special for this tour. That "tissue" thing. I did that for the first time ever.
Aiba stepped forward and called Nino out on his lie. "It's really hard to do! And dangerous! Don't joke about it!"
Nino agreed. " I'd die if I did it."
N: I tried tap this time. It made me remember when Leader was doing it in Kyoto. He did tap then. In a yukata and geta sandals. Now 19 years later, it's me. That same teacher who taught Leader was the one to instruct me. We talked about how nostalgic it was as I practiced. This concert is about remembering our roots so that we can go forward. It was a lot of fun too. Getting this many people together and having fun, we'd be happy to make fun memories with you. And when you kyaaa for us when we come.
Us: Kyaaaa!
N: Thank you. With that, I think I can work for another whole year.
J: We've entered our 17th year. It's not a big anniversary or anything, but this is a chance for us to look back and think of what kind of stage we'd like to make for you. For our challenges, some of them like Aiba's was really hard and while having very little time, we practiced. They worked hard for our individual corners and it warms my heart that we could do it together. We thought about what we could do to make the people watching it have fun. We hope it was a good concert. Hearing us do a cover song, for some, it might be the first time and others, it might be nostalgic. What we show you here, we hope you'll connect to others around you, to make this a brighter world. Thank you for today. We plan to keep going forward with the five of us, so we're counting on your support.
After the last song and many thanks from the members, the time showed as:
2016.11.14
8:28:08
The encore started after several minutes of calling for them.
They were split up on the carts in the same groups as usual. For Ohno's solo part in "Yume ni Kakeru", behind him, Jun was pointing to him with both hands.
In "Love So Sweet", Jun and Ohno sung their duet pointing at the camera, but Ohno was quite persistent with his pointing.
Nino didn't screw up Sho's rap in "Arashi", but he was standing directly behind him the whole time, eyes wide open, and throwing his hands out in a goofy rapper style.
Jun did the juniors introductions and for Mount Blast as well. Jun, Aiba, and Ohno were jumping to the bands melody. When they thanked the shamisen and taiko pros for coming, Nino and Sho were sitting seiza on the floor, pretending to hit taiko drums in the air.
As they said goodbye, Sho did the Disco Star wave and two of them picked up confetti from the ground and threw it in the air for themselves.
The concert ended at 8:44.
We had to wait an hour from the end just to get to the station yesterday, but today, we were already back at our hotel by then.
Tomorrow will most likely be the last concert for this tour for me.
<3