Shiina Hekiru - Film concert and mini live
On 417 Day, it was announced that Hekiru would be having a film concert and mini live event two weeks hence, at Shibuya On Air East (a live hall). The film concert would be a repeat of the one shown in Osaka and Nagoya last year, featuring past opening and closing staff credits, and clips used during the break portion of concerts, back in 1998. Last was some unreleased concert video, the highlight of which was probably the CHANGE tour, as a video of that tour was never put out.
The tickets for this event went on sale right after the 417 Day show ended, and my friends and I snagged 15, starting at no.8. We all wound up on the right side of the hall, in front of Ken-chan. No surprise, eh.
Despite the less than comfortable circumstances (standing for 2 hours straight, craning our necks to watch either of two screens way off to the sides, I really enjoyed the film concert. It started with the 1999 Face to Face tour CG opening, which was only filmed for that tour’s video but never included in its raw form. This was followed by clips of Hekiru in Okinawa for her 1998 shoot of the Dakishimete jacket and summer tour pamphlet, then closing clips from 1998 to 2003. There were shots of Hekiru playing samurai with light sabers, and also riding the snakeboard through the corridors.
I haven’t seen that old stuff in a long time, and it envoke both nostalgia and longing, for 1998 was the year I became a Hekiru fan, and more than any other time, that is the “face” of Hekiru (in the literal sense) that I like best of all.
The in-concert video material was of the Kuma Hekiru (at her Fukuoka concert, Hekiru dressed up in a bear costume and handed out flyers to an unsuspecting public, who were later pretty horrified to discover the true identity of the bear), weird sentai posing by Hekiru and her band, and the infamous Nazsha parody (where Hekiru and other band/staff members with long hair were reinacting Shazna’s group for Countdown TV). Nazsha was the very first concert I saw… and probably contributed more than a little to my liking of Hekiru as a cool but whacky and fun-loving girl.
The 98 in-concert material featured a few “Heki-chan no Kyou mo Eizou!”, of the manager from the concert hall staffing Hondake company, Kiokawa-san from Create Osaka who designs Hekiru’s stages, the guerilla live by Yousuke, Yoshiaki and Komatsu-san, to Tairaku-san. I was there for that last concert, and it marked the end of my whirlwind first Hekiru summer.
The thing that struck me was how in-control Hekiru seemed in those early clips. She really had the sense of a leader, and you know how they say only those with real confidence are able to make from of themselves. There was real strength in those BBE clips…
Last was the Niigata Business School TV commercials and the Sugoku Tanoshii Sora in Naru no ni video clip.
Hekiru and Tairaku talked in the parts between the the clips, giving comments and reflecting at the stuff that went on during the times. Like good grown-ups, they accepted what were embarassing but ultimately good ol’ times. I liked them a lot better today than during the 417 Day FC event.
Hekiru’s changed a lot over the years, both in appearance and mentality, but surprisingly I am quite used to what she is now. I no longer think that she should be “stronger” or “more ambitious” or “cooler”… well, okay I wish she would dress better :P Hekiru’s Hekiru, and I still like her, probably will for as long as she’s around, and longer!
The mini-live was performed by Hekiru in her mini-skirt.
