Archive for the ‘SHIINA HEKIRU’ Category
February 5, 2007 – 11:30 am
Ugh, it’s the morning after the tour final for Eternal Circle, and I feel like a combination of colossal hangover and getting hit by a truck. And I haven’t been drinking. Or experiencing traffic accidents :P
Haven’t been this, um, active for a Hekiru concert since, oh, 4 or 5 years ago maybe? Or perhaps it’s age. Then again, you try jumping for those 4 cymbal crashes during “WONDER RIDER” and see how well you move the next day.
Ahh, it was far too short. This was a great concert with great music, and dang it it really needed 2 more performances or so for Hekiru and Band to get their sea legs. “September RAIN” rocked, dude.
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July 2, 2006 – 5:30 pm
Song List (Japanese)
01.届けたい想い
02.Clear Sky
03.ガンバレ！
04.旅立ちの唄
05.電撃ジャップ
～MC～
06.Phoenix
07.幻想の雪
08.ファンタジア
09.Reborn ～女は生まれ変わる～
～MC～
10.Eternal Circle(未発表曲)
11.Driving to summer(未発表曲)
～MC～
12.私の未来
～インスト(衣装替え)～
13.Power Of Love
14.Jumping Slash
15.One
16.スタンバイ！
17.Go Wake Up
18.ロックンロール・ラヴレター
＜Encore＞
19.MOTTOスイーツ
20.風が吹く丘
21.Graduater
22.抱きしめて
Song List (English)
1. Todoketai omoi
2. Clear Sky
3. Ganbare
4. Tabitachi no uta
5. Dengeki Jap
~MC~
6. Phoenix
7. Gensou no yuki
8. Fantasia
~Instrumental + Costume Change~
9. Reborn ~onna ha umarekawaru~
~MC~
10. Eternal Circle (new song)
11. Driving to Summer (new song)
~MC~
12. Watashi no mirai
~Instrumental + Costume Change~
13. Power Of Love
14. Jumping Slash
15. One
16. Standby!
17. Go Wake Up
18. Rock ‘n’ Roll Love Letter
Encore
19. Motto Sweets
20. Kaze ga fuku oka
21. Graduater
22. Dakishimete
Costumes
Hair was long, past waist, very layered, colored light brown
1) Red plaid style coat with no sleeves, going to about the knee. Under was long-sleeved white blouse. Brown pants slightly below the knee (worn a couple tours ago).
2) Fitting long-sleeved white blouse, ending at the waist right where it touches a knee-length white skirt. Still have the brown pants.
3) Loose yellow satin-type blouse, boat-neck style, long sleeves which are collected but white lace just below the elbow but then flare out. Blouse ended at waist, tied to one side with ribbons that collect the waist. Short blue skirt below, made up overlapping layers. Brown pants underneath.
Encore) White Power of Love T-shirt, loose pink satin-like pants that looked like jogging pants with a stripe down the slide, loosely buckled decorative belt.
Shoes where her thick-heel whitish sneakers which she has worn many times before.
Report
It’s been 4 years since I’ve been back to Sendai. Took the 9:22 Shinkansen up, the 21:26 back to Tokyo, so I was there slightly more than half a day, heh.
The concert was at Zepp Tokyo, which is right next to Sendai Station. It started at 17:35 and ended at 19:55, so slightly under two and a half hours.
The concert opened with nobody on stage, heavy pulsing music and green lights overhead (which is a new effect). Then the band members came out, and finally Hekiru. The music ended and the band started up on Todoketai omoi, a big surprise. The song was slighly rearranged, but warm and soft. Hekiru seemed a bit nervous, but that was probably a combination of exhaustion (apparently she and the band had been rehearsal for 5 days, and even before that she was so busy she had no time to sleep) and nerves about whether the band would be up to speed. The song ended with a slight rearranged ending, moving into Clear Sky which got the audience together waving and Hekiru looking a bit more relax, then Ganbare which kept the feel good mood. Hekiru had the audience sing parts of the chorus.
Then suddenly it was Tabitachi no uta, a fast-paced song which demands you to punch the air and whatnot. Honestly, I don’t like this song, and it was a big shift in pacing from Ganbare, so it was quite jarring. Going into Dengeki Jap was another shock, because this is one of the superfast songs I love, and I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to go ballistic like I normally do. Felt it was a bit of a waste to have these two here. Hekiru did her best by moving around during Dengeki, but the audience was rather subdued.
During the MC, she introduced herself, then said she would ask two band members to speak. She picked Jake first, calling him Saito-san as a running joke from the last tour, and asked him what memories he had of Sendai. He said he had fresh hoya, a food which is quite difficult to obtain. Hekiru didn’t know what hoya was (most people don’t, it’s weird sea creature served as a drinking accompaniment) and time was taken to explain how it looked like a knobbly tetrapod. Hekiru said she would never eat it, it sounded too weird. Then she said, oh no, we spent too much time talking about tetrapods! And moved on to Kimura Ken, whom she called Kimura-san. Ken, who grew up near Sendai, said his memories are of skipping school and hanging out in a cafe from 8am till 4pm on one cup of coffee every day, having no clue for six months that the owner was pissed and trying to get rid of him.
The MC ended and the band started up. This is where I got my massive shock and delight for the night… Phoenix! Oh my god, the only time Hekiru sang this was in summer of 97, it’s a great song and Hekiru loves it too, but somehow it’s never been sung since and after 8 years of after for it each tour questionnaire, I’d given up. So when the intro started, it was all I could do to stop from running up and down the aisles singing hallelujah. Instead I settled for a massive shit-eating grin plastered on my face and singing like there was no tomorrow. The people around seemed to feel the same, as this was the part of the concert when they actually vocalized some calls and whistles of appreciation. The arrangement of the song wasn’t that different, but different fuller and more edged due to the twin guitars. Hekiru’s moves were quite jerky, and the part in ‘97 when she puts her palm on her midriff and moves her hips, became just the palm on the midriff and then some random movements. I think she was pretty uncertain here too.
Phoenix rolled into Gensou no yuki, and suddenly I was like, shit I love this song too! And it was frustrating because suddenly I didn’t know whether to listen or to headbang or to shout or what… I was just too adrenalized! Anyway, I discovered that I couldn’t headbang to it - the pace was too fast and I had sprained one side of my neck at Dengeki Jap, pathetic I know. Next was Fantasia, and this was good. I didn’t like it before on CD, and not at last year’s winter tour either, but my iTunes had the Power of Love single running into Reverence, so… one gets used to it. I just don’t like the uppity chorus.
Then Hekiru left the stage as the band continued to play the ending of Fantasia. When she returned she was in white, and the keyboards played a slow intro, to which Hekiru soon added the opening vocals of Reborn. Then the band struck up in full, and here again I was pleasantly surprised at how good it sounded. I like Reborn better than Power of Love, because of its minor key, and on the CD it’s got a pretty good oomph. But live, it’s a different order of magnitude. The sound blew me away, it was really really intense, especially on the chorus. I loved the stage and atmosphere too. The lighting was red, and Hekiru had a serious look on her face, such that I couldn’t help but draw a parallel to Kaze no yukue. I think I may like this song live almost as much. Which means that it’ll probably never be sung again, as it’s not one of those jumping shouting genki songs. I think it was at the end of this song that she bowed deeply, which is surprising because she usually does it only at ballads or when she leaves the stage. I wonder if it meant something…?
Then the lights came on and Hekiru had a few words for the MC. “Hello, Reborn from my new single got it’s first live performance in Sendai.”
People shouted that it was good, then she seemed a bit flustered, before saying, “Sorry, my songs are all fast.”
“That’s okay! We keeping up!”
“No it’s not, because I’m the one dying!” shot back Hekiru.
Hmm, I think I like this Hekiru who speaks her mind, but it’s also cause for concern as she’s been mentioning the physical strain more and more.
Anyway, she continued and said, “Well, I sang a mix of old songs and new. I was a bit nervous wondering if people would recognize them, but it looks like you guys did.” Then she said she had more new songs. Two songs in fact, which she had been recording just before the rehearsals. She hoped that people would like the songs, because the release depended on their reaction. “Anyway, listen to this: Eternal Circle.”
Then Hekiru sang the two new songs in a row. The first was an uppity Hekiru song. I wasn’t impressed. Halfway through, Hekiru forgot the lyrics and she looks so cute when she winced and put her head in her hand in embarassment, before soldiering on. The second was a bit funky… I dunno how to describe it but it was good! I reallly liked this song a lot. Hekiru had nice moves, and she seemed to be trying very hard. I wonder if she wrote the lyrics to this one, it seems Hekiru’ish. During the chorus, the band started gathering around the drums and doing some really whacked out dance steps. I couldn’t help laughing. It wasn’t a genki song or anything, more serious, but for some reason the whole setup felt good.
After the song ended, Hekiru reintroduced them. The second one was called Driving to Summer and in fact the band had been practicing while she was still working on the recording itself. It hadn’t gone to trackdown yet, so she added that she had no idea if it would still sound the same when it got released. If it got released at all. (Yes, this line did come off as bleak as it looks.) To everyone’s reaction, Hekiru did add that at the earliest it would be at the end of the year, and at the latest, “A long time away”.
She also chatted a bit about how she was working during Japan’s match with Brazil, saying that she did wear the uniform in support. Kine Naoto had bought blue uniforms for the Hidamari team, and gave Hekiru a child-sized 130cm shirt, which fit perfectly.
Then she said she would sing another old song, a sad song, and began Watashi no mirai. This began as an acoustic but the entire band joined in full. I like this song a lot, but to be honest, it was really quite depressing after the conversation about professional troubles and stuff. Hekiru also made a mistake with the lyrics at the first verse, which also broke the mood of the song. I was pretty blue at this point.
Anyway, she left the stage at the end of the song while the band continued to play. She then reappeared to Power of Love, in a new outfit and one of the best in recent years, IMHO. It was tasteful, elegant, and looked wonderful on Hekiru. Well, the gorgeous satin blouse and perfectly matching shade of blue skirt anyway. The brown pants really have to go. They were terrible for the second outfit, completely detracting from the otherwise serene image of Hekiru in demure white. Here, they were just out of place. Perhaps long black pants would have been better. The song itself I honestly don’t remember much, I was too busy admiring the view ^_^ . However, this time it was a good way to kick off the final arc of the concert, as opposed to using invisible after Zutto… I guess the staff took to heart the complaints from fans about launching into harsh metal after a solemn ballad.
I’m skipping the next few songs because they are pretty much the same as before. The only thing that surprised me was how much I’m coming to enjoy Standby, which I seriously despised when it was first released. There’s something to be said for a song that has the whole hall bonded together, something which gets rarer with each passing year. Case in point, Go Wake Up!!, for which I was estatic, was horribly scattered. Not the peformance, but the reaction. I remember all the hands fisting the air like no tomorrow, the roar of voices and flying sweat and being drunk on the oneness of it all. This time, the crowd was quiet, a smattering of people jumped, and the rest flat. I was one of the jumpers, but without the heat, power and joy from the crowd, even I felt foolish for displaying enthusiasm. It was saddening, and perhaps sobering. That time is gone, replaced by other songs and other fans and other ways.
As can be seen from the difference when RnRLL came on, or the encore songs. Suddenly everyone knew what to do (I say this with some irony) and Hekiru looks more confident, less hesitant and lost. You could tell she was trying her best to get the crowd going, but with the first day, new songs, uncertain old ones, small Sendai crowd, it was perhaps too much to expect of even Hekiru’s best efforts. It was, but for a few fan favourites, a lacklustre response. And even more frustrating, several songs such as RnRLL had rearranged endings to help draw out the crowd, but the actual effect was the opposite as suddenly even one just stopped and didn’t quite know how to react when the expected sounds didn’t come.
All this was all the more painful, knowing that it was nobody’s fault, that the songs were good and Hekiru tried and the crowd wasn’t negative per se. It was just an inablity for the two to meet.
Anyway, I’ve gone off track. I didn’t intend to write the report this way, but the more I think about it, the more frustrated I feel. I thought that this was a much more balanced production than the previous tour, yet the audience reacts so much better to just straightforward slam-bang songs. Not that I hate those songs - I honestly had great fun during the encore just listening and singing (well, except for Motto Sweets which I feel should have been retired three tours ago). I’m just sad that it seems these are the only songs that matter. I enjoyed other, more serious, songs so much more, but I can’t help but wonder how Hekiru feels looking at an audience which doesn’t really react. I know there is no need to jump and move for each and every song - in fact for the songs I really like I don’t even headbang, I listen and watch and feel the music wash through me - but when other people do it, I can’t help but wonder if they are bored. And if I wonder, then probably so would those on stage.
All this makes it seem as if I had a horrible time. That’s not true. I enjoyed the live very much, and I can’t wait for the next, and I really want there to be 20 next’s… It’s not like I wanted to taste the concerts of old, or anything. Perhaps I’m simply too anxious for Hekiru’s situation, which I feel powerless to make a difference, and Hekiru feels quite the same too.
Power of Love - but not quite enough, not when business gets involved.
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May 2, 2006 – 9:04 pm
If I had any doubts as to Hekiru’s dedication to and talent for performance, they were blown away, literally, by the incredible effort she displayed on Sunday.
If I had forgotten why I was so swept away that first time I saw her, that sheer willpower and sense of duty brought back all the old memories.
If I ever wondered why on earth I’m still sticking to this person after more than eight years, hell, now I don’t have to :P
Nagoya was Hekiru at her finest. I was very impressed by Osaka, but this was amazing. Plenty of movement, deliberate effort to make eye contact with the crowd, planning for the talk and very little loss of rhythm despite the strenous lineup. I mean, this girl was like the Energizer Bunny! Running on jet fuel…
You know what the kicker was for me? During the encore, when Hekiru was running all over the stage, I was suddenly hit by a surge of envy. ‘Dammit, I want to be up there in that space running around too!’ Now that, dudes, is really getting into the swing of things!
More later.
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April 20, 2006 – 12:49 pm
This was a great live. I was pretty lukewarm about Tokyo, because the song list was too heavy on major songs, the pacing was awkward, and the performance energetic but not otherwise inspired. I hate to say it, but for the first time, I was bored to tears at a Hekiru concert. For Osaka, the song list didn’t change, the pacing still sucks, the guitars were quite a mess… and yet, it felt so different. The crowd really communicated its pleasure to Hekiru, and Hekiru herself came out full-force right from the start. In fact, she put so much effort into moving and dancing that I was afraid she’d run out of steam and collapse halfway!
Well, she didn’t, although she did pull back a bit from Akai Hana onwards. Still, it was kinda cute. One of the highlights of the night was the talk during the MC sections. Unlike Tokyo, which was IMHO a spectacular failure at winging the thing, Hekiru came prepared with topics and boke jokes for the crowd, who were very responsive (nicely, not annoyingly).
For instance, when she talked about how she wondered about Kirins and their scratching habits (dude, don’t look at me, I’m not making this up I swear), and told the crowd the theory she had heard, we went, “Eh? O_o??” and she looked at us and said, “It’s true!”.
Later she spoke about some places she had visited in her youth, like “Shinosaki” (to which about 10 people yelled, “Kinosaki!” and “Ama no Iwato” and how she visited them together, we all made O_o?? faces again, and she asked, “Eh? Eh? Why do you have that look on your faces?”
To which a guy spoke up saying, “Um, that’s because those place are actually pretty dang far apart!”
Hekiru went, “Oh… It was like 13 years ago, I guess I don’t remember. Well, that’s my little ‘Watashi no atama no keshigomu’!”, a really bad joke based on a movie of the name that’s about fading memory or something.
Aside from that, I noticed that Hekiru’s outfits looked really different close up (I was in the first row, far left). The coat outfit is cool, the next one with the open shoulders is actually a shawl over a spaghetti strap corset-like top (looking less sexy since the material isn’t silky smooth but closer to wool), and the third frilly thing looked completely different. Ugh. Still looked awful. The encore outfit was red pants but they weren’t very flattering. I know they are the fashion-range last year and this year, but I consider them of the things to most avoid unless you have a figure like a guy :P And if you did, I’d still argue against them.
Overall, I had a lot of fun even though the problems with the song list remained. I have to be honest, I seriously didn’t need 1/3 of the songs in the set, and if it were me in charge I’d never put invisible after Zutto… - that’s just too much of slam-bang in your face thing after a really good ballad. But this time around, I guess resigning yourself to making the best of a rather iffy setlist helps, and undeniably being in front and getting a nice glance or two from Hekiru would set anybody’s spirits soaring. Hell, I know I was on Cloud 9 after she strolled on stage, looked right towards my seat for a couple secs while smiling… So high that I jumped at the chorus for Graduater, forgetting that I had promised myself to rest my badly sprained ankle!
Another major Good Thing was the band finally putting some effort into entertaining the audience. During the encore, Dog Ken and Jake put on a parody of that now-famous video where two K1 fighters are doing the staredown and one of ‘em kisses the other by mistake, earning a whallop of a punch. You need these little details. They help lift the crowd mood. Assuming of course that the crowd isn’t cold and dead. In which case you would feel like a fool.
The Want You!! at the end was also the longest I’ve remembered in a while. I ran out of breath halfway and Hekiru was still going and going… Now when was the last time that happened?
The next day, I was still high and couldn’t wait for Hekiru’s mail message, and the two weeks till Nagoya feel like forever…
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April 11, 2006 – 12:47 pm
As a member the new duet combo Hidawari (Kine Naoto & Shiina Hekiru), Hekiru made an appearance at a music festival in Hibiya Yagai Ongakudou on 4/9. It featured a lot of upcoming and newly debuted bands in 20 min rotations across 2 stages in an outdoor amphi.
Hidawari was scheduled for 16:40 and appeared a bit after 17pm. They performed 3 songs, with Kine on acoustic guitar and Hekiru on vocals.
Song List
1) Arashi nochi hare (Shiina Hekiru)
2) One (Shiina Hekiru)
3) Size Up (Hidamari)
Hekiru wore a long green patterned skirt, a blue jeans jacket, and knee-high white boots. It was quite cold by evening so Hekiru must have been suffering quite a bit!
There was also some talk, but I couldn’t really hear Kine’s voice. Hekiru seemed to be her usual boke self. I think they felt somewhat out of place amidst the new budding artists… although some of the other bands have been in the amateur circuit for 10 years.
The crowd had a mix of Kine fans and Hekiru fans in addition to the regular audience.
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March 20, 2006 – 2:22 pm
Shiina Hekiru Tour 2006 (Japanese)
01.Graduater
02.抱きしめて
03.風が吹く丘
04.熱風
05.MOTTO スイーツ
～MC～
06.Color
07.RESET
08.believe
～衣装替え～
09.赤い華
10.BLACK MONEY
11.SNOW fall
12.幻想の雪
～MC～
13.あなたの名前
～ひとこと～
14.ずっと…
～ソロ、衣装替え～
15.invisible
16.Sadistic Pink
17.ラヴ・ジェット・コースター
18.One
19.スタンバイ！
20.Jungle Life
ENCORE
21.Jumping Slash
22.ロックンロール・ラブレター
23.電撃ジャップ
Shiina Hekiru Tour 2006 (English)
01. Graduater
02. Dakishimete
03. Kaze ga huku oka
04. Neppu
05. MOTTO Sweets
~MC~
06. Color
07. RESET
08. believe
~Costume Change~
09. Akai hana
10. BLACK MONEY
11. SNOW fall
12. Gensou no yuki
~MC~
13. Anata no namae
~short talk~
14. Zutto…
~Band solo, costume change ~
15. invisible
16. Sadistic Pink
17. Love Jet Coaster
18. One
19. Stand by!
20. Jungle Life
ENCORE
21. Jumping Slash
22. Rock ‘n’ Roll Love Letter
23. Dengeki Jap
Costumes
Hair was long, past waist, very layered, colored light brown
1)
- Knee-length white coat, fastened at the chest, open from waist down, glimpse of spandex shorts and black see through lace skirt
- Knee-high cloth boots, black
2)
- Took of coat to reveal silver top with partial black sleeves, top fastened only at the neck.
- Sleeves open from shoulder to forearm, attached to top at the underarm
- Top was silver in front, with a silver belt low at the waist
3)
- Some really layered dress, yellow orangish… sorry, was too much in ????!! to observe ^^;;
4)
- Don’t remember the encore outfit at all! OMG… Must’ve been zoned…
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March 20, 2006 – 12:56 am
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.
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August 18, 2005 – 11:31 am
Day 1 of Hekiru Shiina Tour 2005 ~CLEAR SKY~
Song List
01. BLACK MONEY
02. Gensou no Yuki
03. discovery
04. still
05. invisible
~MC1~
06. Clear Sky
07. Anata ga iru kara
08. Happy Birthday ~Ai no runner~
09. Color
10. Future Star
11. Tabitachi no Uta
~MC2~
12. Kono mama
~MC3~ Introduction to Memories
13. Memories
~COSTUME CHANGE~
14. Neppuu
15. Love Jet Coaster
16. Sadistic Pink
17. Jumping Slash
18. Dengeki Jap
19. Rock ‘n’ Roll Love Letter
~ENCORE~
20. Graduater
21. Kaze ga fuku oka
22. Standbye!
23. MOTTO Sweets
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August 12, 2005 – 5:50 pm
Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru! Hekiru!
hehehehehehehe… Tour starts tomorrow! Omiya -> Osaka -> Tokushima
Eh? Tokushima?! Yep, awaodori!
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May 2, 2005 – 9:11 am
And oh my god, what a live.
Only 10 songs, but damn it was definitely the equivalent of any 23 song concert. Hekiru went all out, and I thoroughly absolutely utterly unbelievably and completely unexpected enjoyed myself 417%.
What was more amazing, or disturbing, is how different it felt from the day before. Same place, same lineup, same spot in the hall for me, more or less same friends around. But Day 1, I thought Motto Sweets sucked, and Black Money was an awful disappointment. Day 2, dang I was headbanging and super high like nothing. It’s been a real long time since I’ve ended a concert in such a good mood that I would have been singing and dancing in the streets.
I think it helped that on my left, I had a good dude who was really into the show, as opposed the cynical bitter friend I had the night before. Next, Hekiru spoke a lot, explained a lot, and paid a ton of attention to the audience. Then, we were also prepared, since we knew what was coming (sometimes a good thing, sometimes bad). And Hekiru was determined to give it her best shot, since it’d be the last time until summer, in August.
Rock and Roll Love Letter wouldn’t leave my mind. Dammit! Ugh, I’m starting to love that song! But Tabi Tachi no Uta still doesn’t do it for me. I like Neppu a lot better the second time around too - the first time, it sounded quite ordinary.
I love Hekiru’s concerts. But I’m getting spoiled! Too many front row spots… I dunno if I could go back to a hall setting with a seat in the back -_-
Hekiru rocks. I’ve decided she’s definitely still got it, even at 31. She is a very attractive, appealing, amazing 31 year old woman. But, only when she’s singing hard rock :P
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April 30, 2005 – 8:00 pm
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.
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April 17, 2005 – 10:10 am
It’s the 17th of April, 417 Day. A special day for Hekiru fans.
Last year was a handshake event, this year was the 10th year fanclub event and a live. I’m way too tired to think, but I have to list the highlights. Way too much news.
FC Event
- Tairaku-san got married! Two weeks ago! On this birthday! Not to Hekiru!
- He was hospitalized last week
- Q&A corner with questions from fans. One question was, what would you want to be if you were reincarnated? Hekiru said, “A man.” But before she could elaborate, Tairaku cut her off.
- This time Tairaku-san took over the whole show, from the opening singing Stand By to the Hetare Band, to the talk and everything. Hekiru didn’t get much airtime, which is probably best given her tendency to ramble on and on, but at the same time, I thought it was boring as hell, and I felt nothing, even standing right there in front. Bleh.
Live
- Was #35, grabbed a spot with some friends on the right side in front of Ken-chan
- Drummer was Mitsuru, who replaced Be-an for this day as Be-an was off with TM Network
- Mitsuru was awesome; absolutely utterly amazing. He memorized like 23 songs for this one day, and hammered them out like no tomorrow. A couple songs got some extra super fast drumming in too. Real nice earnest guy too. It’s good to have some fresh wind, the members at least didn’t treat this like some throwaway job.
- Loved Jumping Slash, really got the blood pumping!
- Kimi no tsuyosa was… my god… way too good. Hekiru was soooo cool. I love it when she sings all serious! I found the FC event a bore, even with her right in front of me, but dang when she starts singing serious rock, I just drown in her. I couldn’t help but gaze in some trance. This song gets my top marks!
- ROCK STAR was awesome too, as usual.
- New song Black Money is serious rock metal. I love it! Ending is way too drawn out though.
- Dakishimete, just sang through it, loved it how Hekiru would look this way and it feels like she’s looking at you. I could drown in that look. Yep.
In conclusion, extremely fun despite my severe sleep-deprived state. I totally woke up from the get-go at Love Jet Coaster (even though I don’t care for that song at all), and I enjoyed myself thoroughly whenever a good song came on. Brilliant! I guess Hekiru’s only good for concerts? That’s kinda sad… Sadder, perhaps, that I still really really like her. It’s been over seven years, and to be honest, that’s kinda a long time to be holding the torch for someone, even if it’s just idol worship.
Extra event on April 30 and May 1. 15 tickets right in front (they were sold right after the concert ended, and my friends were second in line to grab a bunch for the whole gang. Unfortunately, happens to be the day I’m outta town to get my work visa. Dang.
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March 30, 2005 – 12:11 am
Yesterday, March 29th, was the 10th anniversary of the day Hekiru performed her first concert (as Shiina Hekiru, not as a voice actress). Since that day, Hekiru has performed 283 concerts in which she sang a grand total of over 5800 songs.
Any way you cut it, that’s pretty darn impressive. Especially for someone who has never had a “hit” song, and who pretty much dropped out of the seiyuu world over 5 years ago. If for nothing else, I hope she will be remembered for this achievement.
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February 26, 2005 – 10:00 pm
Did you know that 10,000 copies is about the breakeven point for CD sales?
Tabitachi no Uta sold 5,112 copies to rank in at No. 36 for its first week. This is more than a thousand copies less than Love Jet Coaster.
Which bodes really really badly. First of all, Hekiru’s value to Sony Records came from the fact that while she never had a big hit (Akai Hana was her best selling single at around 60,000 copies), no matter what you put out a core fan base would snap it up. Steady sales are just as important, or rather more important, than one-hit wonders.
When you fall below that 10,000 mark, though, that’s when it’s no longer worth it to the record company to back you. Perhaps you could be profitable through concerts (though not by much considering the small scale of Hekiru’s activities) but that does the record guys no good.
And if you get no music release, you get no more concerts. Finito. End of career.
Before we start spiraling down into depressing, however, let’s take a closer look at the situation.
Okay, you have the worsening CD sales, which reflect a greater fan base apathy than can be simply accounted for by the overall slump in non-indie music sales. Packaging the CD with a DVD of photo-shoot footage and some concert clips was, I think, a pretty good idea since Hekiru fans have traditionally been avid consumers of Hekiru’s visual side. In other words, we like her for her looks :P So it’s extra incentive to pick up the package.
But the fact that even that could not save Tabitachi no Uta is a sign either that the song really sucks, or that Hekiru fans actually no longer care about her music.
Personally I think the song isn’t very good, but that’s never stopped the fans before. It’s not that there are no more fans. We know they are out there, because last year over 3,000 of ‘em showed up to shake hands to Hekiru. I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions about what Hekiru fans want from Hekiru, but apparently, it’s not her music.
Although, I think we already knew that. What percentage of Hekiru fans actually cared for her music, and what percentage simply liked her for her looks? Perhaps that is a cynical view, but when you consider <6,000 for CD but >3,000 for a handshake event…
My original thoughts (in Japanese), as I was chatting with a friend about this.
よく分かっているというか・・・
まぁ、6000枚も売れないにもかかわらず、3000人も握手会だなんて、ね。
これは昔からの問題だろうが、昔お比べて、「歌まで買う！」というぐらいの熱意はもうない、ファンは。
それが問題ですね。
This (the fact that fans aren’t really in it for the music) has been a problem ever since the beginning, but the real problem now is that Hekiru fans these days don’t have enough “fire” to snap up each and every single release irregardless of whether or not they actually like the product. Hekiru’s somewhat unique fandom characteristic is a double-edged sword. Before, when she had inspired legions to the point where they would literally go to hell and back for her, anything she released was gold. Now, as she has shifted her emphasis from selling her “cult personality status” to selling her music and concerts, you see that the actual product lacks in appeal.
椎名へきるは椎名へきるの歌を売るのは無駄だ。
椎名へきるが椎名へきるそのものをアピールして、
ついでに商品を買ってもらう。
Can’t sell Shiina Hekiru’s music.
Gotta sell “Shiina Hekiru” itself. And then, get fans to buy the related merchandise (of which the music and concert performances would be a part).
とも言えますが、まぁ、全部のファンじゃないだろうね。
Well, of course that cynical view doesn’t apply to all fans.
だから、へきるにとって一番ファンから聴きたいのは、
「へきるさんにこういう歌を出してほしい」、
「へきるさんにこういうようなライブを見せてほしい」。
椎名へきるではなく、椎名へきるの作品に対して要望・希望・期待を示している言葉が彼女にとって一番のでは。
仕事をしている人として、まぁ、要するに「能力で生きてゆくアーティスト」として認められているという証拠ですから。
Still, it means that the thing Hekiru really wants most from her fans, is to hear that they do really care for her music - by telling her what sort of music they’d like her to release, what sort of concerts they’d like to see. The point is not what they want from Shiina Hekiru herself , but what they want of her creations (releases), the sort of expectations they have. This is what would really count for most to Hekiru, because it serves to show her that her fans respect her as an “artist” who produces real “content”.
ただし、「歌・ライブそのものだけで勝負」というのは甘いですね。
歌だけがよくて売れられるってこの世界にほとんどありません。
何かのコツがついているから、世間に気づいてもらっている。
椎名林檎はすごい才能を持っていますが、
ああいう歌詞、ああいうキャラクターではないと、
人の目を引っ張る力があるの？
Unfortunately, in the real world, you don’t get very many people who are able to make it on simply their creative power only. In addition to power, you need prowess, or basically a gimmick that makes the world notice you. There’s millions of people who are pretty frickin’ talented, so even if you’re damn good, it’s absolutely no guarantee of success. You need more, because you’re fighting for a “share of wallet”, and what you’re making is only slightly above that of a commodity. And we all know that commodities are seriously difficult to profit from unless you’re selling in bulk at low production cost. Obviously, this isn’t quite possible in the music industry.
To use an example, even Shena Ringo, who is recognized as an extremely talented women, would probably not have gotten terribly far without her provocative personality and lyrics.
椎名へきるが一時期日本の一部の目を引っ張った理由、分かりやすい歌の上に、「椎名へきる」のほかの良さがあったからです。まぁ、それはあなたも私もよく分かっていますけどね。「椎名へきるらしさ」という不思議な雰囲気・パワー。
So the reason why Shiina Hekiru was so successful at capturing a segment of the market, back in the old days, was because she had something we shall term “Shiina Hekiru-ness”, on top of songs which were catchy and easy listening. “Shiina Hekiru-ness”… something which is difficult to describe to someone who is not a fan, but which all Hekiru fans know and feel. A combination of charisma, energy, personality (both strange and cute), strength and weakness, innocence, dreams, and a level of closeness to her fans unusual for a famous celebrity.
「この子を応援したい！」と想いさせるへきるパワー、足す
すこし切なく、やさしいバラード ＝ 守りたい
強気を示す歌詞 ＝ ちっちゃい子がこういう歌を歌うのはかっこいい
ロックテイストの楽曲 ＝ この子の熱意を認める
“I want to help this girl achieve her dreams!” - that mysterious Hekiru power that pulls people along, PLUS
Soft, sad love ballads = “I want to take care of her”
Lyrics which speak of inner strength and determination = Your basic coolness factor, especially effective coming from such a small girl
Music with elements of rock = A girl who also has inner “fire”, intensity and power
とか、だからこそ、ファンも曲が聴きたいのです。
その曲が、自分にとって好きな椎名へきるの要素を思い出せるから。
That’s why fans liked her music. Her music reminded them of what they liked about her.
今は、好きなへきるの部分はなんでしょう。
そして、へきるの歌はそれにマッチしているのでしょう？
So, what do Hekiru fans like about Hekiru now? What facet of Hekiru do they love, what is it she does that appeals to them? Why would they stand in line for 3 hours to shake her hand?
The Hekiru of now is far different from the Hekiru of 8, even 6 years back. I’ve been a fan for over 7 years, and I will tell you right off the bat, there’s no more burning fire, no overwhelming charisma, no sheer force of personality, no dreams that sweep the entire audience up. She is… not ordinary, but not extraordinary either. She has no outstanding colour that comes through her words, though she continues to write lyrics that sound powerful enough. There’s no “essence” to back it up though.
Anyway, to get back to the question, what is it about Hekiru that fans find appealing now, and does her music match that “Hekiru-ness”?
歌だけでやっていくことは、本当に色々揃わないといけないところ。
世間が好きな音楽性 ＝ 社会のほしがっている商品
メディアに取り上げられる話題 ＝ マーケットに届く、商品の存在を知ってもらう
消費者が納得する値段で ＝ 簡単に、安くに手配できる
If Hekiru really wanted to get ahead just based on music (and not music talent, which is another beast again, reserved for only the best of the best), she had better get her marketing act together. You only sell what people want to buy, and at the price they would be willing to pay. And for that, you’ll need:-
- Music that’s up on the times = what the world (or a significant part of Japan, anyway) likes right now
- Something that’ll catch the media’s eye = reach to market, basically; can’t sell what people don’t know about
- At a good price = cheap and easy to consume, since all consumers are rather impatient nowadays
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February 11, 2005 – 10:08 am
I’ve decided that there are not enough graphics. Therefore, we happily present a little Love and a little Jet from Hekiru…
Stay tuned for a flurry of screencaps should I ever get hold of a high-res version of the Tabitachi PV. Punk band Hekiru!!
One day, I will have to open a gallery of my favourite Hekiru pics…
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