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 STARTING LEGEND 2001 "PRECIOUS GARDEN SUMMER" |
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Starting Legend 2001 PRECIOUS GARDEN Report Shiina Hekiru at Omiya Sonic City 08/11/01 Hekiru Shiina TOUR STARTING LEGEND 2001 "PRECIOUS GARDEN SUMMER"
M1. Kaze ga huku oka
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PRE-REPORT It's funny, as I waited live after live, six in all, until the day I could finally take part, I alternated between frustration and depression and envy and jealousy and weariness. For someone who has spent the better part of 3 years attending nearly all of Hekiru's events, it's hard to let go. Over time that driving desire to see Hekiru in person on a constant basis has tempered, but when she does make a public appearance, the idea that you could see her, that others will be sharing that time, and yet you are not... that feeling of unhappiness is a strange beast that I am perhaps quite ashamed of. Envy and jealousy and selfishness (greed?) make for unpleasant people. So, it's hard to let go, because in the end she does occupy a very special place within me, has grown to be a part of me that is almost irreplaceable. I say "almost", but to be honest, I don't know what is more scary - that Hekiru can't be replaced, or that she can. Perhaps replaced is a bad word, since every person is unique and no one substitutes for another. What I am trying to say is that she is such an important part of me now that I am deathly afraid of what would happen to me if that importance I attach fades away, as a pillar turning into a column of smoke. And so I am just as afraid of the consequences if she continues to be my only pillar, so to speak. Why am I writing this... I want to explain, somehow, the reasons behind me leaving Japan. I don't expect understanding, nor do I really want it, but I just wanted to put down on paper, or disc, as the case may be, a little of what I am. When non-Hekiru fans find out about my strong feelings towards Hekiru, I think the question is, "Why do you like her so much?" I could go on about this and that with Hekiru, but let me take a different tack. I think everyone needs something in life to hold them up, be it an ambition, a hobby, a loved one, or God, if you wish to get melodramatic. There are exceptions, of course, but personally I find it difficult to imagine living life with a void in your heart. Not to be condescending of course. Just can't see how to live if there's nothing important, not even yourself. To me, Hekiru is that something. It's as simple as that. And tremendously difficult to explain. Because people kind of understand, but then again they don't, really. They know the concept, but scratch their heads and wonder to themselves, "Uh, so why some Japanese girl?" That's okay though, I don't mind very much. I got tired of trying to explain a long time ago, when I realized that, even though I had good friends in Japan who accepted that as part of me and understood how much it meant, I could never come close to sharing my feelings with my family. I desperately want to, you know, because they are my family and this is what makes me who I am. Without the understanding, I am just a mask, or a block with a whole cut out of the center. I say this not because I feel sorry for myself or because I want pity, but simply because here, in Singapore, when I make friends there is no Hekiru, and I am just an empty block whose interactions go no further than skin deep, and after going back to Japan the difference is, to be honest, depressing. Is the only place I can call "home" being with a bunch of fellow fans in Japan? Ah, but you see, takes away Hekiru and we don't have much to talk about either. This makes me wonder if I am just really a socially inept person. Which takes me back to the question, "How do you live with a void in your heart?" Because that's how I have to live from now on, away from Japan. Take that biggest part that makes me who I am, and lock it away and never let it come out because I am so tired of not being understood. But I digress. Why did I leave Japan? Because I was scared. Scared of falling deeper into a lifestyle that really was "no good" - living in a tiny room, spending all my time alone (but happily, and that was scary too), expending my energy on a singular pursuit, following a career that was well and good but that I did not enjoy and would not really amount to much in the Big Scheme of Things. I was sick of structuring my life around Hekiru and tours. Wanted to chase a dream, leave my mark, yeah. So I left. And tried to leave a big chunk of Hekiru, too, but keep just the smallest, most precious seed deep inside. And so I'd get have my cake and eat it too, so to speak. Is it working out? I don't know... I regret not my decision to leave, nor can I say that I am unhappy and that live treats me badly. Work is exciting and everything I could hope for. Good for feeding my ego. It takes all my time. I have nothing else aside from work, really, and it keeps me occupied very well indeed, which was my intention. I could drown in it. Just let go, and drown. That's what scared me, this tour as the lives ticked by without me. So hard to let go, yet terrifyingly easy at the same time. Just work, and don't think about it. Don't think about it, and that's it. I really did get messed up, these last couple of weeks. So that was how it was when I finally made my way to Japan for the Omiya live. (BTW, I wrote this when I was a bit depressed after coming back from the Omiya concert. After Shizuoka-Nagoya, I'm pretty high, spiritually nourished, life is good. So don't think that I'm really some kind of manic depressive because I'm not, really. :) I just tend to write when I'm depressed, but not when I'm in a good mood, so you have some lopsided picture.) REPORT As you may know, the band changed this tour. With the exception of Jake, all the members are new. All veterans who have played with the best, for the best, and are really among the top-class musicians of Japan. One keyboard, two guitar, one bass, one drum. These people also worked on the new singles by Hekiru, I think. In addition to the music, the live itself was also coordinated with the music producer Kine, so what you got was, in theory at least, a new level of music and visual integration. Let me start by first describing the stage. It was, to put it succintly, bloody damn impressive. Huge racks spanned the stage floor from front to back, joining up to run up the back walls, and jutting back towards the front overhanging the entire stage in a mirror of the ground pattern. Later in the live, you could see the ladder-like rungs are neon lamps that flash, and towards the last few songs the entire top part actually moves down. Jeezus, that thing is huge and I had absolutely no inkling that it was moveable! At the beginning, the stage was dark and 3 cloth panels hung in front. As wildlife sounds played over the speakers, the band filed in. The pace picked up with a beat, getting louder and faster until Hekiru came on and the band jumped into Kaze ga Fuku Oka! Well! That was a surprise. I never expected them to use such an old song as an opener, but it was great. I really like that song a lot, and it was nice to hear it at a live again. The arrangement wasn't much different from the CD version (to be honest, most songs were quite close to CD arrangements which I found to be a bit of a disappointment considering the calibar of the musicians involved), but it was fun. Hekiru wore a blue coat that reminded me of SL96 Summer Special, but I really liked the look. I've always liked the pants look, as opposed to the cute skirt look. (Cool skirt look ala SL1999 CHANGE is okay by me though :) ) Then from Kaze ga huku oka they went straight into ROLLING STONE. A bit too early? some people say, but I liked it. Get the heat up, go straight into the beat, it's a good change from before when you kinda start slow and build up. Then into Hadaka no Princess Mermaid. This song was a surprise, since I didn't think people really got into it the last tour, but I was on a roll and found it great fun. Hekiru had her own moves this time around... Oh yeah, halfway through Hekiru left the stage to take off her coat. I liked the casual blouse and jeans look she had underneath, a lot. Without a pause the band went into Dive into you, but with a different intro. You know, I hated this song when it first came out but now I really find it fun! I was grinning like mad all the way through. Hekiru man, she looked positively vibrant, brilliant smile. This song was great. When the next song started, I tried to place it but couldn't. Turned out to be Lovin' You. I've only listened to the single a few times since I don't like it particularly. My opinion hasn't changed much - I still think it's pretty forgettable. I do remember Hekiru raising her arm at the "you" part of the chorus, kinda like "Gan-bare" style. Bleh... This song really doesn't do much for me. After this, a break for the MC. Hekiru said, "Well, I've come back," meaning that she went down south and then returned to the Tokyo area. There was some talk about how it rained hard (there was a downpour that afternoon). She added that she's already done six lives, and this tour she really felt strongly the power of everyone during the live, and how she was more grateful than ever that she could perform. Then she said that this next song was something that was best listened to in winter, "Love Graduation". After Love Graduation, Hekiru continued on into Ai no Katachi. Again, I don't really like this song that much although I think it is the better of the two. But then, somehow, it was pretty good live. Or rather, I found myself unexpectedly moved, and thought to myself, this is a good song. I also noticed that the three songs by the same writer were stuck together. Whatever that means... (If I were cynical I'd say it's because they had nowhere else to fit them :P ) Then came the talk corner, where staff brought out chairs and Hekiru and the band and Tairaku-san sat in the center of the stage. Tairaku-san was the host, and according to some theme the band and Hekiru would answer questions. Today, Tairaku-san said that they had 4 days of Omiya, and that he had run out of topics already. "4 days! You know, the industry people said, 'Omiya 4 days, you have got to be joking' but I said, 'Nope, 4 days.'" (4 days is a lot to do in a tour at a big capacity hall like Omiya. Back when Hekiru could sell out Budoukan, she could probably fill it no problem, but now, it really is overdoing it to run 4 days. Hekiru made a comment to that respect too, that she thought Tairaku-san was joking too.)
Then Tairaku-san said, "Before going into the corner, I have some
announcements to make. As you know, Jungle Life is Hekiru's new single,
and it's been chosen as the theme song for Kine Naoto's M-Voice TV show!
That's not all, it's also been chosen as the opening theme to
Well, that's an impressive lineup for a song, but what bothered me about
the whole thing was how it feels like the staff just decided everything,
and Hekiru is just along for the ride, like some packaged idol singer.
I mean, of course it's the producer that arranges all that, but this
kind of thing, setting Hekiru aside, is getting old. At one point she
used to at least project an image of a singer in charge, fighting to make
her career, but lately this kind of "childish" treatment has gotten worse
and worse, and it grates on my nerves. I felt so damn sorry seeing her up
there, being set up that way. I guess it's not good to say such things,
but that's the impression I had most strongly. She looked almost left out
and isolated, even though it was, technically, her own concert. Nothing
against Tairaku-san, because the guy can really talk good, but dammit if
Hekiru isn't the star at her own concert what does that leave her?
Enough rant, the corner started and the theme was "Messing up on a roadtrip".
One by one the band members talked about things they had done wrong on
previous times that they toured. Jake talked about how he used to play
Virtua Cop 2 on an arena tour, killing time before the start of the concert.
(Arenas seat 20,000 people and it takes about 2 hours to let them in.)
So Jake played Virtua Cop 2 the whole time, and then when it came to the
live he couldn't lift his arm to play the guitar! The producer got really
pissed at him and banned video games for the rest of the tour. BTW, Jake's
hair was all spiked up, and Tairaku-san called him a Super Saiyajin.
The funniest story was the drummer, who said that one day before the start
of a concert he was squatting at the edge of the stage chatting, when the
lights went down and the band started to play. No one had told him the
concert had begun! So he ran across, in the darkness to the center, but
then (and he pantomimed in slow-mo), he banged his right shin into the monitor
speaker in the center! Crying out in pain, desperately crawling his way
up to the drum set, he managed to make it there before his part, but his
leg was so messed up that he had to use his left leg to hit the drums!
Then he pulled up his pants and showed us where there was still a scar ^^;;
When it came to Hekiru's turn, she said, "Does it have to be on tour?"
Tairaku-san said, "No, any trip will do." So Hekiru talked about how she
had gone to Phuket before on a private trip (it was actually before the
CHANGE tour) and her and her friend had taken a boat out to a small island.
Now, Hekiru gets seasick really easily, so she was pretty wary, but then
it was supposed to be a short trip and she took seasick pills so she
thought it would be okay.
"Unfortunately, as the boat got closer, it slowed down, and I was starting
to feel really queasy. 5 minutes, 10 minutes... it still didn't reach land.
My friend turned to me and asked if I was okay. I clung to her and tried
to nod and say, 'Yeah' but instead I went 'daaaaaa....'"
"Daaaa" meaning, well, you know... ^^;;
Tairaku-san said, "Oh, so you went daaa..? Where?" and Hekiru looked
embarrassed and said, "Um, down her back, and into the water."
After that they did reach land, but Hekiru spent the entire day pretty
much unconscious on the couch while everyone else had a good time on
the beach. She said that her friend took a picture of her lying there,
and that picture wound up in the CHANGE pamphlet. "Everyone probably
thought I was sleeping there but I was really zonked out."
So that was the end of the corner, and after the staff cleared the chairs
away and the band took up their places, Hekiru launched into Todoketai
Omoi.
This song surprised me, but I like it a lot and was happy they put it in.
The next song was Akai Hana though, and my first thought was, "Man, I
can't believe she's still singing this!" But hey, I only had this
one concert and I was going to make the best of it, and so I just
decided to go with it. I think it was this song that the "flames" (really
small cloth towers blown by updraft wind) started going around in
various parts of the stage. It looked damn cool! Halfway through the
colour was blue. Very cool!
Then into BESIDE YOU. I don't like this song very much either, but
the opening was cool where Ken, the new guitarist and some totally
veteran rocker looking dude with long bushy bleached hair, was pumping
the air with his fist in between playing the guitar riffs! And during
the song, he was like headbanging while playing too! Too awesome!
I got into BESIDE YOU, and this was where I really started headbanging
and riding the music.
BESIDE YOU rode into Mesama, and that too was a surprise. I knew this
song was in, but I didn't expect it to come so soon. In fact, the
playlist for this concert was a pleasant surprise because even though
it had a lot of "popular" songs the structure managed to avoid the
rut that many previous tours had taken.
Mesama, the end of the chorus Hekiru moved too fast! Can't catch the
moves... The last part of the interlude where Hekiru kicks, I was
so into it I just stepped all the way into the aisle and let loose,
probably kicked higher than my head! Good thing no one was in the
way ^^;;
When Mesama ended, I think it was a beat, maybe the band intro? And
as Hekiru whipped up the excitement she finished by shouting, "Jungle
Life!" and the band went into the song.
I've heard samples of this so it wasn't totally new, but to be
honest the verse melody seemed a little weird, like undefined. The
chorus is easy enough to catch on to. Dunno if I like it, really.
Guess it's okay. Not bad, not something that would be a favourite.
After this was the band solo. Or rather, guitar solo ^^;; Ken was
doing riffs on the guitar, and I don't really remember but the
rest slowly joined in and then Hekiru came out. Dressed in camo!
Yeah! I was thinking, would be damn cool if she did a live in camo
outfit... I love the casual look :)
So yeah it was discovery, and it was good, and Ken-chan headbanged
much and so did I, but unfortunately I was losing out... Ouch,
neck hurts like crazy even now. Then from discovery to Still,
yet another great song although the interlude wasn't quite as cool
as the previous tour's band intro, then into invisible (short opening!).
invisible ended without the usual last part, so when I screamed at
the pause, I was surprised to hear the bass to No,No,No! start up,
and I think I bit my tongue at the intro again >_< and by this time
I couldn't think, don't remember, just going nuts with awesome song
after song nonstop and jeezus my neck was killing me. Oh yeah, Hekiru
did death shout for last chorus. :)
After No,No,No! I was ready to drop, so be yourself was a godsend.
Actually I don't like that song that much, and I think it's probably
the part of the live I would cut out, but at that point I didn't
really care. Oh yeah, sometime during the run of songs above, like
maybe before Still, Hekiru took off her outer shirt and I was like,
yeah!! Um, don't take this the worng way but I was hoping she would ^^;;
I liked the shirt underneath a lot, was looking for something like
it a couple months back but I could only find it in black.
Uh, back to the live anyway. So after be yourself, I was really
ready to drop, and still they were going! One! But this time Hekiru
didn't do the usual moves at the beginning (although I was so out
of it I didn't realize it at the time) so that's maybe why it felt
a bit weird.
After One, when I had basically messed up my neck beyond all repair,
Hekiru had a short MC. I don't remember what she said, but she dedicated
the next song as a measure of her feelings. That song was a new song,
Arashi Nochi Hare.
Oh man, how do I say this... You know, I haven't really liked many
of Hekiru's new songs lately, because I don't like Akashi very much
(with some exceptions like Still), and Jungle Life disappointed me
and I had been feeling rather disillusioned, or rather I had resigned
myself to not liking Hekiru's songs anymore.
But Arashi Nochi Hare, oh, this was a good song. A powerful ballad
piece, a bit sad, but sung with great feeling. As I listened, I
felt myself tear up, not just from the song itself, but also because
I thought, "This is exactly the type of song I had wanted to hear
from Hekiru." It was just the type of song I needed, to help me
regain my faith in her music. It's hard when the stuff she puts out
isn't to my taste...
So yeah, it was a very good song, and when it finished, the lights
came on and all the band members gathered in front just like when
the concert is about to end. And suddenly to my shock, really, I
realized that the concert was about to end, and that there
was no encore. And suddenly the encore call started.
You know, I've been too a lot of concerts. Go to all, or almost,
every tour. You start to take for granted, naturally, even though
you try not to, that you can see the next one. This time, I only
had one, and I tried to watch it with the only intention of having
fun, getting as much as I could out of it.
Shit man, when you only have one, you really, really, really want
it not to end. This is not just a "because well we want to see
more if we can" kinda thing, this is "with blood sweat and tears
I would give anything for just even a minute more!" type thing.
I have never screamed for an encore as hard as I did that night.
They weren't supposed to have one, you know. Hekiru tried to shut
it down but the crowd, they were pretty up into it and god knows
I know I was screaming like no tomorrow for it. Basically because
I didn't have tomorrow, but anyway Hekiru looked quite consternated
but she finally gave in quite reluctantly (and yours truly actually
didn't care if she was consternated or not) and after speaking to
the band, said, "Give us some time to prepare."
And after the band retook their positions, they started Graduater.
Hekiru, she did the old moves during the chorus which brought back
memories. But otherwise it wasn't that good. I mean, I don't mean
to sound selfish after calling for an encore, but after seeing
that I can appreciate how it was a much better concert just ending
at Arashi Nochi Hare, and I know why they didn't want to do an encore.
But at the same time, I didn't want it to end... So on the one hand
you have the veteran fan who goes for aesthetics, and on the other
you have the raving fan who just wants it to go on and on. It was
a strange position to be in, and an eyeopener as to the feelings
of "normal" fans who only come for one concert. Because I used to
be high and mighty and say, "We shouldn't do an encore at such a
time. How can these people ask for one?" etc, when in truth, it's only
natural.
In any case, Graduater ended, and everyone lined up. Hekiru said,
"There something I want to explain to people who have never been
to my concert before. It's something we always do at the end, and
it means a promise to meet again. This started a long time ago.
Those of you who know this, please bear with me. Okay, so basically
you stand like this, and when I say, 'Sei no!' you stick out your
right arm with your thumb up and say, 'Want You!!' As in 'I want you.'
But don't say this anywhere else! Especially to a foreigner! You'd
get misunderstood! Okay, all ready? Sei no... WANT YOU!!"
And so everyone shouted "WANT YOU!!" and I shouted with all my heart,
and the tune for Jungle Life started playing over the speakers, and
the crowd started clapping in beat. Hekiru was smiling really nice,
and she waved a long time to the crowd before bowing and leaving.
POST-REPORT
Okay, so how was the concert?
Good parts:
Stage set - Holy... was my initial impression. Damn they must've blown
a lot of money. The whole thing weighed a ton (actually half a ton),
and probably took forever to set up and break down. Really impressive.
I like the simple stages too, but this one is just too cool.
Arashi Nochi Hare - I shouldn't hype myself up, in case this turns out
to be a disappointment on CD. But few songs lately have made such a
strong impression on me. It's a good song, one that Hekiru needed.
Thank you.
Songs - No ballads, the slowest being just mid-tempo in the form of
Love Graduation and Ai no Katachi. Two full hours of rocking all the way,
discounting the half-hour talk corner in between. I love ballads, but
I really wanted more and harder songs, and I think I got it. This is
about as hard a selection as you can realistically hope for.
Ken-chan - This guy's pretty cool, for an old geezer :) Just the way
he plays guitar is too cool man.
Bad parts:
Songs - And mixed in the song list are songs that I got sick of two
tours ago, like Akai Hana. Like the song on the CD, but sheesh I'm
sick of it. Boring. What else... BESIDE YOU I almost forgive because
of the cool intro, but that's another I could do without. be yourself
I never liked. It's a bit much to ask, I know, but I was really hoping
for something "unexpected", a song that's not a crowd favourite but is
a damn good song that just got neglected, like Dare no sei de mo nai,
Phoenix, Wakaranai Otoko, Just My Love, or Let me sing with soul or
Kaze no Yukue... Plenty of great rocking songs in Hekiru's repetoire
that would fit great and add a bit of spice to what is a good but not
especially inspired list.
The band - Okay, these guys are pros. Which has it's good and bad points.
On one hand, they are obviously very good at what they do. On the other
hand, they are such veterans that it seems like they are playing over
our heads. Put another way, they play well but with no more feeling than
just doing their job, because they are rock pros and the audience is,
quite frankly, not up to their level. Like a PhD lecturing to a hall of
kids, you can imagine the guy knows what he's talking about about but
just delivers without expecting them to get half of it, which makes for
a rather dry session. Too bad, I had been expecting the prof to rouse
the bunch and take 'em for an exciting ride. So yeah, in short, little
band and audience interaction. Damn pity. Shoot, such a waste when I
imagine how amazing a live it could be, if it was in a live house like
Osaka Big Cat.
Summary:
Yeah, I know I expect too much, but I've seen the best of Hekiru,
and this doesn't quite make it there.
But that doesn't mean it won't. Plenty of potential, and I look
forward to seeing the day it is realized. 8 out of 10 stars? :)
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