Shiina Hekiru Tour 2006
Hekiru 11th year fanclub event and Tour 2006 opening day.
It’s been half a year since Hekiru’s made an appearance. Too long…
I am ambivalent about today. On the one hand, I was so simply happy to her again, when she first stepped on stage at the FC event. I was taken by surprise at what I felt, to be honest. The content of the event - Rock ‘n’ Roll Love Letter by Tairaku and Hetare Band, question time with Hekiru and Tairaku, Hekiru de Pon pop quiz, and present time - weren’t terribly inventive. It was pretty much a repeat of last year. But, Hekiru had a edge this time, a kind of hardness, flippancy to her responses, that I found incredibly appealing. I hate it when I see her all nervous and and defensive in front of the fans. This is a good change, perhaps closer to her normal self. More tangible. I like it, very much.
And on the other hand, I felt she was cold for the concert. There is a great distance now, between Hekiru and her audience during the concert. I do not know if it is a defensive mechanism, or real contempt, and weariness. But it feels cold and I feel a nameless entity in a one-sided act. What a change from the warmth and joy of being the same space with someone you care about and who cares about you.
The lineup of the concert was comprised of fan favourites. Starting with the older staples like Graduater, we ended with the upbeat songs from the Kine era. The audience jumped and pumped, I found it incredibly, unbelievable boring for a setlist that demands so much energy.
There was one bright spot though. In the middle, Hekiru sang a full band acoustic version of Anata no Namae, followed by a keyboard only version of Zutto. This… this was an amazing rendition. I had tears rolling down my cheeks, both for the sheer beauty of the piece and in happiness that Hekiru had given us something so wonderful. Zutto made this a worth everything.
Ah, one more thing of mention is Hekiru’s outfit. She came out in a white coat, opened so you could see a see-through lace skirt over very short spandex shorts, and knee-high cloth boots (the usual ones). The skirt was already quite, ahem, daring, but when she came back out without the coat… Oh my god, that outfit should be banned. No, it wasn’t that sheer. It was just a silver top, cinched at the neck, with sleeves that left her shoulders and upper arms bare. The guys didn’t think it was a big deal. I thought it took a leapfrog over “sexy” and hovered over “pornographic”. But hey, that’s just me. In any case, when she came out, I utterly short-circuited. Stock still. Couldn’t believe my eyes.
In other news, Hekiru has teamed up with Kine Naoto as an acoustic duet called “Hidamari”. They will be releasing a single from SME, “Size Up”. Hekiru says, think of that soft bit hanging over your belt. I couldn’t help but take it a far less innocent way. Perhaps age has corrupted me.
