I was at the show last night (11.19). Honestly... I'm really disappointed. Almost nothing I wanted to hear live was played, and so many things I don't care at all about were. I sat there thinking, "Jihad would haaaaate this..." haha. It was not the rock Ringo concert I had been hoping against hope would happen - instead it was very sedate, jazzy, upscale, much like Dai-ikkai Ringohan Taikai. I had been hoping the jazzy/slow songs at the beginning were just one part, as soon as I realized there wasn't a guitar in the orchestra I was like ohhhh noooooo. Then after the third song she told us to sit down. It was like "Oh, it's going to be that kind of concert. Great."
I AM very glad I got to hear Marunouchi Sadistic though. It remains one of my very favorite songs. I just wish it hadn't been the ONLY song I've loved for years that I heard last night...
She had three costume changes. First she came out in a crown and a sparkly glittery slinky dress. Of course the crown - Ringo is our queen. Then she changed into a white dress with a short A-line skirt that flared out, with a black jacket on top, which she took off later but not in a dramatic way - in a like "I'm hot, gonna take this off now" random way, haha. Then she changed into a red pencil skirt and red/white blouse with a red/white hairscarf - looked like Audrey Hepburn. For the encore she put on one of the tour tshirts over that.
While her voice was amazing and she hit so many notes, she did not appear like she had a lot of energy - she was very stationery on stage, did not move around a lot.
But. She just gave birth 6 months ago. She has a baby she is breastfeeding. OF COURSE she doesn't have a lot of energy and of course she planned a more sedate show/setlist so she wouldn't have to exert herself too much. But it really is amazing that her voice has not been affected negatively at all by giving birth 6 months ago - it sounds freaking fantastic.
There was also a cute moment where she came out onstage at the start of the show, began singing Tsugou no Ii Karada, then flubbed a line. She waits about 5 seconds and then signals the band members "Mou ikkai [One more time]" and walks offstage, only to come back on and start over, getting it right this time. Later she sat down at the piano and did a pre-song MC, and during a bit of a pause after she apologized for what happened, people started shouting "No, it was cute!" Haha, it was cute, everyone was laughing.
At the end of the show, there was a pause so people started screaming "Congratulations!" "Congratulations on the birth of your baby!" (I screamed it too, haha)
A lot of girls came in full kimono which is amazing and I totally want to do too. A few people were wearing the Sports tour athletic jackets.
Now I'm just wishing I had been in Japan in like 2000 and could have heard some of my favorite favorite songs live and not rearranged in a jazzy HF way... or I wish I could have gone to Ringo Expo where they DID play the vast majority of those songs. I'm so jealous of Maou right now.
The new song, I dunno, it was slow and boring. I cannot describe music to save my life sooo... there you go.
Also, they didn't check any ID ever.
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