Where did Ayu's performing style change?

Chibi_Venus · #1 29th August 2008, 10:52 PM

Please read before posting, please!

This thread was inspired by two things. First was the "Where did her style of music really change?" thread by sugarbasil.

The other was inspired by two performances of "appears," one at A museum and one at ASIA TOUR 2007.

While Ayu sticks to a theme in costumes, choreography, and set design for A museum, I feel like she wasn't... I don't know what the words are. While music was playing and while she wasn't singing, she would wave to the audience like a typical diva.

However, when watching ASIA TOUR 2007, her performance is certainly different from that of A museum's performance. Not only is she involved in the dancing (and singing), she's definitely "performing" in this one rather than singing her songs and smiling to the audience. Do you know what I mean?

So now here's the question: Where has her style in performing changed? Not only in costumes and stage designs and such, but even in her personality? Do you think she's become more serious in what she does?

I'm not sure where she's changed, but I think she's definitely become more serious in her performances in around... mm, 2005?

truehappiness · #2 29th August 2008, 11:06 PM

I think that she's always been like this, but she hasn't always necessarily shown this side of her when performing.

Like if you compare DOME TOUR 2001 and ASIA TOUR 2007, there's definitely a similar sort of "stage presence" there.. but if you compare like AT03-04 to AT07 or DT01.. it's just so different.

Perhaps it also has to do with how theatrical she's planning on making the concert. Like, AT07 was drama drama drama for your mama and AT05/AT06 were very much also the same, but each a little less so, you know? [like AT05 was dramatic, and then AT06 was little bit more.. and then AT07 was WTF DRAMA, and AT08 is looking to be just as dramatic with the huge boat and crap..]

SolarAngel · #3 30th August 2008, 04:02 AM

I feel that for earlier concerts like ST02, A museum and AT06, she is looking and connecting with the audience more. Like her teddy bear-memorial address performance in AT03-04. There's a whole lot more audience interaction than in AT07.

AT07 was a very big difference for me. The stage was fantastic and all but it felt more like a theatre production than a star to fans concert. Somehow, i feel ayu is not making as much eye contact as before lol... Perhaps she feels the need to wow more and more? Instead of getting inspiration in what to do for each song, she's thinking more along the lines of what would wow us.

alternarist · #4 30th August 2008, 04:18 AM

in AT 2007, ayu made the most eye contact with the audience. with 5 songs for audience participation, evolution, UNITE!, SURREAL, AUDIENCE and Boys & Girls, ayu truly showed that she want to get closer to her fans!

Well, i guess for the example of appears.. it's a different way of performing. She chooses how she wants to perform one song. Another example would be A Song for XX. In A Museum she literally stands there and sing but for BEST of CDL 0607, she had the whole martial arts going on..

So i guess it's just a matter how she wants to perform and not about changing style imo.

truehappiness · #5 30th August 2008, 04:33 AM

Well, eye contact and stuff is dependent on whether or not you go.

I've heard that people who are tall / stand out are seen by Ayu. Like this one tall guy went to a-nation '05 I believe, and Ayu looked him straight in the eye when she was on her cart-thing..

pommy48 · #6 30th August 2008, 04:35 AM

ayu also noticed a guy in a bright vest wearing a helmet? at AT05

jbrat2219 · #7 30th August 2008, 05:16 AM

Lol when I see her live I'm going to wear something crazy and bright.... I'm not that tall D:

truehappiness · #8 30th August 2008, 06:11 AM

Wear a giant headdress. Of course, the people behind you will beat you up.. but.. eh.

prussian blue · #9 30th August 2008, 07:24 AM

i think she is gaining experience to perform. and i feel great she can make it better and better each year

beside that, i found her vibrato is used almost every line in the song. its good, but sometimes, its too over for me

truehappiness · #10 30th August 2008, 08:13 AM

I've figured that AT07's editing played a big part in making it look different compared to other performances..

First off: No MC portion. And the abrupt cuts in between "sets" was just.. strange. I dunno. I think it made it a lot less personal without Ayu talking to the audience. lol.

SolarAngel · #11 30th August 2008, 01:14 PM

Yeah whatever happened to the MC portion? AT07 was not that long a concert to begin with unlike A Museum. Ok maybe not eye contact but the connection with the audience paula abdul keeps rambling about. Somehow, her performance in AT07 does not feel personal to me but CDL07-08 does. So maybe it's a once off thing.

waterballoon · #12 30th August 2008, 02:07 PM

I think, rather than her performing style changing... it's something more like how the song relates to her.

For example, in AT 03-04, you don't see her smiling to the audience in Memorial address. That's because she's relating to the lyrics, and feeling for them.

For appears, I suspect it's because of something to do with Tomoya Nagase. I mean, it's quite a sad song after all... maybe she couldn't take the stress that's why she looked so serious and solemn while performing. And Shu-ya looked sooooo sad too (maybe he was also nervous cos Ayu looked so serious) so, I guess at that time, appears was something sad to Ayu... I don't think she's that kind of a person who would smile for the sake of smiling.

#13 30th August 2008, 03:10 PM

I think it's her intuition,like,she wants this amazing show,that people will always remember.

And I dislike A Museum because there's no stage presence.And the hair.

waterballoon · #14 30th August 2008, 03:21 PM

^ LOL yes the hair is a big turn-off! Still a decent concert, though. And you wonder why she didn't just use the hair for forgiveness for the rest of A Museum...

truehappiness · #15 30th August 2008, 07:06 PM

Ayu broke up with Tomoya a month or two after AT07 wrapped up in Fukuoka. [Some time in July.. maybe the 8th - 10th..]

In all honesty, it looks like AT08 is going to be like AT07 with even more theatrics. [The boat + tissue dance + etc..] avex, PLEASE keep the MC and a documentary or w/e to a 2nd disc. I DO NOT WANT AT07 AGAIN. The delay from her doing the Asian leg later is like, killing me.

waterballoon · #16 30th August 2008, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truehappiness

Ayu broke up with Tomoya a month or two after AT07 wrapped up in Fukuoka. [Some time in July.. maybe the 8th - 10th..]

In all honesty, it looks like AT08 is going to be like AT07 with even more theatrics. [The boat + tissue dance + etc..] avex, PLEASE keep the MC and a documentary or w/e to a 2nd disc. I DO NOT WANT AT07 AGAIN. The delay from her doing the Asian leg later is like, killing me.

What I meant is, since they broke up later on, their relationship could be on a 'breaking point' at that time of her performance.

Anyway, yeah, I so do not want an MC mesh up with the concert again. Sometimes when I watch AT 07... it seems so disconnected like how UNITE! moves to taskinst, or how the part of Me video shows up... kind of messes up the whole atmosphere.

truehappiness · #17 31st August 2008, 12:16 AM

Well, I'm pretty sure there were no real hard feelings.. it seemed like they were very on/off, and the break up was for the best since their relationship had evolved into more of a brother-sister kind of thing..

music_* · #18 31st August 2008, 10:08 AM

I think it's perfectly natural for her performing style to change.
For me, the way she performs a song represents her state of mind at that time.
For example, A Song for XX in A Museum vs CDL06-07.
IMO, when she just stood there and sang this song, she had already 'settled' with herself. She didn't felt like how she did when she wrote the lyrics.
But there was even kungfu at CDL06-07. I think she was saying that she's gotten stronger.
Besides, doesn't that movable thingy at CDL07-08 mean that she wants to be closer to the audience?

No matter how her performing style is changing, her current performances still blow me away.

EDIT: I don't think I answered your question. :/ Sorry about that.

waterballoon · #19 31st August 2008, 01:38 PM

Well, that movable thing platform was actually used in Stadium Tour 2002 and at one of the a-nation performances. There are only so many things you can utilize and do on a stage, and Ayu has after all, 10 years of performing on stage, so yeah, somethings have to be inevitably reused.

In any case, I suppose it wouldn't come as something positive when their relationship became a brother-sister kind. I mean, I'm sure she'll feel some sort of pain when she realized that their feelings were no longer that of lovers.

Anyway, to stay on topic, Ayu has various "methods" of performing a single song, and she's always changing, and sometimes revisiting those methods, and maybe she had something to convey through her different types of performances or something. My point is, it's still very fun to try to guess what's she's trying to tell us through her performances! ^^

alternarist · #20 31st August 2008, 01:50 PM

yeah i do agree that ayu has many different ways to perform the same song.. i am eager to see this.

(slightly off topic) But this yr's AT2008 had a few recycled elements. Like is this LOVE?, my name's WOMEN. these 2 performances were done in the exact same way but probably different outfits/arrangement of music. SURREAL ~ evolution ~ SURREAL combi was probably did with SURREAL performed the same way as she did in AT2007.

So to me, it was slightly disappointing.