Excuse me, but may I know what exactly is "lip-synching"? Do you mean, not singing live at all, and playing the song through the CD to the whole venue? If it's so, then I really don't think Marionette and the other 'suspected' songs sounded like that in the CD.

If it's some other meaning, then please tell it to me. Because I can't see why she's going to lip-synch if the so-called recordings she used are obviously not what is on the album/CD.

^^Well, yeah lyp synching is not singing live but playing CD track, but you know some clever singers are making 2nd version of the song("live version") and playing it on concerts saying "it was live!!".

Well, okay. If it's hard to you so I wouldn't bother you with stupid talks.
Just about sounding the same, it would be interesting to find live records of every big tour some singer and compare songs, to hear that they are 'not the same' well, it's quite impossible as for me to sound different. And i think there were few differences. Also it was in evolution rips someone uploaded here already, but yeah her vocals sounded the same. SO...

seems that...now whenever Ayu sings not bad..some people will doubt...so it's an inevitable suitation..
so there's really no point going on since there WILL be people saying she lipped and those that think she didnt...

^you're absolutely right

I think, if she has found a way of singing live that she's comfortable with, then she would usually stick around that style of singing (barring Depend on you in AT 08, but again this is not a song she usually performs), right? I don't dare, or rather I have no evidence to prove against that (don't) Leave me alone and all that were not lip-synched.

But my name's WOMEN. She performed that in AT 05, and then, she sang the same note as the CD version. But in AT 08, she lowered her pitch. I just don't understand she would lip-synch a song that's OBVIOUSLY different from the CD version. And if she's going to prepare a "live" version to be lip-synched... she's still singing live after all. So what's the point of even lip-synching to a prepared "live" version? I really don't get it.

^coz in case any thing goes wrong...she goes breathless...at least that track is still playing...
thats why i think she IS singing but with another Ayu voice track behind

how can she sing EXACTLY the same? O.o

i went to her Shanghai concert!!
and she did great!!
i don't care if she lipsynch or not.. since she looked so stunning to me...
specially during Marionette and Mirrorcle World, both are my favorite tracks on this ASIA TOUR 2008!
because Ayu did a great Marionette dance moves...totally looked like an Ayu Doll!! just awesome!!! i really enjoy the show!!

and i hate the way of her singing Depend on you..goshhhhh what's wrong with her voice..
She "cuted" her voice.. goshhh.... i've never heard a very weird "cute" voice from her before...
she did great when singing HONEY at AT05 with the cute voice.. but not in this year's Depend on you..totally sounded so weird!!!!

So that would be having a backing track, and not lip-synching! Hahah

^well yea...but its just my take anyway...

^ It's just kind of frustrating to see people saying stuff like "she's lip-synching!"... I mean okay, so apparently she's just having a backing track so I don't see what the big fuss is all about.

Wow sounds great! How was hanabi then?? :P

Hanabi is great as well.. really love the opening video for this performance...
the way of Ayu acting on the video goshh she looks purely like a Goddess..
when she acted crying.. i felt like wanted to cry as well...she's so beautiful on that video..

she wore different outfit... not the mermaid type one...
she looked gorgeous of course... she sang Hanabi pretty good...
but not with End Roll... i don't know why i don't really like the way of her singing End Roll.. when she tried to hit the high note...i think she failed to hit that's why it sounded not really great..

but the worst is Depend on you.. like i said on my previous post..

other than that.. i just love everything..
the stage is very awesome!!! no more words to describe..
we were so surprise when suddenly all the curtains opened up.. in what song i don't remember..i think during SURREAL~evolution~SURREAL
so the stage looked like changing 3 times~ just so great!!

Umm...

Because she is a singer, perhaps?

You want her to sing the same song differently to her every concert? Lol.


I don't get it. Why are some of you so picky in trying to figure out if she is lip-syncing or not? I don't mean to be rude (I'm sorry if I am), but can't you guys just enjoy the show?

I saw the clip for depend on you...and I don't like the way she sang that song...her 'cute' voice sounded weird...hopefully they'll make it better for the dvd.

Ah, yes, you are right. :) I tend to associate the years with the year that the album came out, so yeah it should be the tours from 05 and 06.

Well, for me, some of my favorite Ayu performances have been the ones where it is just her and the band and the audience. Like with A Song for Xx, Surreal, Unite performances etc. Or the performances of Duty and Never Ever at Dome Tour 01. Stuff like that really grabs me emotionally. I like the big over the top production stuff too, but in moderation. Too much of it and I think the audience starts feeling more of a distance with the artist. Also some of her stage gimmicks she just keeps using over and over again anyways. (the cages on stage anyone? How many times has it been?)

The point isn't whether she is singing bad or good. (the vocals on the songs in debate aren't that great) The point is, that in a live show, songs should not sound the same from one day to the next.

Because if you are really singing IT WILL sound different at every concert - there is just no way around that.

And its mostly because I hate seeing people in such denial over it.

YAAA i thought so too!

but i always thought the wierd depend on you voice was because of the LQ

Okay, cool. ^^

Hmm, yea, I agree. I find decision from CDL07-08 very awesome, more than, say, until that Day and decision from AT08. Lol @ the cages. I've recently been downloading TV performances and such and it turns out she's used it a ton of times. XD Personally, I think alterna is the most visually stunning performance pre-AT08 (can't judge a tour I haven't seen HQ). NEVER EVER/Duty were kinda show-y, though, right? With the soldiers. I would'a preferred it without them. XD

BTW may I ask where you live? Not Asia, right? You're so lucky to have gone to see her live at AT08 and CDL06-07. ^^ (If I remember correctly where you went to go see her.) It must have cost a ton. Do you think that she's too distanced from the audience? Like, even in show songs, does she at least connect with the audience by looking and pointing, etc. at them? It's kind of hard to judge on the DVD, but AT05 my name's WOMEN was at least very audience connected for a show song. ^^

THANK YOU! :yes (Especially the last two sentences. :3) XD

Have you ever seen a Broadway show? Once you've sung a song so many times, it starts to sound pretty much identical night after night. And, if she did record the vocals previously, why wouldn't they be a lot closer to perfect? My point is that (IMO) the criteria people use to accuse her of lip-synching aren't very reliable (IMO).

^

There's a difference between 102% the same and "the same". ^^ Songs that are live sound "the same". Just compare any number of TV performances of a song right next to each other. Songs that are lip synched sound 102% the same. Just look at Mirrorcle World. It sounds never 102% the same, and she's done it a bazillion times already.

BTW I'm wondering, Sunshine, are you sure AT06 Ladies Night wasn't lip synched?

Yeah, I could have done without the soldiers too, but it didn't really bother me that much because the song was still primarily just Ayu w/ emotion pouring out of her.^_^

Right now I live in California, but I used to live in Japan on one of the US military bases. (I partially grew up there) Tokyo has a hotel in it owned by the US military that is strictly for the use of military members and their families. (Olivia apparently has stayed there a lot) It is very cheap for military families to stay at, so my Mom and I (she is also a big fan of J-Pop) often go back to visit.

A little side story that people may find interesting: The hotel is located in a very rich section of Tokyo where a lot of foreigners live - because of that, many many Japanese celebrities live there to. (They can get around much easier living in a place w/ a majority of foreigners I suppose) I once ran into Akanishi Jin of KAT-TUN on the street and Namie apparently lives almost right around the corner of the hotel as I've heard several people mention seeing her either in the park or at the supermarket. (Everyone says that she is extremely nice and down to earth) Ayumi supposedly lives in the area too, but I haven't heard any stories about her yet.

As for the distance from the audience thing. I do think she connects more with the audience on performances like a song for xx and what not. But then at the same time, there are some people (especially on this forum^_^) that love big spectacle more than anything else. I will note though that my Mother (big Ayu fan that has seen her live numerous times as well), said after the show (AT08) that it seemed like Ayu interacted less with the audience than usual.

My answer to that would be: Ever seen a lot of live concerts? :) Songs always sound different from night to night, even if in just small ways, but usually in very noticeable ways.

And actually when I went to London, I saw Phantom of the Opera (some of my favorite songs) multiple times and even then I still wouldn't say that each time they sounded exactly the same...

In the DVD it certainly appears that way, but I remember that live it sounded different. (Avex Magic haha)