Concert Review: THE ALFEE AUBE RENAISSANCE 2008 Tour, Hiroshima, 12-7-2008
Let me get the non-concert part of the day out of the way first:
-bought new Daigo book, an old CD of his, and a holiday gift for my brother.
-donated to one charity and got free hugs
-ate food at some point
Now the concert.
Okay, THE ALFEE are a cool band. I admit, freely, that before going to see them live, I did not know their names or the names of their songs because yeah, I am a casual fan. So let me give you a short intro of the members:
Masaru Sakurai - bass guitar and vocals. This guy, is like...the Elvis of the band. No, seriously, they even had photos of him going in the background, dressed as Elvis. He's got this thing he does with his face...like he looks like a blues bass player, with the pout and sad eyebrows. But the man is pretty cool and looks nice with his shirt half open. He was the most chill of the band. He also makes a hilarious Ultraman.
Kohnosuke Sazaki - acoustic guitar and vocals. Oh man...okay this guy also DRUMS. Like those electric drums that were all the rage in the 80's? I don't know what they're called, but he's drumming WITH HIS ACOUSTIC GUITAR ON and he would switch back and forth. He also had a few double necked guitars. This guy was like...I swear, this is Toshi in 10 years guys. If he was smaller, looked more like Yoko Ono then John Lennon, and was more of a flower child than he is now. This guy was all smiles and so energetic and was hilarious, and also made a good Ultraman. And so tiny! And a hippie I am sure. I can see him with a chain of daisies on his head.
Toshihikio Takamizawa - electric guitar and vocals. NOW I know who is always singing in falsetto...or something. It's this guy. This man...oh god. He's in a music magazine EVERY MONTH. He knows like EVERYONE. I am pretty sure he worked on a Toshi album. This man is like the Takarazuka reject of the group. He's got that long hair and more glittery costume changes than the all female troupe that must have rejected him. He also has the craziest guitars I have ever seen - THEY LIGHT UP AND HAVE HUGE ANGEL WINGS FOR BODIES. LET ME SHOW YOU:
He was also the most rock out of all of them - fist pumping, working the audience. He's a riot...and I think he thinks he's a prince. I wasn't sure.
So, this group of crazy characters makes up the Alfee along with a keyboardist and drummer who might change every tour, I don't know. These guys have been going since 1974. And they were born in 1954/1955. THEY ARE AS OLD AS MY DAD/MOM. WOW. They look good for being in their 50's, must come with touring every single year. There discography is HUGE and as such...
I basically didn't know any of the songs.
Yeah.
Or the dances/hand things Japanese people do. But half the audience didn't bother with them either. In fact, this has got to be the deadest audience I have ever seen. Do only meek people live in Hiroshima? What the fuck? I couldn't even tell if anyone SANG ALONG. The screaming wasn't even loud...is this just how the fans are because they are as old as the band or am I missing something?
So, I would say, going off of audience participation, this was a kind of crappy concert. No screaming, no singing along, nobody seemed into it.
Personal dislikes: okay, I am pretty sure I was the only foreigner there, but it was like everyone took for granted that I had to be...Japanese somehow. Like maybe I had plastic surgery ON MY FACE. I guess I am bitter because I didn't catch a useless streamer or one of the gazillion picks thrown at us, but maybe I am misreading how the ladies around me acted. I will admit, my Japanese concert going experiences are limited. I don't like a whole lot of bands to warrant seeing them, so I don't know the proper etiquette and all that (it also seems to change from band to band). I will say, it was nice of the lady next to me to say "yoroshiku onegaishimasu" at the beginning, and "otsukaresama deshita" at the end. We also looked in vain for one of Sakurai's picks but alas it was not found.
I'm not used to being in such an audience and being alone and obviously so, made me feel really left out. Knowing three songs out of a 3 hour set did not help. But I was the only one who knew "The Locomotion" - TAKE THAT JAPAN. HA.
The lights were cool, and the guys themselves were awesome. They do a lot of long MCs, which seem to involve a lot of jokes - a lot of INSIDE jokes. Maybe if I knew more about them, I would get them more. But I still had fun and they had fun, and at some point we were supposed to go FRAI FRAI KAKI FRAI...yeaaaaaaaaaaah. Crazy. One MC was all a skit - no they read the dialog from a music stand I shit you not - about Ultraman and how one of their songs is for Ultraman Dynasty. They showed the music video I guess for it behind them - they do a Charlie's Angels pose man. I was cracking up. These guys know their American pop culture. Too bad their fans don't. They also did like fake opera singing...that sounded really good to me. They are funny guys. And each one of them did come to our side of the floor at least once, but for the most part they stay in front of their mics. Got to play and sing at the same time, so hard to walk about. Maybe this explains the dead fish fan base?
So...I recommend the Alfee, totally. Their music is awesome. But I don't recommend going to one of their concerts unless you really know their discography inside and out because you will be like me - listening, smiling, clapping, and wondering what song this is oh it's nice oh I need to punch the air now oops. I guess I was expecting to have more fun but I can tell you now which songs I knew:
Hoshizora no Distance
AUBE (this song sounds like rock opera)
The Locomotion (I love you Sakurai! <3<3)
They played a lot more than that. X__x
But no, The Alfee are still cool! And they had FOOD for tour goods. They had some unique things as goods and that's cool. Like chopsticks. XD Yeah.
Anyway, I am tired, and got work tomorrow. I might add more, I probably won't. All I got to say is, out of all the Japanese musical act concerts I have been to, X Japan wins hands down. I might be biased, but yeah.
Night.
-bought new Daigo book, an old CD of his, and a holiday gift for my brother.
-donated to one charity and got free hugs
-ate food at some point
Now the concert.
Okay, THE ALFEE are a cool band. I admit, freely, that before going to see them live, I did not know their names or the names of their songs because yeah, I am a casual fan. So let me give you a short intro of the members:
Masaru Sakurai - bass guitar and vocals. This guy, is like...the Elvis of the band. No, seriously, they even had photos of him going in the background, dressed as Elvis. He's got this thing he does with his face...like he looks like a blues bass player, with the pout and sad eyebrows. But the man is pretty cool and looks nice with his shirt half open. He was the most chill of the band. He also makes a hilarious Ultraman.
Kohnosuke Sazaki - acoustic guitar and vocals. Oh man...okay this guy also DRUMS. Like those electric drums that were all the rage in the 80's? I don't know what they're called, but he's drumming WITH HIS ACOUSTIC GUITAR ON and he would switch back and forth. He also had a few double necked guitars. This guy was like...I swear, this is Toshi in 10 years guys. If he was smaller, looked more like Yoko Ono then John Lennon, and was more of a flower child than he is now. This guy was all smiles and so energetic and was hilarious, and also made a good Ultraman. And so tiny! And a hippie I am sure. I can see him with a chain of daisies on his head.
Toshihikio Takamizawa - electric guitar and vocals. NOW I know who is always singing in falsetto...or something. It's this guy. This man...oh god. He's in a music magazine EVERY MONTH. He knows like EVERYONE. I am pretty sure he worked on a Toshi album. This man is like the Takarazuka reject of the group. He's got that long hair and more glittery costume changes than the all female troupe that must have rejected him. He also has the craziest guitars I have ever seen - THEY LIGHT UP AND HAVE HUGE ANGEL WINGS FOR BODIES. LET ME SHOW YOU:
He was also the most rock out of all of them - fist pumping, working the audience. He's a riot...and I think he thinks he's a prince. I wasn't sure.
So, this group of crazy characters makes up the Alfee along with a keyboardist and drummer who might change every tour, I don't know. These guys have been going since 1974. And they were born in 1954/1955. THEY ARE AS OLD AS MY DAD/MOM. WOW. They look good for being in their 50's, must come with touring every single year. There discography is HUGE and as such...
I basically didn't know any of the songs.
Yeah.
Or the dances/hand things Japanese people do. But half the audience didn't bother with them either. In fact, this has got to be the deadest audience I have ever seen. Do only meek people live in Hiroshima? What the fuck? I couldn't even tell if anyone SANG ALONG. The screaming wasn't even loud...is this just how the fans are because they are as old as the band or am I missing something?
So, I would say, going off of audience participation, this was a kind of crappy concert. No screaming, no singing along, nobody seemed into it.
Personal dislikes: okay, I am pretty sure I was the only foreigner there, but it was like everyone took for granted that I had to be...Japanese somehow. Like maybe I had plastic surgery ON MY FACE. I guess I am bitter because I didn't catch a useless streamer or one of the gazillion picks thrown at us, but maybe I am misreading how the ladies around me acted. I will admit, my Japanese concert going experiences are limited. I don't like a whole lot of bands to warrant seeing them, so I don't know the proper etiquette and all that (it also seems to change from band to band). I will say, it was nice of the lady next to me to say "yoroshiku onegaishimasu" at the beginning, and "otsukaresama deshita" at the end. We also looked in vain for one of Sakurai's picks but alas it was not found.
I'm not used to being in such an audience and being alone and obviously so, made me feel really left out. Knowing three songs out of a 3 hour set did not help. But I was the only one who knew "The Locomotion" - TAKE THAT JAPAN. HA.
The lights were cool, and the guys themselves were awesome. They do a lot of long MCs, which seem to involve a lot of jokes - a lot of INSIDE jokes. Maybe if I knew more about them, I would get them more. But I still had fun and they had fun, and at some point we were supposed to go FRAI FRAI KAKI FRAI...yeaaaaaaaaaaah. Crazy. One MC was all a skit - no they read the dialog from a music stand I shit you not - about Ultraman and how one of their songs is for Ultraman Dynasty. They showed the music video I guess for it behind them - they do a Charlie's Angels pose man. I was cracking up. These guys know their American pop culture. Too bad their fans don't. They also did like fake opera singing...that sounded really good to me. They are funny guys. And each one of them did come to our side of the floor at least once, but for the most part they stay in front of their mics. Got to play and sing at the same time, so hard to walk about. Maybe this explains the dead fish fan base?
So...I recommend the Alfee, totally. Their music is awesome. But I don't recommend going to one of their concerts unless you really know their discography inside and out because you will be like me - listening, smiling, clapping, and wondering what song this is oh it's nice oh I need to punch the air now oops. I guess I was expecting to have more fun but I can tell you now which songs I knew:
Hoshizora no Distance
AUBE (this song sounds like rock opera)
The Locomotion (I love you Sakurai! <3<3)
They played a lot more than that. X__x
But no, The Alfee are still cool! And they had FOOD for tour goods. They had some unique things as goods and that's cool. Like chopsticks. XD Yeah.
Anyway, I am tired, and got work tomorrow. I might add more, I probably won't. All I got to say is, out of all the Japanese musical act concerts I have been to, X Japan wins hands down. I might be biased, but yeah.
Night.