Arashi Blast in Hawaii Concert Report 9/20/14
Arashi’s Entrance:
Arashi arrived in a helicopter, which was exciting and such an EPIC entrance. Ever since I bought the tickets, it hadn’t really hit me that OMG I WILL SEE THEM PERFORM WITH MY OWN EYES-like it didn’t feel real yet. But when I saw them in that helicopter and the video feed was showing them inside waving at the audience-that’s when it felt real to me. I was there in the same place as Arashi-a group that I have followed for a long time just watching their concert DVDs, their dramas and variety shows. I have come to know their personalities, what makes them laugh, what makes them cry. Now, they are right in front of my eyes. It made me a little emotional. Seeing them in concert was a dream I always had and I couldn’t believe that it was actually coming true.
The Songs:
Sorry, I don’t remember all of the songs that they performed but I’m pretty sure they were singles that they have released throughout the years since it is their anniversary concert after all. The only one that wasn’t a single that I remember them performing was “Energy Song,” which is one of my absolute favorite songs from them. So when Riida did the little intro, I FREAKED OUT LIKE THAT’S MY JAM. I totally did not expect them to perform it so I was totally happy. I am convinced that they performed this song just for me because there is no other explanation for it lol. I love it when Sho gets so into the song that he starts twirling around. It looked like he was really enjoying himself and it was adorable to watch.
Their Outfits:
Surprisingly, I loved all of their costumes/outfits. There was nothing too weird or out there. They did not wear their clear, debut, raincoat jumper outfits during A.RA.SHI lol. The guys looked kakkoii in everything they wore.
Favorite Performances:
My favorite part of the concert was when the guys dressed up in Hawaiian-style outfits (in their colors too!) and sang “My Girl” and “Everything” with a Hawaiian band-complete with ukuleles and all. The sun set during their performance and the view was breathtaking. I just can’t express how beautiful it was. I love it when Arashi takes the songs that we know so well and performs them in a different way. It gives us a chance to enjoy these songs that we already love in a brand new way. There were also fire dancers during the performance of “Monster.” It was incredible to watch. The performance was amazing!
There weren’t any solos, which made me disappointed at first, but you know, it is their anniversary concert so they probably just wanted to perform everything together. When I think about it that way, it gives me feels.
Arashi Through My Eyes:
I had feels during the entire concert. My section was in E3 and at various times, I got a really good view of all of the members throughout the concert. The first member that got close was Riida when he was on the moving stage. Riida was smiling and he looked so happy just looking into the audience while he was singing. He was surveying the crowd and took time to read uchiwas and perform the requested fan service. It made me love him so much more.
Sho is an amazing entertainer. I think he interacts with the audience the most, he has so much energy and he really knows how to pump up the crowd. I already knew this though from watching Arashi’s concert DVDs but seeing it in person is just AMAZING. Sho kept saying Tokyo instead of Hawaii though which was kinda funny. I’m sure he is just not used to performing outside of Japan but I really hope that Johnny lets them come back.
I heard that Nino was feeling sick earlier that day but during the concert he had a lot of energy- I would have never had guessed that he was not feeling well. I really appreciated that he still gave all his energy in the concert to make the fans happy. There was a moment during the MC when Nino went backstage and then came back really quick. I don’t speak Japanese so I couldn’t really understand the MC part but I think Nino got something on his fingers and before they started to perform again, Nino wiped his hands on Riida. I got to see a typical bratty Nino moment and I loved it. My sister wore her “I LOVE NINOMIYA” shirt and when Nino passed by our section in the moving cart, we both waved like crazy. We were both pointing at her shirt and Nino looked at Mel and he smiled and waved his cute, little hamburger hands. It was adorable. Nino is my sister’s ichiban so it totally made her day.
I forgot which song it was but Jun had one of those water blasters and sprayed our section with water. It was refreshing because it was so damn hot and humid. Jun looked like he was having the most fun at the concert, which is great because I know how he works hard to make these concerts amazing. Also, Jun looks incredibly GORGEOUS in person. I mean, Jun already looks gorgeous in pictures and on video but actually seeing him in person? OMG there should be statues of Jun’s face in museums to immortalize his perfect bone structure.
Actually, all the guys look pretty flawless in person. The pictures and videos that you see online of the members just don’t do it justice. And as for my ichiban, Aiba looks like a real-life manga prince character with his perfect face. AND THAT SMILE. OMG his smile is a beautiful thing to behold. And when they were doing their thank you speeches at the end, all the members got teary but Aiba was the only one who got so emotional that he cried. It was so endearing. I have always liked that he is so honest with his feelings. I just wanted to give him a hug!
The Storm:
It started pouring during the concert. Everyone was soaked. It rained during their anniversary 5x10 concert and the fact that it also rained during their anniversary 5x15 concert is just surreal. The rain didn’t stop anyone from having a good time. The fans still clapped their hands, waved their penlights, jumped around and danced. And Arashi still had fun. They gave their best and their energy was still high. Even Aiba was sliding around on the wet stage-typical silly Aiba. And OMG watching them perform P.A.R.A.D.O.X. in the rain is just… THERE ARE NO WORDS.
Conclusion:
Overall, it was the best concert experience I ever had. The venue looks much smaller compared to the big dome arenas they usually do in Japan so it felt very personal. No matter where you sat, you were able to get a good glimpse of each member due to the moving stages and the moving carts. The whole experience really felt like a dream. Everything happened so fast. I couldn’t believe that I was really there with Arashi. It was awesome, wonderful, incredible, amazing, phenomenal, extraordinary, unforgettable-it was EVERYTHING. I didn’t want the concert to ever end. I can’t wait until Johnny makes the concert DVD so I can re-live this experience over and over again.
