[Namie Amuro] The 102nd Thread - WE ♥ NAMIE FOREVER -

[lfe.]

I guess it took almost 2 years for me to get over it because I don't recall the last time I wanted to talk about it in this thread or hopped on this forum for longer than a moment. I think it might've been right when she retired. This may be all my doing though because I went pretty OD on the fandom at the end.

I went back to Japan the week prior of her retirement since a music festival was also being held within those dates. I went to all the Final Spaces, flew the Amuro Jet for the sake of flying it, and was there to witness them tear down Shibuya109 as the exhibition's final business hour expired. Something about watching the whole 20 minutes as they dismantled the billboard doesn't do good things to your mental health lmao



Music interest wise I moved on pretty quickly afterwards. Musically 2019 was one of the best in my life. I'm glad her final message to us was "May Music Fill Your Wonderful Life". I hope everyone has been trying their best in their own unique way to carry that message with them.

[pommy48]

Oh man, I can't imagine that feeling of seeing. them take everything down. I would probably cry so much.

When I went to Japan last October, it was when that one guy covered SWEET 19 BLUES. Shibuya had all these pictures of her and I just felt so happy.

Even though she's gone, but never forgotten <3

[thinkingoutloud89]

^Ha I was there too at that same moment and they basically only played her part all the time.

[thinkingoutloud89]

Originally Posted by AJFmzk

^ For sure. Personal preference is just that...personal preference. Just because one person doesn’t enjoy it doesn’t mean it’s a bad song or that other people wouldn’t enjoy it, everyone just has their own tastes and it’s good to diversify what you’re offering bc you can’t please everyone 100% of the time.

Yeah, once I’ve heard a cool live arrangement it’s hard to listen to the studio version, although a song for xx ( the song) and powder snow I still happen to really like the Original studio arrangements. I like the live ones more, but for some reason I’m sometimes in the mood for the originals.

Totally agree on the Namie live arrangement stuff. I definitely like them better than the studio versions. It’s such a shame she didn’t continue with the band all the way through. I’m a little sad they didn’t bring back her original band with Kenji Sano, Sheila E, Land Richards, Carlos Rios and the chorus team with Lynn Mabry and Will Wheaton JR for the Finally Tour. That would have been so incredible bc they were awesome and I enjoy the vibe more with the shows she had them than with later shows (especially shows without the band at all)

I just read in another forum that she had to stop the live band in 2011 because of the condition of her throat - also the reason she changed the way she sang (for the worse, but better for her so that she could go on)

[AJFmzk]

^ that’s really interesting. I always wondered why she stopped having the band. If it was causing her problems (probably she had to scream to hear herself over the band, in earlier lives it looked like she almost never wore earphones). It makes sense. It’s a shame but it makes sense, and we got another 6 or 7 years of Namie. I think she said in an interview the PLAY Tour destroyed her voice. After that tour she said her voice was never the same.

[JackieRos]

I wonder if she’ll show up again if they do the fireworks in September.
It’s been almost a year since we seen her T.T

Originally Posted by pommy48

Even though she's gone, but never forgotten <3

I just gasped for a second, it sounded like she passed away.

[AJFmzk]

^ Same. I know what pommy meant but that phrase is usually used when some passed away so it was a bit shocking for a second. Anna Tsuchiya just started a YouTube channel where she does singing, exercise and cooking videos and I thought to myself how much I would enjoy Namie to do this too, but she’s probably too shy to do it on camera.

[pommy48]

Well Jpop is dead without her...

Let me change that to "even though she retired, she's never forgotten"

I searched through Weibo to see if anyone has seen Namie after she retired and it's nice seeing fans say they saw her eating hot pot with friends in Tokyo or shopping. I love that everyone respect her privacy

[tomiko8]

Awesome how she finally has time for herself.However, I didn't realize just how much of a staple she was for me musically. I listen to literally everything, but the anticipation of a Namie release is unmatched

[Toniayu123]

Originally Posted by AJFmzk

I think she said in an interview the PLAY Tour destroyed her voice. After that tour she said her voice was never the same.

Funny enough she sounded better in later tours imo, like her technique improved somehow. Though her lives without the band have always lacked something, I mean I want LIVE, not just a voice singing to a karaoke track lol

I miss her so much. It’s sad knowing she’ll never come back, though a part of me still wants to think she might change her mind.

[AJFmzk]

Originally Posted by Toniayu123

Funny enough she sounded better in later tours imo, like her technique improved somehow. Though her lives without the band have always lacked something, I mean I want LIVE, not just a voice singing to a karaoke track lol

I miss her so much. It’s sad knowing she’ll never come back, though a part of me still wants to think she might change her mind.

I agree, from a technical and tonal perspective she definitely sounded better after changing her technique. But her old sound had a charm to it, even if she didn’t always sounds the best or was weirdly nasally at parts. Maybe it’s just the editing on the new shows but she sounds a little robotic at times, and the backing vocals tend to be mixed louder than her live vocals.

100% agree that lack of band left her shows lacking, I definitely watch her pre-2011 shows more often than her newer ones specifically because I enjoy with the band more. Not that the new shows are bad or boring, just missing that essential live feel. Band interaction just has a better vibe than showing up and singing to back tracks. Her early shows with American band members had the most interaction between them and her and I tend to watch those more (such as genius 2000).

I miss her too. Part of me wants her to come back, but I’m happy she’s taking some time for herself and her family.

[lfe.]

Originally Posted by pommy48

Oh man, I can't imagine that feeling of seeing. them take everything down. I would probably cry so much.

There were some fans who stuck around to watch. Almost all her female fans dressed in the Amuro / Shibuya fashion of miniskirt and knee high boots that day. We were all bummed. One lady who looked in her 40s-50s was tearing a little. She was also rocking the miniskirt/boots. I'm sure she grew up on Amuro and her teenage/young adult life was heavily influenced by her.

I see a lot of the cosplayers still have meetups, one including an official event at aGeHa hosted by the Nfamily dance team. A lot of them have taken up dancing too. I too have taken up dancing, although not the same style. Its great how much she has influenced all our lives.

Originally Posted by pommy48

I love that everyone respect her privacy

Do you think its a Japanese culture thing or just her fans respecting her privacy thing?

Certainly boy band members would not have the same kind of luxury with privacy in public right?

[JackieRos]

I saw on here that it’s written down that she’s just a regular citizen of Japan now, like legally. I’m not sure what the term is.

[pommy48]

Originally Posted by lfe.

Do you think its a Japanese culture thing or just her fans respecting her privacy thing?

Certainly boy band members would not have the same kind of luxury with privacy in public right?

I feel like it's both. She has made it her life's mission to protect Haruto from paparazzi and by extension, herself. I don't think the paparazzi would want to risk photographing her if she's gonna sue them later.

And then the other public pictures we have of her are just doing regular shopping at Shibuya. I always thought if I saw her, I would also not approach her either. Even if I want to tell her how much I love her music, I respect her right to privacy more. It would feel selfish of me to disrupt that.

Boy bands/girl groups are different. Paparazzi always want to catch them dating cause that's ~taboo~. Their fans have a crazy obsession too.

[lfe.]

Originally Posted by pommy48

I feel like it's both. She has made it her life's mission to protect Haruto from paparazzi and by extension, herself. I don't think the paparazzi would want to risk photographing her if she's gonna sue them later.

And then the other public pictures we have of her are just doing regular shopping at Shibuya. I always thought if I saw her, I would also not approach her either. Even if I want to tell her how much I love her music, I respect her right to privacy more. It would feel selfish of me to disrupt that.

Boy bands/girl groups are different. Paparazzi always want to catch them dating cause that's ~taboo~. Their fans have a crazy obsession too.

Maybe culture plays a factor too because I recall Kpop queen Lee Hyori and her husband had to sell their home in Jeju after fans wouldn't leave them alone and respect their privacy. It was so sad considering they built that home from scratch and their reality tv show hosting their home as a BnB was great.

Oh and good news for Spotify users, seems Namie's whole discography is on Spotify now.

[minkAYuko]

^ WOW!!

[jiarongisme]

Originally Posted by lfe.

Oh and good news for Spotify users, seems Namie's whole discography is on Spotify now.

Interesting how you only got it now because I remember that many of us actually got to listen to her catalogue on Spotify on her birthday last year, I wonder why.

[lfe.]

Originally Posted by jiarongisme

Interesting how you only got it now because I remember that many of us actually got to listen to her catalogue on Spotify on her birthday last year, I wonder why.

Whoops, maybe its because I just reinstalled Spotify last week

[dannysan]

WE♥NAMIE ONLINE HANABI SHOW
supported by セブン‐イレブン

2020.9.16.WED

more info:
https://hanabi-live.jp/

* * * * *

WE♥NAMIE ONLINE HANABI SHOW
OFFICIAL GOODS

[haraiso]

It's so nice that they're still doing this