This looked so beautiful it almost seemed fake, like a tableau against a cheap painted background.
Except it happened, it was the boys singing against an ombréd Hawaiian sunset, and it was real. As mentioned, I have a lot of Blast in Hawaii feelings, but I don't think I'll ever be ready to recap all of that. Stage-wise, it wasn't top-shelf Arashi, but for what (and where!) it was, the scale and the detail were amazing. Not that those things mattered much, in the end, when stacked up against the emotion, the atmosphere, and the feeling of everything. I know: Arashi easily engenders sentimentality. But hasn't that always been their power? Blast was so obviously once-in-a-lifetime, something that could only happen then and thus was all the more temporal and rarefied for it. It was plain to see how their eyes shone with a different light, how blinding their smiles were, how they danced a little harder, how amazed they were, even or especially at this point in their career (yes you Nino, we saw you mouth "sugee~" when you first walked in to the stage! The things you do to our poor hearts.) Even if no tears had been shed, it was already a concert like no other.
How do I write about something I've written about many times? How I feel about Arashi? How do I describe the feeling of them together, the feeling of being on the other end of their hard work and sincere efforts? How do I talk about a piece of production so joyous and steeped in love? It's like I've written so much and felt so much, that I'm now left with no words left to describe Arashi. Maybe it's okay that I don't, if I won't do it justice, and just let this feeling linger.
But what I can and will talk about are the performances, and the special moments nestled within those that can only happen in Hawaii. Off the top of my head: the youthful swagger of their rare cartwheels for Lucky Man; a glorious rendition of Kitto Daijobou during the golden hour; My Girl Hawaiian version with their beatific smiles and easy ensembles, Summer Splash with the blue sea made of rippling fanlights and the burnt dusk skies; the way Nino pushed in Monster as we watched, with little pleasure but with much admiration, knowing that he was performing even if he was badly hurt; Aiba's gentle "hajimari no light" at the end of Your Eyes, holding a bedimpled smile as he segued into Meikyuu Love Song, errupting into a cheer punctuated with a playful "woot!"; the easy-to-understand joy of GUTS!; the tender clarity of Season as Sho, who was clearly emotional, persevered in trying not to cry; the rousing positivity of Bittersweet, with Jun warmly slinging an arm around a sheepish Ohno who was fresh from his tearful speech, as they walk and sing "But I didn't know what to say/ I gazed only at you" as they looked at each other. All those moments. All the songs we love.
But somehow, there is a performance that got under my skin the most, and the one I will dwell on today, because 1) it's my favorite from Blast, and 2) this would balloon into a 10-part post if I do a recap for all the songs, what with my ~feelings~ and all so yes, just one song:
From a place with nothing, from a today that has nothing
Something can be born from it
From something without a meaning, from something without a reason
A dream begins
I want to believe in it
I DON'T KNOW WHY. BUT YES. THIS. THIS PERFORMANCE. It knocked me out, right from the opening notes. Something about this song, the lyrics, and this stage, under the Hawaiian sky, at this point in their lives IDK WHEN IT CAME ON, MY HEART KIND OF JUST STOPPED
I mean, just the way they turn around and walk to center stage...........................GAHHHH
That sudden shuffly jig at the beginning that's too fast to catch with caps: GLORIOUS. I don't know how many times I've watched it tbh
I love this pointing and spinning relay!!!!!!! Look at Sakurai spin! OH MY GOSH I LOVE DANCING ARASHI
AND AFTER THE SPINNING RELAY, JUN JUST SNAPS HIS FINGERS AND FIREWORKS SHOOT OUT FROM BEHIND WITH A THEATRIC, PRECISE BANG AND MY GOD IT'S PERFECTION. (I would be trembling had I been there live, because I just love production value + idols and lbh Jun is the king of both)
WHAT A RUSH
UGHHHH. Own it boys own the eff out of it also WERE YOU BOYS ALWAYS THIS COOL, DEEP INSIDE? SINCE WHEN? I WASN'T COPIED ON THE MEMO OH MY GOD PLS GIVE ME A CUP FOR MY BRAIN OOZE
You know Sho means it
Nowhere synchronized, but the joy! The joy
...and Aiba's miraculously bendy limbs
YES GIRL I KNOW ME TOO
/OPENS HANDS TO THE SKY TO RECEIVE BENEVOLENT STORMY GRACE
Sakumiya's in it to win it
Gratuitious Aiba cap because why the hell not. MIRACLE PRINCE OF NIPPON REPRESENT
Always graceful, this one
AND THEN IT STARTS: SHO'S FULLY-COMMITTED GROWLY RAPPING (DIDN'T HE SAY BEFORE THAT HE WAS EMBARRASSED ABOUT HIS EARLY RAP RECORDINGS AHAHA <3)
Burst it open close to your ears/ Back to the beat!!! ♬
/SPIRITED DANCING
/GYRATING CROWD
(...okay, not gyrating, but this is still pretty fucking awesome. PIKANCHI BY THE BEACH! DUSK! MAGIC!)
I dub this the chain worm choreo. Tons of fun.
You know why PIKANCHI is awesome? JUNBA. Lots and lots of Junba.
DUMBASSES
I will never stop thanking the jimusho for recognizing the ultimate winners of the genetic lottery and training them to become superboy idols for our handy perusal. Never.
You too, Nino. You too.
HERE COMES MY FAVORITE PART!!!! AND IT LASTS FOR A MERE COUPLE OF SECONDS!!! THEY KNEEL WHEN THE SONG SEGUES INTO THE BEST PART, WHEN THE BEAT CHANGES AND SHO'S DEEP-VOICED "YEAH!" THEN THEY SING "SHINJITAI YO~" AHHHHHHHHH!! So so slayed like I actually have to hold on to something (usually my heart and my dignity) because it's just so...ugh and I sneakily watch it in the office when I'm feeling stressed
DEAD DEAD DEAD I DON'T HAVE OTHER WORDS I'M JUST SO DONE
DOES HOW SLAYED I AM OVER GERIATRIC IDOLS DOING A KNEELING CHOREO MAKE SENSE TO YOU? Because it doesn't make any sense to me. It's a stupid thing to fixate on in a wonderful concert but there you go. THEY ARE SO HOT AND WONDERFUL AND THE SUNSET AND CENTER STAGE AND THIS INSPIRING SONG THAT'S SO PERFECT FOR CONS AND ALL THE HISTORY THAT COMES WITH IT AND JUN PROBABLY NAGGING THEM TO KNEEL THE SAME HEIGHT DURING PRACTICE BECAUSE GODDAMN IT YOU BETTER BE IN SHAPE BECAUSE FIREWORKS AND "THIS IS HOW I LOVE YOU"
/hysterics
/CALMS DOWN
/back to the screencaps
*EXPLOSIVE JUMP* DASKISHIMETE! DAKISHIMETE~ ♬
Oh Ohno, the line of you always takes my breath away <3
Sora takaku ike yo!!! ♬
/does stoic pretty boy pose
/crowd goes berserk
BACKLIT SHO <333
Hardcore dance interlude where Sho just flies into position! HIGH OCTANE! ADRENALINE!
JUNBA. ALL THE JUNBA IN THE WORLD. And also SakuOhMiya complaining about their aching joints ahahaha AND NO I DIDN'T MAKE THAT UP THEY TALKED ABOUT THIS PART
JUN IS SO HAPPY TO ON STAGE YOU GUYS. ALWAYS SO FUCKING HAPPY. DREAM IDOL 4 LYF
PIKANCHI: the song where Aiba and Jun, the ethereal, beautiful beings that they are, after looking at each other with what can only be called bed eyes were they not idols doing this for the past 15 years of making girls all over miserable, get up close and personal with each other,
...wrinkly noses and adoring smiles and all. OH MY GOSH DO WE HATE THEM OR WHAT WHY WHY WHYYYYY SO BEAUTIFUL WHY SO AFFECTIONATE SO CUTE AND ~INTENSE~ OH MY GOD I LOVE IDOLS I LOVE ARASHI I LOVE LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFE
THIS IS IT YOU GUYS. THIS IS IT
(Ohno smiling during dance intervals always just guts me oh my gosh pls stop)
SAKURAI'S LITTLE "YEAH" THEN SAKUOHMIYA KNEELING YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
DAKISHIMETE!!!! ♬
Holding it tight/Holding it tight
If it breaks, I'll pick up the pieces ♬
OHNO. OHNO ALL THE FREAKING TIME. OHNO AND MY HEART. OHNO AND THE FANS. OHNOOOOO
Tabi wo shite! Tabi wo shite! ♬ Plus shuffling in place ahhhhhhhh A++++++
/CRIES IN CORNER
That joy, you know? He is it.
PSA: Nobody can shake them hips like Ninomiya.
Mae wo mukeba ii~ ♬
AIBA SO GENKI SO LOVELY SO EVERYTHING
GUESS WHO <3
...now that's what you call a performance.
/catches breath
/replays everything over again
You're welcome for the shitty caps. THESE BOYS, MY GOD. SOMETIMES I FEAR LIKE MY HEART CAN'T HOLD IT ALL.
...NOW GIVE ME MY DISCO STAR DIGITALIAN DVD! I'M NOT READY BUT GUESS WHAT! I'll never be.
- - -
CREDITS:
Blast My Girl gif -
azul3104PIKANCHI lyric translation -
yarukizero