[SR] 2009.03.11 - Ringo EXPO 08 (DVD) [Concert Video]

[kuro_neko]

Originally Posted by ShinjiPG

This is getting silly.
I will not tolerate any more gayness in this thread.

[ShinjiPG]

Don't be ridiculous kuro_neko.
I like girls. And pandas. And penguins. I especially like penguins. Like Pen-Pen from Evangelion. That guy rocks.

Bottom line is: Ringo EXPO is friggin' amazing. "Hatsukoi Shoujo" and "Shuukyou" make me depressed. "Gamble" makes me like "Gamble". It's a good show.
I wonder if the normal-press edition is going to be in a jewel case instead of the first-press box. Because without the sticker and "Mikan no Kawa" score, it's going to be a pretty empty box.

[Nimh]

I like how this thread has now run the total spectrum from "jaded disdain" to "unbridled glee."

[Osiris12345]

Okay, so I finally got around to watching the entire concert. I really liked the setlist. There wasn't a song on there that I don't like. Some amazing performances, some good, some okay. There really wasn't anything that I found bad or mediocre. But there were some performances that didn't really blow me away. Overall, however, it was a fantastic concert.

Osiris's Obligatory Song-by-Song Review (no, I don't expect anyone to actually read all this )

01. Hatsukoi Shoujo - Very cool way to start off a concert. I would have to say it's one of her best openings! It had a certain mystical ambiance to it that you don't usually get at her shows. I knew this could be epic live but it needed all of the right ingredients together to be able to be pulled off. I'm happy to say that they did!
02. Sid to Hakuchuumu - Okay, I prefer the jazzier version of this so when I found out that was the version she did at this concert, I was pretty jazzed (no pun intended). And she didn't disappoint. Yeah, it's just like the single version, but who the hell cares? She rocked it! Awesome performance.
03. Koko de Kiss Shite - Don't need to go into too much detail about this one. It resembles the album version pretty closely. It still doesn't outdo the Dynamite Out version for me where Ringo screams her lungs out and Hirama and Ringo blast the shit out of you with power chords from amps turned all the way up to 11, but it's practically impossible to top that performance so I'm not particularly upset about it. I would say it's better than the album version though.
04. Honnou - A bit disappointing for me. It would have been really cool for Ringo to have gone out in her nurse costume for this one since it is probably her most iconic song. Honnou in antlers is a little odd... Yeah, I know it's nitpicky but still! And yes, I do realize that it would have been stupid to go out and do one costume change and then come back in something else. It was definitely a good performance though! It's hard to screw up Honnou. It just kicks too much ass. Even JCHI couldn’t ruin it for me.
05. Gamble - Wow, talk about BIG vocals. She nailed this one! Sure the arrangement is basically the same as HF's but she did much better vocally than she did on the album. This was great. One of those show-stopping performances.
06. Instrumental Shuukyou - I found myself humming along to it but I miss the "mellow" part of the original recording. That is THE moment I became immersed in KSK. Those vocals that slowly float towards the sky still give me goosebumps. I did like this though. Seems sadder than the KSK version for some reason. Can't really pinpoint why but I always found the chorus of the album version uplifting and euphoric. You felt like you were ascending. This version sounds in memoriam of Ringo at her peak. Maybe that's why it feels a little melancholy to me.
07. Gibs – Good performance but also a standard Gibs performance. Nothing particularly amazing about it. I did like it and it’s nice to see that she still has the vocal chops to sing the ballad. It’s never been high on my list of favorite Ringo songs so I may be a little biased, but it was good. The segue into Yami ni Furu Ame, however, was completely awesome.
08. Yami ni Furu Ame – Damn. Best version of this live by far. It's also one of those songs that lends itself very well to an orchestra. Very nice! Loved it.
09. Suberidai – Am I the only person who prefers this over the Electric Mole version? This was an awesome rendition. I feel like Ringo really channeled her inner self from 10 years ago when she performed this. It was truly genuine in my eyes. But I guess I’ve always preferred the original intro over Kameda’s bass part at the beginning of EM. And while HZM’s keyboard solo was pretty cool, it felt a little unnecessary at the same time. It’s a Ringo classic that doesn’t need to be tampered with. And speaking of tampering with, the orchestra usually messes with songs but in this case I thought it actually really added to it. It was a great fusion. I have to say this is to date my favorite performance of this song.
10. Yokushitsu – Awesome much? This song kicks ass no matter what version you’re listening to. Every live rendition of it is great. While this one is certainly no exception, I think I prefer Zazen Ecstasy’s a little more. Something about that one really hit the right chord with me. But the stage just shined when she performed it here. Also, be careful with that knife, Ringo!
11. Sakuran – Fun but not amazing. I like Sakuran but it felt a little filler to me. Probably the most forgettable song of the night. In fact, I forgot she performed it until I got to this song in the review....
12. Tsumi to Batsu – Well, here it is. My favorite song she has ever done. To those who have seen my posts in the Tsumi to Batsu Product Review thread, you know how I feel about how Ringo can never match the sheer power, emotion, ferocity, and energy of the original recording in any live (EM is the closest she has gotten). There is just something about the original Tsumi to Batsu that had magic. It was a perfect storm of vocals and instrumentation. Something that is practically impossible to recreate in my eyes. That’s not to say the lives are terrible and not worth seeing, but they lack that extra oomph of the original. So how did this one fare? Was it great? Well… yes and no. Her vocals were good but hearing the Otakara Show arrangement again really didn’t wow me. And this is also an example of high expectations, but I thought it would have been awesome if Asai Kenichi showed up onstage during the solo. Or at least if Nagoshi PLAYED the damn solo! I mean, come on! Complete waste of a good guitarist up there. And if there’s one song that sounded like a Ringo imitation during the night in my eyes, it’s this one. You could tell she was just going through the motions and thinking “Well, I have to perform Tsumi to Batsu here since that is one of my biggest songs” and just going out and doing it. But not nailing it. Just doing it. And to be honest, I don’t know if Ringo is capable of performing this song anymore. And I don’t mean that in an elitist way or even to take a stab at her. She’s missing something when she’s up there. The pain. Tsumi to Batsu is pain in lyric form. Now that Ringo is older, I think doing a song like this is more nostalgic than an actual representation of her feelings. When Ringo wrote Tsumi to Batsu, she was young and insecure. She was more emotional. During that time she must have felt like her life was just insane. Now that she’s settled down, feels like everything’s okay, and has a son to raise, it’s hard to recapture that feeling and truly sell it. And that is why Tsumi to Batsu will always seem like a stage performance to me when she performs it live. It’s good but she’s playing herself from 10 years ago. This was no exception. Good but not as great as I would have wanted it to be.
13. Kabukichou no Joou - Gets a lot of hate on here for some reason. People don't say it was memorable but I found it really enjoyable! Since this is the first song that ever got me into her, you can say I'm viewing this through nostalgia goggles. Unlike Tsumi to Batsu, I think she's done a pretty good job with this song at every concert she's performed it at. I like how she doesn't keep the same arrangement and changes it up a little (most of the time anyway). Orchestra or not, this always is fun to watch in my eyes. And no one can deny the awesomeness of the whistle solo.
14. Blackout – At first I was really surprised by how the brass completely stole the guitar part. But when I got more into it, I really enjoyed it. It's a nice rendition. I don't know if I prefer it over the original, but I really liked it. And yeah, sorry Uki lovers, but Nagoshi's solo >>>>>>> Uki's.
15. Instrumental Yattsuke Shigoto - WHY DID SHE NOT SING ON THIS????? ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH......... That's all I can say about this. Completely wasted opportunity. The band did a great job but IT NEEDED HER VOCAL. Ugh. Okay, I'm done.
16. Stem – I wish she'd perform this song in Japanese again. And I've never been satisfied by a live performance of this. The Electric Mole one was good but WAAAAYY overrated. It got hyped a lot on here and when I actually saw it on the DVD I was pretty underwhelmed. As for the Ringo Expo version, it was just.... okay for me. Not bad, not great. I do have to say I was pretty amused when Ringo sang "When I stand, I know I'll never be down again" and the dancers were doing some weird interpretive dance on all fours. I was like "Uh.... ladies, aren't you supposed to umm.... stand?"
17. Kono Yo No Kagiri - I was looking forward to seeing this. When Junpei came out, my first reaction was and then , but it was so awesomely random that I couldn't help but like it. Junpei rocked the headdress, man. And it was a fun performance. Ringo looked so radiant and happy when she performed with him and the orchestra did a nice job too. I wasn't amazed by the vocals upon first viewing but after seeing it again, I liked it a lot more. They really had a lot of energy and you could tell they both had a lot of fun up there. Very nice.
18. The Onion Song - Who would have thought The Onion Song would be one of the best songs of the night? This was a gamble because I really wasn't sure they'd be able to pull it off live. It was awesome! I found myself tapping my feet and singing along with them throughout practically the whole thing. Great performance.
19. Yume no Ato - Meh. Depressing. It was like after hearing The Onion Song, Ringo was like "Okay, okay, everybody! Settle down! Now I'm gonna hit you with some TEARS and SADNESS." I like Yume no Ato, don't get me wrong. It's just funny how on the setlist the two songs are such polar opposites. I thought it was a good performance though. It's starting to get a little bit overdone now, but not like how Stem has.
20. Tsumiki Asobi - Hahaha, awesome! I missed seeing her do this dance! Song is undeniably fun in all incarnations. Tough competitor with the Zazen version, but I think Zazen barely wins out. Hard to top that awesome intro. But this was a real treat!
21. Omatsuri Sawagi - I honestly don't know what Jihad is talking about. Embarrassing? Sounds like it's from a Vegas show? Did we watch the same performance, dude? Now I'll be honest here. When I first heard there were dancers coming out during this one, I was like "Oh, god here we go. This is one of my favorites, if not my favorite, Tokyo Jihen songs and they are just going to turn it into a gimmicky mess!" So you could say I went into this expecting a huge turd where my one of my favorite songs of hers used to be. But after seeing it, I really couldn't be more wrong. I have to say, and I don't give a damn what anyone else says, it was a fuckwin and awesome performance that stands right next to Dynamite Out's for me. I don't usually like stage theatrics and fancy crap but for some reason it really worked with this song. I loved the arrangement, I loved Ringo's energy, I loved the traditional drums, I loved how the dancers came out like it was a huge festival, I loved it when Ringo walked up to the front of the stage and sang the last chorus. I loved the whole damn thing. Every second of it.
22. Karisome Otome - Another nice surprise! God, did this kick ass and take names or what? And, oh my god, is that Ringo dancing like she's actually having fun? Holy shit, when has she ever done that? Ringo is almost always completely motionless onstage. Part of what makes Dynamite Out so entertaining is that HZM can't sit on his piano bench for more than 5 seconds, Hirama is going crazy on his guitar, Hata goes wild on the drums, Kameda is like a big happy bear, and then there's Ringo in the middle of it all with an attitude like "Oh, you silly boys. If I weren't here you'd just be monkeying around..." and just completely keeping her composure. And I always saw Ringo as being that way for the most part. More cold-blooded than hot-blooded, so to speak. Sure, she does the Marunouchi strut (it's just mandatory) and she does the Tsumiki Asobi thing, but damn, this was some real spontaneous shit. She was really moving up there! That was just awesome! Great performance, of course. And that "sayonara!" before she drops backwards was one of the best exits ever.
23. Tadashii Machi - Okay, I wasn't expecting much after Karisome to be honest. I like this song, sure, but I pretty much felt like I knew what to expect after seeing her perform it so many times. But damn, this was great. I really enjoyed it. Not the climax the previous two songs were, but a damn good encore.
24. Koufukuron - I didn't know what to expect with this one. I was skeptical about a Saito Neko take on this. But as soon as Nagoshi started jamming on the guitar and Ringo started yelling into the megaphone, I smiled. Our old Ringo with attitude is back! It was really awesome to see this, it felt just like the old Ringo performances. Very nostalgic. And I love how the arrangement was kept close to the Muzai Moratorium one so Neko couldn't throw in random symphonic crap to make it melodramatic. In fact, I like that the orchestra didn't do anything because it's fine as just a rock song. I wish she screamed like a wild banshee like she did on the album version but you know, that's just a minor complaint. Other than that minor thing, it was a complete throwback to the original. I loved it.
25. Mikan no Kawa – A masterpiece. And that doesn’t even do it justice. We are all lucky to even be alive this century to witness a song this brilliant. I’m surprised and appalled that people on this forum have been calling this amazing work of art simply “cute”. You should be ashamed of yourselves! This is the best thing Ringo has ever done. Ever.
26. Yokyou – Definitely the song of the night for me. Ringo ends with one hell of a bang! This may not have been her best concert (Dynamite Out and Electric Mole win over it for me) but this is by far her best closing she’s ever done at a concert. Now I know a lot of you will disagree with me and you’re entitled to your opinions, but you cannot deny the magic this song had. I don’t think she has a song quite like it. It just has a great melody. It is dramatic like Gamble but cheerful sounding like the Koufukuron single. When the dancers come out, Ringo has an entire army behind her and she is triumphant like she's just won a war (I won't even go into the flags people were waving around...). And that key change! Oh man, that key change! And how she just belts out that last note at the end! Completely awesome. Also, I really am a sucker for Ringo's penchant for dramatic poses. Because she does an awesome one at the end of this song when she holds her hand out in front of her towards the audience. And I love how she yells out her "Thank you!" and takes her bow. I think the last chorus combined with that is one favorite moments ever from a Ringo show. And the way she walked back and the dancers filed out behind her was a nice touch as well. Great way to leave off a great concert.


I really would love to hear a single version of Yokyou. But please, Ringo, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD don't fill it with slow piano and faux jazz crap! We want you to rock our asses off, not make us want to bust out the champagne and have a cocktail party. I think I speak for all of EMF when I say this.

Also, anyone else smile a little when Neko clapped during Yokyou and then went back to conducting? For some reason, I thought that was cool.

Tl;dr:
1. Hatsukoi Shoujo - 10/10
2. Sid to Hakuchuumu - 10/10
3. Koko de Kiss Shite - 8/10
4. Honnou - 8/10
5. Gamble - 10/10
6. Instrumental Shuukyou - 8/10
7. Gibs - 7/10
8. Yami ni Furu Ame - 10/10
9. Suberidai - 10/10
10. Yokushitsu - 9/10
11. Sakuran - 7/10
12. Tsumi to Batsu - 8/10
13. Kabukichou no Joou - 9/10
14. Blackout - 9/10
15. Instrumental Yattsuke Shigoto - 9/10
16. Stem - 7/10
17. Kono Yo Ni Kagiri - 9/10
18. The Onion Song - 10/10
19. Yume no Ato - 8/10
20. Tsumiki Asobi - 9/10
21. Omatsuri Sawagi - 10/10
22. Karisome Otome - 10/10
23. Tadashii Machi - 9/10
24. Koufukuron - 10/10
25. Mikan no Kawa - 1,000,000,000,000/10
26. Yokyou - 10/10

Overall: 9/10

Definitely a great show. I am satisfied.

[freackled]

Just wanted to point out that the numbers on the clock go to 13 during Blackout!

[kuro_neko]

Originally Posted by freackled

Just wanted to point out that the numbers on the clock go to 13 during Blackout!

your icon is so strangely appropriate given the discussion (scroll up!)

[ChickShhh]

I just realised there's a part which Nagoshi used a flag to play his guitar in Kofukuron :OOOOO Ukigumo, just leave please

Kameda seemed to be pissed off throughout the show. His face was like .__. most of the time

The instrumentals were awesome, I could still hear the narrator(s) speaking though

Karisome Otome was in DEATH JAZZ ver., that was truly a big present for me

We could not hear the new version of Marunouchi Sadistic. I anticipate much on the song when I pressed the 'Cast & Staff' after finishing the show . However.......................RINGO NO UTA RAWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

P.S.

recent pic of the drummer.

[ShinjiPG]

That's him!
Altough I don't think he was wearing a burning heart during the show. Maybe it was under his clothes, dunno. But it was him.

[Tokyo Jihad]

No wonder he's so good

[Osiris12345]

It all makes sense now!