Scene 10-11 Aug 22 report
"Geinokai wa kibishii..." [The entertainment industry is harsh...]
Wise words that resounded in Kokuritsu Stadium on Aug 22 and reinforced by Nino when he missed his lines in Sora Takaku!!
Came on subway line and entered via Aoyama gate at 4.15pm. Got up close and personal with this:
PS. It changes to members colors at night.
As I made my way to the gate stand, here's a pix to illustrate the sheer number of fans there~
First level are fans awaiting to go into gate stand while the lower tier are waiting to enter the arena area.
Arashi flags flying proud. Arent they majestic? <3
Layout view of the arena seats
Closeup. Arena folks are so lucky this year! This layout enables them to see more of the boys.
The rainbow rim that borders the perimeter of arena is so cool! stadium right
stadium left
The day was so blazing hot that many gate fans didn’t enter the stadium till after 5pm. Concert starts at 5.30pm. Most of them had chilled in the relative cool of the foyer before heading to their seats.
Setlist
1.movin'on
2.Yurase ima wo
3.Troublemaker
4.Happiness
5.Attack it!
6.Everything
7.1992*4##111(Nino solo)
8.ROCK YOU
9.Kitto daijoubou
10.Hadashi no mirai
11.a day in our life
12.Summer Splash!
13. Shizuka na Yori ni (Ohno solo)
14.Mukae ni Iku yo
15.season
16.Hero
17.TABOO(Sho solo)
18.let me down
19.kagero
20.Oh yeah!
21.Lucky man
22.One Love(Member intro)
MC
23.Yukai Tsukai Kaibutsu-kun
MC by Aibachan ~ Arashi Super Intro Don
24.Refrain
25.Gift
26.My Girl
27.come back to me (Jun solo)
28.Magical Song(Aiba solo)
29.PIKA★★NCHI Double
30.Love so sweet
31. Kotoba yori taisetsu na mono
32.Believe
≪ARASHI SHOW TIME≫
33. Circus
Accent Dance
-truth、Cool&Soul、Re(mark)able
34.Monster
35.To be free
36. Sora Takaku
Encore 1
37.Still
38.Fight Song
39.Beautiful Days
40.Sakura Sake
41.Kansha Kangeki Ame Arashi
Encore 2
42.Love Rainbow
Concert started promptly at 5.40pm with movin’ on, new tune from BnMF album. They appeared from the grandstand main stage and we screamed our hearts and lungs out when the boys entered!
(To my utter disappointment, I was sad not to spot any high wire when I took my seat.) This only meant they wouldn’t be flying in! *cries* Since my seat was just 2 blocks right of the Olympic cauldron, I had wanted to eyeball them so badly if they came near. What tough luck!
Quickly followed by Yurase ima wo, song used for NTV Vancouver Winter Olympics which Sho-kun was a part of as announcer.
When everyone moved onto the central stage for Troublemaker, my tension was so high! Used my binoculars to zoom in for that “heartobeato” Yamapair moment. KYAA!~ They really did it right in front of our very eyes!!! @_@
We then heard Happiness, Attack It! and Everything followed in quick succession by Nino’s solo 1992*4##111. Its so rare that he isnt playing an instrument for the solo and could show us some of his nifty dance moves. This guy needs more rest! He appeared too tired for the rest of the concert…more about that later.#
At this point, I’ll jump right to Summer Splash as I really loved the natsu feel of this song! We’d heard them rehearse the night before the concert outside the stadium and I was dying to see their dance and everything. Alas! It was worth waiting for with us singing along to the chorus “OH YEAH!!!” every chance we got! The pretty fountains were made to work here, shooting so high!
For Ohno’s solo, he was performing in the central stage with a bunch of backup dancers with him in a white shirt and black pants. Oh man, he really contrasted well in that shirt since he’s so…burnt! Because Shizuka na Yoru ni is one of my fave songs in thealbum, I paid special attention using my binos repeatedly for Riida’s sugoi dance. This song has a very “Take Me Faraway” feel…which is great because I love that solo too. <333
Fast forward to Sho-kun solo T.A.B.O.O! I was expecting something wonderful but a topless Sho on the huge central screen was too much for me to take! [the clips absolutely made full use of his well-trained anan abs! <3] The entire stadium was screaming when he entered singing the opening chords and the red and black accents on the screen with a naked Sho making sexy poses was *____________________* (I noticed there was an emphasis on the lips, sugoi following so closely to the lyrics) XDDD
Jumping ahead to MC. Friend said there was a shorter MC on day 2. It was so fun hearing them rib each other and talk so casually on stage! Shokun teasing Aiba-chan only being worried about the concert tour only on the second night!, T.A.B.O.O being heard in the airport restaurant, and Jun telling us Nino visiting the Natsuniji set in a suit and apparently his intention was to check out his idol Yuko-chan and not to say hi to his fellow member?! Brat.
During the MC, Ohchan had gone to change and he appeared as Kaibutsu-kun to the delight of all fans!!! In his high pitch voice, he performed Yukai Tsukai which was very well received! We then had some very cute Kaikun moment when he acted in his spoilt botchan role and even wished the members “minna ganbaru yo”!!! <333
What followed was the fun Arashi Super Intro Don which Aibachan was so fond of! They had played this with TOKIO on Shiyagare the night before. Sho guessed wrongly for his own solo Yume de Il Kara, YES REALLY SHO FAIL…!!
Before the boys could perform Refrain, we had a rare moment of Jun fail when his ear piece was stuck somewhere in his right sleeve? (if I recall correctly) and he had a hell of a time getting it out…Ohmiya kept trading standby remarks with Sho chirping in too but we enjoyed seeing Jun flustered and embarrassed hahahaha!!! (c’mon JE, I wanna see this part in the DVD please!)
After Refrain, they gave us Gift which I had been looking forward to in the concert! Heartfelt and touching, you could feel the members closeness and bond in this sugoi performance. Doki doki! I almost cried...
The strains of My Girl was heard following Gift and fans were in high tension again! I was trying hard to focus on stage and recording the live in my mp3…so many things to juggle is really taihen!
Well, then the big moment for Jun’s solo come back to me. He appeared as a game character on the main screen and when the screen flashed GAME CLEAR, it was time for him to strut his stuff! Junkun was in a bright canary yellow and green jumpsuit, in front of a V formation with backup dancers on main stage. I had to make full use of all the jumbo screens and my binos for closeups. I didn’t expect his "robotic" dance to work so well with the technopop tune and he sorta did an airwalk (his MJ walk) going up the stairs at the end of the song. GREAT!
For Aibachan’s solo Magical Song, he did it right in front of the stage near us! But the pinkish lights made everything appeared so fuzzy that I had to watch from the jumbo screen instead…still, it was one of the few songs that was performed on that stage near us.
Four songs down, there was the UNBELIEVABLE Arashi Showtime that made acrobats out of our boys! Aibachan was suspended in a gold squarish steel structure box - very nervewrecking to watch! Junkun partnered Aibachan who was alone in the latter half. The Ohmiya pair were also part of the show when it was harrowing to see them hanging up so high in the metal box! I was so worried for them… while Shokun didn’t even move from his position on his box with Junkun… I really appreciate these guys giving us full entertainment value for our tickets. *o*
Circus set - thats Aibachan hanging on using his left arm;
The lights were cho kireii for this concert!
The accent dance was great! We had truth, Cool&Soul, Re(mark)able, then minna moved from the main stage to the central circular stage to give us Monster!!! By this time, all the fans were whipped up very high because there were fireworks to accompany the song!! I was dying to see Monster LIVE and now its come true ARGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No other words to describe but subarashiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. Watching the PV and lives on TV just doesn’t compare at all.
For To Be Free, everyone was raised on the individual cylindrical stands. Somehow this song sounds so cool live since I never loved it this much before!! (even though been drinking lots of Mitsuya Cider *cough cough*)
They remained on the stands for Sora Takaku…and here comes the Nino fail moment! While balloons were released midway through the song, dear Kazu-chan tried to catch a yellow balloon that flew his way. Yes, in his own color! While he busied himself with it, he missed his lines…!!! With cute Aibachan trying to cover for him with his “sugokunai?!” [isn't it great?] comment (referring to Nino managing to catch that wayward balloon~) which prompted the audience to crack up BIG time at his baka-ness!
For encore 1, we had Still, Fight Song and Beautiful Days which then came the beautiful fireworks!!! As we were sitting in the upper gate stands, the hanabi seemed extremely close and loud (when we turned our heads, it was just slightly above our heads) but so kireii as it went on for several minutes!! Being a clear and windy night, the hanabi was truly a sight to behold kyaa~ Me and a few other thousand fans collectively screamed and screamed nonstop in our excitement…!
I’d heard Love Rainbow the night before from outside so I was waiting for them to serenade us with encore 2 and these guys didn’t disappoint! Junkun introduced the song and I sang along to it, even though I hadn’t memorized all the lyrics. Atashi wa cho dame desu. x_x
It took us at least 45 minutes to get to the train station in the huge crush of human traffic post-con but oh so worth it! My legs were so crying out from standing whole day long - I had gone NTV and joined the Shiyagare queue in the morning - and I’d screamed myself hoarse but I would do it again, no buts about it.
# Nino was so clearly overworked that every chance he got, he lay flat on his back on the moving stage to rest. I think his back must be killing him again... Please give this guy a well earned holiday short break already.
Note: all mistakes are my own, because its recalled from memory. I couldnt take notes in the pitch black stands.
Setlist from jp fansite.
All pix by me, please do not repost.
Edit: I owe replies to all but please be patient because I am currently busy with RL. Will reply to each and every one when I can. Thanks and take care! ^^;
Wise words that resounded in Kokuritsu Stadium on Aug 22 and reinforced by Nino when he missed his lines in Sora Takaku!!
Came on subway line and entered via Aoyama gate at 4.15pm. Got up close and personal with this:
PS. It changes to members colors at night.
As I made my way to the gate stand, here's a pix to illustrate the sheer number of fans there~
First level are fans awaiting to go into gate stand while the lower tier are waiting to enter the arena area.
Arashi flags flying proud. Arent they majestic? <3
Layout view of the arena seats
Closeup. Arena folks are so lucky this year! This layout enables them to see more of the boys.
The rainbow rim that borders the perimeter of arena is so cool! stadium right
stadium left
The day was so blazing hot that many gate fans didn’t enter the stadium till after 5pm. Concert starts at 5.30pm. Most of them had chilled in the relative cool of the foyer before heading to their seats.
Setlist
1.movin'on
2.Yurase ima wo
3.Troublemaker
4.Happiness
5.Attack it!
6.Everything
7.1992*4##111(Nino solo)
8.ROCK YOU
9.Kitto daijoubou
10.Hadashi no mirai
11.a day in our life
12.Summer Splash!
13. Shizuka na Yori ni (Ohno solo)
14.Mukae ni Iku yo
15.season
16.Hero
17.TABOO(Sho solo)
18.let me down
19.kagero
20.Oh yeah!
21.Lucky man
22.One Love(Member intro)
MC
23.Yukai Tsukai Kaibutsu-kun
MC by Aibachan ~ Arashi Super Intro Don
24.Refrain
25.Gift
26.My Girl
27.come back to me (Jun solo)
28.Magical Song(Aiba solo)
29.PIKA★★NCHI Double
30.Love so sweet
31. Kotoba yori taisetsu na mono
32.Believe
≪ARASHI SHOW TIME≫
33. Circus
Accent Dance
-truth、Cool&Soul、Re(mark)able
34.Monster
35.To be free
36. Sora Takaku
Encore 1
37.Still
38.Fight Song
39.Beautiful Days
40.Sakura Sake
41.Kansha Kangeki Ame Arashi
Encore 2
42.Love Rainbow
Concert started promptly at 5.40pm with movin’ on, new tune from BnMF album. They appeared from the grandstand main stage and we screamed our hearts and lungs out when the boys entered!
(To my utter disappointment, I was sad not to spot any high wire when I took my seat.) This only meant they wouldn’t be flying in! *cries* Since my seat was just 2 blocks right of the Olympic cauldron, I had wanted to eyeball them so badly if they came near. What tough luck!
Quickly followed by Yurase ima wo, song used for NTV Vancouver Winter Olympics which Sho-kun was a part of as announcer.
When everyone moved onto the central stage for Troublemaker, my tension was so high! Used my binoculars to zoom in for that “heartobeato” Yamapair moment. KYAA!~ They really did it right in front of our very eyes!!! @_@
We then heard Happiness, Attack It! and Everything followed in quick succession by Nino’s solo 1992*4##111. Its so rare that he isnt playing an instrument for the solo and could show us some of his nifty dance moves. This guy needs more rest! He appeared too tired for the rest of the concert…more about that later.#
At this point, I’ll jump right to Summer Splash as I really loved the natsu feel of this song! We’d heard them rehearse the night before the concert outside the stadium and I was dying to see their dance and everything. Alas! It was worth waiting for with us singing along to the chorus “OH YEAH!!!” every chance we got! The pretty fountains were made to work here, shooting so high!
For Ohno’s solo, he was performing in the central stage with a bunch of backup dancers with him in a white shirt and black pants. Oh man, he really contrasted well in that shirt since he’s so…burnt! Because Shizuka na Yoru ni is one of my fave songs in thealbum, I paid special attention using my binos repeatedly for Riida’s sugoi dance. This song has a very “Take Me Faraway” feel…which is great because I love that solo too. <333
Fast forward to Sho-kun solo T.A.B.O.O! I was expecting something wonderful but a topless Sho on the huge central screen was too much for me to take! [the clips absolutely made full use of his well-trained anan abs! <3] The entire stadium was screaming when he entered singing the opening chords and the red and black accents on the screen with a naked Sho making sexy poses was *____________________* (I noticed there was an emphasis on the lips, sugoi following so closely to the lyrics) XDDD
Jumping ahead to MC. Friend said there was a shorter MC on day 2. It was so fun hearing them rib each other and talk so casually on stage! Shokun teasing Aiba-chan only being worried about the concert tour only on the second night!, T.A.B.O.O being heard in the airport restaurant, and Jun telling us Nino visiting the Natsuniji set in a suit and apparently his intention was to check out his idol Yuko-chan and not to say hi to his fellow member?! Brat.
During the MC, Ohchan had gone to change and he appeared as Kaibutsu-kun to the delight of all fans!!! In his high pitch voice, he performed Yukai Tsukai which was very well received! We then had some very cute Kaikun moment when he acted in his spoilt botchan role and even wished the members “minna ganbaru yo”!!! <333
What followed was the fun Arashi Super Intro Don which Aibachan was so fond of! They had played this with TOKIO on Shiyagare the night before. Sho guessed wrongly for his own solo Yume de Il Kara, YES REALLY SHO FAIL…!!
Before the boys could perform Refrain, we had a rare moment of Jun fail when his ear piece was stuck somewhere in his right sleeve? (if I recall correctly) and he had a hell of a time getting it out…Ohmiya kept trading standby remarks with Sho chirping in too but we enjoyed seeing Jun flustered and embarrassed hahahaha!!! (c’mon JE, I wanna see this part in the DVD please!)
After Refrain, they gave us Gift which I had been looking forward to in the concert! Heartfelt and touching, you could feel the members closeness and bond in this sugoi performance. Doki doki! I almost cried...
The strains of My Girl was heard following Gift and fans were in high tension again! I was trying hard to focus on stage and recording the live in my mp3…so many things to juggle is really taihen!
Well, then the big moment for Jun’s solo come back to me. He appeared as a game character on the main screen and when the screen flashed GAME CLEAR, it was time for him to strut his stuff! Junkun was in a bright canary yellow and green jumpsuit, in front of a V formation with backup dancers on main stage. I had to make full use of all the jumbo screens and my binos for closeups. I didn’t expect his "robotic" dance to work so well with the technopop tune and he sorta did an airwalk (his MJ walk) going up the stairs at the end of the song. GREAT!
For Aibachan’s solo Magical Song, he did it right in front of the stage near us! But the pinkish lights made everything appeared so fuzzy that I had to watch from the jumbo screen instead…still, it was one of the few songs that was performed on that stage near us.
Four songs down, there was the UNBELIEVABLE Arashi Showtime that made acrobats out of our boys! Aibachan was suspended in a gold squarish steel structure box - very nervewrecking to watch! Junkun partnered Aibachan who was alone in the latter half. The Ohmiya pair were also part of the show when it was harrowing to see them hanging up so high in the metal box! I was so worried for them… while Shokun didn’t even move from his position on his box with Junkun… I really appreciate these guys giving us full entertainment value for our tickets. *o*
Circus set - thats Aibachan hanging on using his left arm;
The lights were cho kireii for this concert!
The accent dance was great! We had truth, Cool&Soul, Re(mark)able, then minna moved from the main stage to the central circular stage to give us Monster!!! By this time, all the fans were whipped up very high because there were fireworks to accompany the song!! I was dying to see Monster LIVE and now its come true ARGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No other words to describe but subarashiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. Watching the PV and lives on TV just doesn’t compare at all.
For To Be Free, everyone was raised on the individual cylindrical stands. Somehow this song sounds so cool live since I never loved it this much before!! (even though been drinking lots of Mitsuya Cider *cough cough*)
They remained on the stands for Sora Takaku…and here comes the Nino fail moment! While balloons were released midway through the song, dear Kazu-chan tried to catch a yellow balloon that flew his way. Yes, in his own color! While he busied himself with it, he missed his lines…!!! With cute Aibachan trying to cover for him with his “sugokunai?!” [isn't it great?] comment (referring to Nino managing to catch that wayward balloon~) which prompted the audience to crack up BIG time at his baka-ness!
For encore 1, we had Still, Fight Song and Beautiful Days which then came the beautiful fireworks!!! As we were sitting in the upper gate stands, the hanabi seemed extremely close and loud (when we turned our heads, it was just slightly above our heads) but so kireii as it went on for several minutes!! Being a clear and windy night, the hanabi was truly a sight to behold kyaa~ Me and a few other thousand fans collectively screamed and screamed nonstop in our excitement…!
I’d heard Love Rainbow the night before from outside so I was waiting for them to serenade us with encore 2 and these guys didn’t disappoint! Junkun introduced the song and I sang along to it, even though I hadn’t memorized all the lyrics. Atashi wa cho dame desu. x_x
It took us at least 45 minutes to get to the train station in the huge crush of human traffic post-con but oh so worth it! My legs were so crying out from standing whole day long - I had gone NTV and joined the Shiyagare queue in the morning - and I’d screamed myself hoarse but I would do it again, no buts about it.
# Nino was so clearly overworked that every chance he got, he lay flat on his back on the moving stage to rest. I think his back must be killing him again... Please give this guy a well earned holiday short break already.
Note: all mistakes are my own, because its recalled from memory. I couldnt take notes in the pitch black stands.
Setlist from jp fansite.
All pix by me, please do not repost.
Edit: I owe replies to all but please be patient because I am currently busy with RL. Will reply to each and every one when I can. Thanks and take care! ^^;