Jumping at Yokohama
One of the best things about Hey!Say!JUMP's Yokohama concert is how it starts with such a bang. Before any lengthy introductions, they're out on stage Jumping to their Dreams. Then - bam - into Dreams Come True. What a great start! I watched all these songs thinking this is more than a boy band, these are great entertainers who are going to be in the spotlight for their whole lives. So polished, so professional, and having so much fun.
Most important, this is truly JUMP's show where they virtually own the stage for two hours. Sure, Boys In Shadow have a few moments and I can recognize a few familiar faces among the backdancers, but you are never more than a few moments away from another song, dance, or skit featuring Hey!Say!JUMP.
For the first half hour it's awesome, with hit after hit and so many energetic dance routines. But later it's more of a tough assignment when they don't even have one full length CD to draw from. Inevitably there are fairly long stretches where the music is not as well known. But they make good use of these times to show off individual talents.
Chinen is smiling, cute, great at gymnastics, and more comfortable with the range of some reworked vocals that fit his deepening voice. Daiki gets more of a spotlight than I've ever seen and I'm happy for him. Inoo is a crowd pleaser - he looks great at that piano although he really only played a few notes. Hikaru and Yabu are always master showmen who can take on any assignment and shine like superstars. Takaki does well but I sometimes feel like he'd fit better in an older group. Keito is often English Boy doing a lot of announcing, but I'd like to see him doing more performing. Ryutaro looks more confident than ever, even though for half the show he's in goofy clothes like he just wandered in from Disneyland. Yamada continues to show off some of the best performing skills of anyone. Yuto is a charismatic leader - sometimes I bet he gets yelled at for making too much mischief, but I love that part of his personality.
I really loved this concert from the beginning. It's true I would have liked a song or two from Taiga and Shintaro and Uekusa or Hip Hop Jump, or Shoon or Anderson or Yuma - you get the idea. I don't mean they need to bring out all the Juniors. But by the end, there's a little too much running around and waving and singing the songs they did better at the beginning of the show. It's just a little bit overdone. But even so I really liked this show and I'm proud of how far these guys have come. I'll watch this concert video a bunch of times. I wish I'd gotten to see it in person.
Most important, this is truly JUMP's show where they virtually own the stage for two hours. Sure, Boys In Shadow have a few moments and I can recognize a few familiar faces among the backdancers, but you are never more than a few moments away from another song, dance, or skit featuring Hey!Say!JUMP.
For the first half hour it's awesome, with hit after hit and so many energetic dance routines. But later it's more of a tough assignment when they don't even have one full length CD to draw from. Inevitably there are fairly long stretches where the music is not as well known. But they make good use of these times to show off individual talents.
Chinen is smiling, cute, great at gymnastics, and more comfortable with the range of some reworked vocals that fit his deepening voice. Daiki gets more of a spotlight than I've ever seen and I'm happy for him. Inoo is a crowd pleaser - he looks great at that piano although he really only played a few notes. Hikaru and Yabu are always master showmen who can take on any assignment and shine like superstars. Takaki does well but I sometimes feel like he'd fit better in an older group. Keito is often English Boy doing a lot of announcing, but I'd like to see him doing more performing. Ryutaro looks more confident than ever, even though for half the show he's in goofy clothes like he just wandered in from Disneyland. Yamada continues to show off some of the best performing skills of anyone. Yuto is a charismatic leader - sometimes I bet he gets yelled at for making too much mischief, but I love that part of his personality.
I really loved this concert from the beginning. It's true I would have liked a song or two from Taiga and Shintaro and Uekusa or Hip Hop Jump, or Shoon or Anderson or Yuma - you get the idea. I don't mean they need to bring out all the Juniors. But by the end, there's a little too much running around and waving and singing the songs they did better at the beginning of the show. It's just a little bit overdone. But even so I really liked this show and I'm proud of how far these guys have come. I'll watch this concert video a bunch of times. I wish I'd gotten to see it in person.