(not sure where to put this)
my life is complete.
i sang the same songs
in the same room
at the same time
as ayumi hamasaki.
it was an ordeal getting there but thankfully i have amazing friends here with me and they saved my day and my life. i mean, i have been waiting eight years to see ayu live, and of course i screw it up. but whatever. all in the past now.
made it to osaka-jou hall with about five minutes to spare. they shoved me way up in the back (i had a 立見 ticket), but i could still see the stage clearly and there were huge screens anyway so it didn't really matter.
because of my idiocy, i didn't have time to buy goods beforehand, so i didn't have a fan or a lightstick or anything. :< but i clapped and danced and sang my freaking heart out
so uh, the stage was in the center, and it had like, what, five different rotating parts? and the middle three raised up at different points during the concert. it was pretty cool.
it started out with a short video with ayu voicing over something about things that are forgotten and things that can never be forgotten, it was super profound and beautiful but i forget. then what i think was THE introduction, maybe? it was different. and then ayu came up through the center of the stage in this awesome white dress and sang the english lines from the end of forgiveness acapella (beautifully, oh my god). i cried. sobbed. it was completely overwhelming, being THERE, finally, after eight years.
so, forgiveness was fantastic. then oh my god, progress, oh my god. she actually messed up the lyrics two or three times, caught herself by the next line, and laughed a bit while singing. otherwise it sounded just like the cd. then there was an interlude, a battle between yocchan and the drummer, and then the dancers and everyone came out and their names were flashed on screen.
then it was M, absolutely amazing, kind of dark rock, and it led really well into decision. she sang half of the wrong chorus near the end and caught herself again. at one point she like, stalked off to the side of the stage, dragging her mic stand behind her, and it was just super hot, like beyond belief hot. another intro, Catcher in the Light, but the MY STORY CLASSICAL version, which was incredible. i think the dancers did something here, ionno. i've never really cared about the dancers too much.
that led into walking proud, but some kind of acoustic orchestra/classical version, ionno, it was gorgeous. then part of Me, beloved, another interlude but i can't remember what they played, then oh my god BRILLANTE, which i didn't like when it came out but i have fallen in LOVE with it. the guy from the video was there doing the chant, and he was actually super hot. haha <3
another interlude, overture, aaaaand i can't remember what the dancers did again. i probably wasn't paying attention. then Days, which i mistook for You were... at first because i was starving. umm, this one was ayu in an adorable dress singing along one part of the rotating stage with shu-ya looking lost, always at the opposite side of the stage, until the very end when he notices her and comes up behind her. it was really romantic~ and i don't even like shu-ya that much haha.
then oh my god, it was a bossa nova vogue, super hot, and that melted straight into a kind of jazzy Far away, and then for SEASONS the lyrics appeared on screen and everyone sang along.
then it was the MSC version of WONDERLAND, with three clowns doing some pretty sweet acrobatic dancing. and then, whaaat, ayu came out and was making different parts of the crowd go YAYAYAYA, which then of course turned into YAGADAWO and a super awesome version of Bold & Delicious.
Mirrorcle World was amazing, i have wanted to see that song live since it came out. then evolution, and i noticed the tiny japanese girl in front of me got really into the wow yeah arm thrusts haha. she almost hit me in the face with her fan. evolution turned into Boys & Girls, with the lyrics on the screen, then Born to Be... and ayu introduced the band and dancers again. (enrique missed his cue and just laughed the whole time, it was hilarious) (also, why is peco still around? never did understand that.)
i think it was in here that the curtain went down and they played the A WORLD IS ONE video and i felt sorry for myself that i didn't learn about the project in time to be included. it was beautiful though, everyone around me was singing Daybreak and it made me super happy and i think i cried a little. then oh god, A Song is Born. with the words on the screen and everyone sang and ayu cried and i cried more and i love that song.
i think like, half of Thank U. definitely the laaa lalalaaaas, and at least one verse. and the band would swell and ayu would stop them, then start them up again, for like five minutes hahah. the curtains went down, and then came back up for the bows, then back down, then more bows, then ayu put the mic down and waited for silence (she actually shook her head off to one side of the hall with a little smile, it was adorable and i probably died.) and shouted ありがとうございました！ like always and i cried like i always do when i watch the dvds. and the screens showed her waving like crazy and jumping around even after the curtains obscured her, it was adorable.
she looked like she was truly enjoying herself the entire time, and it just made me so happy. she was absolutely gorgeous and her voice was incredible. she changed outfits, i dunno, five times? and they were all amazing. (my favourite was the hot pink tutu with the hot pink glittery thigh high boots that i would kill for)
(i rushed out right when the lights came up and bought a lightup fan and a H♥PE hoodie without even waiting in line, it was great. then a super hot glossy bootleg poster, one of the booklet shots from R'n'RC for only 500 yen, scoooore)
but yeah, my life is now complete. ♥♥♥ best experience ever.
(setlist:
1. THE introduction?
2. progress
3. interlude
4. M
5. decision
6. Catcher in the Light -MY STORY CLASSICAL ver.-
7. walking proud - classical or something ver.-
8. part of Me
9. beloved
10. interlude
11. BRILLANTE
12. overture
13. Days
14. vogue
15. Far away
16. SEASONS
17. WONDERLAND -MY STORY CLASSICAL ver.-
18. Bold & Delicious
19. Mirrorcle World
20. evolution
21. Boys & Girls
22. Born to Be...
23. A Song is Born
24. Thank U)