2016.02.21 Shiina Ringo WOWOW Broadcast
 

There's a preview on the main site here

http://www.wowow.co.jp/music/ringo/

Wasn't too impressed but will still be keen to view the full show.

As far as I understand the site, this is the setlist:

凡才肌 / いろはにほへと / 尖った手☐ / 神様、仏様 / SG～Superficial Gossip～ / 熱愛発覚中 / 至上の人生 / ブラックアウト / 迷彩 / 罪と罰 / Σ / マヤカシ優男 / 名うての泥棒猫 / 真夜中は純潔 / 長く短い祭 / 群青日和 / NIPPON 他

And a pic to boot:

They're only listing 17 songs and "others" on the setlist for the broadcast. They're airing the performance from December 9th, and there were 31 songs performed that day. I wonder if they cut out some of the songs, or if their definition of "others" means 14 more songs.

Hmm...

I smell a full set list blu ray incoming.

Gotta give it to em, if that's the way they're playing this, it's pretty lucrative marketing.

I'm assuming the nurse outfit s a direct reference to Honnou and to be honest I'm a little apprehensive about it. I hope we'll be able to watch it online somewhere.

Here's the full setlist from 12/9, with the songs not listed on the WOWOW page struck through:

1. 凡才肌 bonsai hada
2. やさしい哲学 yasashii tetsugaku
3. いろはにほへと irohanihoeto
4. 尖った手口 togatta teguchi
5. 労働者 kudousha
6. 走れゎナンバー hashirewa number
7. 神様、仏様 kamisama hotokesama
8. 現実に於て genjitsu ni oite
9. 現実を嗤う genjitsu wo warau
10. SG ～Superficial Gossip～
11. 熱愛発覚中 netsuai hakkakuchuu
12. とりこし苦労 torokoshi kurou
13. 至上の人生 shijou no jinsei
14. 迷彩 meisai
15. ブラックアウト blackout
16. 罪と罰 tsumi to batsu
17. セーラー服と機関銃 sailor fuku to kikanjuu
18. Σ sigma
19. 警告 keikoku
20. マヤカシ優男 mayakashi yasaotoko
21. 名うての泥棒猫 naute no dorobouneko
22. 真夜中は純潔 mayonaka ha junketsu
23. きらきら武士 kira kira bushi
24. 華麗なる逆襲 kareinaru gyakushuu
25. 御祭騒ぎ omatsurisawagi
26. 長く短い祭 nagaku nijikai matsuri
27. 群青日和 gunjou byori
28. NIPPON

Encore (Definitely the "other" part mentioned on the WOWOW page after NIPPON)
29. 逆さに数えて sakasa ni kazoete
30. 虚言症 kyougenshou
31. 二人ぼっち時間 futaribocchi jikan

So assuming they broadcast the entire encore, that's 20 total songs out of 31 (30 if you count the two genjitsu songs as one) being aired.

Hopefully they breathed some life into this thing...

My monthly reminder to listen to it again so I can remember even the melody.

A Glimpse of what it should originally sound like:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-C...ew?usp=sharing

I remember the melody pretty clearly, but only because it beginning REALLY reminds me of some old song... I want to say by Depeche Mode? Or someone that sounds like them. It's been bugging me since the song was released...

the audio mixing sucked.

8. 現実に於て genjitsu ni oite
9. 現実を嗤う genjitsu wo warau

both songs are now broadcasting, seems that the bluray never comes ;)

edit: the live is here, http://live.bilibili.com/74381

edit2: the twelveth song is now broadcasting, so it should be broadcasting the full set.

Lol they took out all the best songs from this broadcast.

Yasashii tetsugaku was so good, as was the Kirakira bushi~Karei naru gyakushu portion.

Reading my twitter timeline, it seems they didn't broadcast any of the three encore songs.

Happened last time with WOWOW too, then they did a re-broadcast a couple months later with fixed/tweaked mix that was miles better.

From what I've seen... this show looks OK.

last time was a live broadcast, but this time isn't...

The final broadcasting setlist: (thanks mrnarse for creating the setlist)
1. 凡才肌 bonsai hada
2. やさしい哲学 yasashii tetsugaku
3. いろはにほへと irohanihoeto
4. 尖った手口 togatta teguchi
5. 労働者 kudousha
6. 走れゎナンバー hashirewa number
7. 神様、仏様 kamisama hotokesama
8. 現実に於て genjitsu ni oite
9. 現実を嗤う genjitsu wo warau
10. SG ～Superficial Gossip～
11. 熱愛発覚中 netsuai hakkakuchuu
12. とりこし苦労 torokoshi kurou
13. 至上の人生 shijou no jinsei
14. ブラックアウト blackout
15. 迷彩 meisai
16. 罪と罰 tsumi to batsu
17. セーラー服と機関銃 sailor fuku to kikanjuu
18. Σ sigma
19. 警告 keikoku
20. マヤカシ優男 mayakashi yasaotoko
21. 名うての泥棒猫 naute no dorobouneko
22. 真夜中は純潔 mayonaka ha junketsu
23. きらきら武士 kira kira bushi
24. 華麗なる逆襲 kareinaru gyakushuu
25. 御祭騒ぎ omatsurisawagi
26. 長く短い祭 nagaku nijikai matsuri
27. 群青日和 gunjou byori
28. NIPPON

Encore
29. 逆さに数えて sakasa ni kazoete
30. 虚言症 kyougenshou
31. 二人ぼっち時間 futaribocchi jikan

meh can't afford 15GB on jps, any alternative links available?

Noone has any comments?

EMF is truly dead :-/

All I'll say is that you can see her breakfast on Tsumi to Batsu...

Thanks to the local embargo on Ringo-related content, I haven't gotten to watch it yet. :(

You can see her breakfast?

She may as well be wearing no undies.

Ah, gotcha. B)

I don't really want to say what I think until I sit down and watch it in the right mood. It's unfair to judge it when I'm just not feeling this kind of show right now. It's certainly less stripped back than Expo and it's a bit more rocky in sound... but yeah... not the right time to really make any formal decision.

I think it's OK, OK?

(The guitar work is noticeably sloppy even to a non-guitar player on some of the songs though, Maou won't be happy ;-p)

haven't watched all of it yet and I probably won't (setlist is okay but nothing I'm desperate to see) but Ringo's absolutely on form. The vocals aren't quite what they were in 2000 but her stage presence and charisma, along with the outfits and visuals are all on point, and she just sells her current persona so well. MANGARAMA are mostly solid but I know it's against the rules to say nice things about Ukigumo on here.

Also it's great that she's still playing these 30-track-long shows. She could get away with a lot less.

Someone got the English lyrics of Togatta Teguchi... was like WTF IS SHE SAYING. I like the arrangement quite a bit though.

So, as it turns out, I'm finally getting a chance to watch this now. Yay!

Some impressions, which I will continue to update as I watch further:

1. Bonsai Hada - Vocally, this is one of those performances that is just so inimitably Ringo - that almost-but-not quite broken voice that is so amazing and yet so disquieting at the same time. But I feel like she could have taken a bit more time with it; it almost sounds a bit rushed, and some of the impact is lost as a result. The way the audio is recorded also seems to take a lot of the depth out of the performance in general.

2. Yasashii Tetsugaku - It's nice, and Ringo sounds nice, but it's not an incredibly exciting performance. Then again, this was never the most exciting song (Ringo didn't write it, which might have something to do with it). There's nothing really wrong with her performance here, but it just really feels like she's holding back.

ETA: Or maybe it's the way this whole thing is recorded. The sound seems really flat to me.

3. Irohanihoheto - Ringo's voice is nice and warm here. Definitely digging it. However, while I will concede that I am absolutely not qualified to judge guitar-playing, something seems really...off...about it here.

4. Togatta Teguchi - Also quite good. Were there always English lyrics to this?

5. Roudousha - Ah, there it is. That's the good stuff. Somehow she just makes singing this song feel so effortless...she's having a good time, the band is having a good time, everyone is feeling great. Really liking the brass here too.

6. Hashire wa Number - She's really hitting her groove now. I think I may actually prefer this to the version on Expo 14.

7. Kamisama, Hotokesama - Loved it. I know, I'm not supposed to - it's one of the new songs, and moreover it's the B side to the Coke song - but somehow it suddenly just clicked. And Ringo freaking tore it up. Tore. It. Up.

8. Genjitsu ni Oite/Genjitsu o Warau - This was also an excellent performance with lots of terrific detail in her voice. It wasn't quite Dynamite Out, but it was definitely right up there. Mixing this to make her voice a bit more prominent would have been helpful.

Also, it sounds to me like she's been practicing her English - with an American. Listen to the way she pronounces "maybe not, not" and compare to her earlier performances (e.g. DO). I applaud her for making the effort, but it's kind of a shame - I always liked her ever-so-slightly British accent.

^on yasashii tetsugaku, it may be the audio mixing or it may just be the show they recorded for this, but for the Sendai show that I attended, the transition from the end of track 1 to the opening of YT was GLORIOUS, and the song overall was just a highlight for me.

Overall the sound quality sounds quite weak/thin on this recording. I don't really feel much power from the band apart from her vocals, which is in stark contrast to the show I attended (maybe it's a live vs recording thing? but then I thought Expo '14 sounded great on record...)

Yes, weak/thin sound is exactly it. Her performance of Yasashii Tetsugaku is good, but it just lacks a certain presence. As I listen to more and more of this concert, I'm really starting to think it's the recording more than anything. Ringo puts on a lot of great performances, but somehow the recording just doesn't do her justice.

Continuing the above:

9. SG - Superficial Gossip - Really loved this, and it's probably my favorite recording of this song now. It's understated, and yes, even restrained - but in a very purposeful, almost coy way.

10. Netsuai Hakkakuchuu - I just can't get behind the auto-tune (or whatever effect it is) here. It obliterates too much of the juicy part of her voice.

11. Torikoshi Kurou - Now, this was awesome. Ringo sounds, IMO, as good as ever, and the acoustic guitar is pure gold. It almost comes as a shock after Netsuai Hakkakuchuu - I wonder if putting that beforehand was done just to create this effect. If I have a complaint about this - if - it's that I really would have loved to see Ringo do the whole thing with just the acoustic guitar.

That's a shame about the audio recording. I'm not an audiophile either. But I regularly listen to audio rips of concerts (more than I actually watch them) and this will probably get to me :(

Thanks for the impressions anyway. And zeroryouko -- it's great that Roudousha and Genjitsu are good. I'm looking forward to those songs the most.

Where can I watch it streamed or not 15GB?

If any JPS members need some bonus points to cover the download, just PM me there.

Watching Togatta Teguchi. The audio is really bad and everything sounds so weak. I really hope it is more of a mix thing and not a band thing (so there's hope for the blu-ray) because I like how each songs up until now are arranged differently to the originals =(

I went to the オリンパスホール八王子 concert. It was my first full-length Ringo concert.

I suppose in hindsight that she changes track listing often during a tour, but at the concert I saw the final encore song was 青春の瞬き. I was quite looking forward to hearing that song again as the live performance totally changed my opinion of that song, so I'm disappointed to see it's not in this performance.

Anyway I quite hope that it's released as DVD or obtainable in some format, even if it mightn't be the best concert, it was memorable for me!

the mixing has been sucked since Expo 14, and I'm starting to know grandma's feel...That nice performance with a CRAPPY audio mix is unacceptable for me...:hmph:
edit: tried some remastering works but it couldn't fixed the audio, because it is from the mixing side which inserted real echoes into main vocal (but not the other tracks, like the guitar) which made it weak and will give you tinnitus after listening, at least for me.

Unfortunately I got interrupted, so I was not able to complete the whole concert last night. But here's the continuation. I'm not sure if anyone really cares what I think about it, but if nothing else it helps to organize my own thoughts.

I also re-included the earlier tracks as I wanted to provide a numerical rating and some additional comments as well.

1. Bonsai Hada - 7/10. Vocally, this is one of those performances that is just so inimitably Ringo - that almost-but-not quite broken voice that is so amazing and yet so disquieting at the same time. But I feel like she could have taken a bit more time with it; it almost sounds a bit rushed, and some of the impact is lost as a result. The way the audio is recorded also seems to take a lot of the depth out of the performance in general.

2. Yasashii Tetsugaku - 6/10. It's nice, and Ringo sounds nice, but it's not an incredibly exciting performance. Then again, this was never the most exciting song (Ringo didn't write it, which might have something to do with it). There's nothing really wrong with her performance here, but it just really feels like she's holding back.

ETA: Or maybe it's the way this whole thing is recorded. The sound seems really flat to me.

3. Irohanihoheto - 7/10. Ringo's voice is nice and warm here. Definitely digging it. However, while I will concede that I am absolutely not qualified to judge guitar-playing, something seems really...off...about it here.

ETA: Seriously, was that guy even playing the same song?

4. Togatta Teguchi - 7/10. Also quite good. Were there always English lyrics to this?

ETA: There were some vocal effects used on this one as well - but the effect was used as an accent, and did not dominate over Ringo's delivery. I still have to deduct a point for this though.

5. Roudousha - 8/10. Ah, there it is. That's the good stuff. Somehow she just makes singing this song feel so effortless...she's having a good time, the band is having a good time, everyone is feeling great. Really liking the brass here too.

ETA: I will say that there were a couple of points where she did let the backing vocals carry her a bit. But exerting herself just wouldn't be in keeping with the feel-good vibe, so it works.

6. Hashire wa Number - 8/10. She's really hitting her groove now. I think I may actually prefer this to the version on Expo 14.

7. Kamisama, Hotokesama - 9/10. Loved it. I know, I'm not supposed to - it's one of the new songs, and moreover it's the B side to the Coke song - but somehow it suddenly just clicked. And Ringo freaking tore it up. Tore. It. Up.

8. Genjitsu ni Oite/Genjitsu o Warau - 8/10. This was also an excellent performance with lots of terrific detail in her voice. It wasn't quite Dynamite Out, but it was definitely right up there. Mixing this to make her voice a bit more prominent would have been helpful.

Also, it sounds to me like she's been practicing her English - with an American. Listen to the way she pronounces "maybe not, not" and compare to her earlier performances (e.g. DO). I applaud her for making the effort, but it's kind of a shame - I always liked her ever-so-slightly British accent.

9. SG - Superficial Gossip - 8/10. Really loved this, and it's probably my favorite recording of this song now. It's understated, and yes, even restrained - but in a very purposeful, almost coy way. ETA: This performance also really boosted my general opinion of the song in general.

10. Netsuai Hakkakuchuu - 4/10. I just can't get behind the auto-tune (or whatever effect it is) here. It obliterates too much of the juicy part of her voice.

ETA: That being said - I did enjoy her dancing. Maybe the way to look at this is to start from the premise that Ringo wants to do a dance number. The effect then allows her some forgiveness in terms of vocals, so that she can concentrate on her moves. I'm still not a huge supporter of this, but I guess I can understand it.

What really confuses me about this is the nurse's outfit she wore. I mean, for me, nurse's outfit = Honnou. We've all discussed before what that song was about, and how it was misinterpreted. But her use of it here seems like pure fanservice. I'm not really sure how to interpret this.

11. Torikoshi Kurou - 9/10. Now, this was awesome. Ringo sounds, IMO, as good as ever, and the acoustic guitar is pure gold. It almost comes as a shock after Netsuai Hakkakuchuu - I wonder if putting that beforehand was done just to create this effect. If I have a complaint about this - if - it's that I really would have loved to see Ringo do the whole thing with just the acoustic guitar. ETA: For me, I think this would be the highlight of the whole concert - unless she works some real magic in the last few of songs I haven't watched yet.

12. Shijou no Jinsei - 6/10. She performed it well, and I enjoyed it, but this song still really just doesn't do it for me. I was hoping that it would suddenly just click for me, like some of her other live performances of songs I was previously ambivalent about have, but ultimately even a solid live performance didn't quite sell it.

13. Blackout - 8/10. Always loved this song, and Ringo did not disappoint, delivering another great vocal performance. The way the song was arranged with the band worked very well.

14. Meisai - 7/10. I hate to say it, but I feel like this song is actually getting a little bit overplayed. Nor was this Ringo's best performance of it. It wasn't bad, per se, but previous performances have had a certain raw jazz energy to them, whereas this mostly just sounded rushed.

15. Tsumi to Batsu - 8.5/10. For me, the most controversial number. This is the song where it is, by far, the most obvious that her voice is not what it was during her peak years. This is the song where, when she sang it in Expo 08, I began to despair that she was losing her voice. I wish I knew more of the correct terms to describe these things, but originally, the song was full of a certain powerful, rasping, growling vocal technique that, I am sad to say, it's pretty clear Ringo just can't execute anymore. Her performance here was also pretty rough, although not nearly as much so as some other recent ones have been.

Yet, at the same time - I LOVED IT. Ringo has always been a master at using what she's got to the absolute fullest effect. Tsumi to Batsu is a rough song, and Ringo found a way to make her voice play right into that. I would make the argument that re-tooling Tsumi to Batsu to work with her current vocals is an experiment she's been working on since at least Fuji Rock, and it seems that with each subsequent performance, she's been able to refine it. No, it's not Electric Mole - but I think she has succeeded wonderfully.

16. Sigma - 8/10. One of my favorite performances of this song, but sadly, this is one track that would have really benefited from better audio. Ringo's voice just sounds too thin here, and it's not her delivery. It's really a shame, because she projected a lot of attitude during the more rap-influenced parts. The more traditionally-sung parts also seemed a bit more...melodic?...than in the past, which again I quite enjoyed.

17. Keikoku - 8/10. I'm glad she performed this; if anything, it's a bit of an underplayed classic. It's really tempting to compare this performance of it to, for example, the one from GX. Clearly her voice has changed a bit since then, and she just can't belt it out quite the same as she used to. But unlike Tsumi to Batsu, it didn't really feel any different. Ringo's performance was quite faithful to the original, and she really did the song justice.

18. Mayakashi Yasaotoko - 8/10. This song works really well with the band; I think she must have designed the band with this in mind. Ringo herself sounded as good as ever.

19. Naute no Dorobouneko - 8.5/10. This was quite a pleasant surprise. I know this is one of the songs she wrote for Ishikawa Sayuri, but has Ringo ever performed it before? The original Ishikawa version was good, but there's a lot of Ringo's signature sound in this song, and hearing her actually sing it, it just seems to "pop."

And that's as far as I got. I'll add the rest as soon as I get a chance to watch it!

Could it be the mixing problems also have to do with the way its been recorded and encoded? Remember its not a pro doing it afterall...

Nah. I doubt it.

It's Shiina Ringo related so bad mixing is the way it is...

I doubt it has much to do with the end user level recording/encoding. The version I saw is an MPEG transport stream that appears to be exactly as originally broadcast.

And WOWOW is a premium/pay service right too???

Fucking jipped.

Yeah. I'm kind of surprised that they didn't broadcast it in surround sound. It appears to have just been stereo.

That Sayuri song was really excellent performed live, I have to say.

it was mixed by the same engineer of Ringo's catalog, so no surprise. But his recent style on live mixing is unbearable to ears...

Nope, most of the japan television channels adopt AAC encoding which is much less aggressive than MP3 (and also do nothing to the audio except cutting high frequencies in order to match the bitrate), and ttk/bon voyage/electric mole have better mixing than expo14/this shit.

A few clips are turning up on youtube:

1

2

I haven't watched the whole thing yet but damn, those eyelashes freak me out.

Also stopping the video few times for that red panties shot.

Will comment on the actual music later on. Lol

Can't even watch it a second time round...

The sound is just too noticeably muddy. Sigh too, because I know there's some great arrangements tucked in there.


That said... the hands down brilliant new arrangement of Nakata song (I'm gonna call it the "Fukushuu ver.") makes me forget the horrible original. So that's one great thing that's come out of this. All they had to do was remove all Nakata.

I was about to pass on this one, but now I'm glad I gave it a chance. From what I've seen so far (~70%), I'm quite impressed. I know I need to watch it all the way through, but right now I'm thinking this is the most enjoyable SR/TJ concert I've seen in years (maybe since Ultra C?). Does anyone agree? I've seen some positive reviews, but nothing that extreme.

Can't you use VLC's equalizer or something to tweak the sound?

Or consider yourself lucky you can see more than just the 2 clips available on youtube!

Found a digest:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZkA...RIrnIL6cL3s0UG

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CslMUn313ZY

Yeah, that's exactly what I was trying to say. I haven't watched it past the first few songs. Now I understand a how the audiophiles feel, in my own layman way. It's such a huge waste for me because I listen to live audio rips more than I listen to her recordings, and this tour has the setlist of my dreams :(

Ringo Expo 14 wasn't AS bad as this on the mixing front, was it?

Edit: Continuing to watch. I'm at Genjitsu ni Oite/Warau (and then I have to go out), and bad audio or not, it feels so good to hear it again. I think this more laid back edition is cool!

And, uh, yeah...I guess I'll take this new arrangement of the Nakata song, too? I'll leave in a minute.
And then she decides to perform Torikoshi Kurou, lol.

Edit 2: That recent single she sings after Torikoshi Kurou. I'm not sure if IT is the mixing this time...wouldn't the band have performed it with even more 'oomph' in Ultra C? Maou?

Feels like a long time since I was able to enjoy a full SR live recording like this.

I should be used to it by now but I'm still blown away by this woman's aesthetic prowess, her unmatched command of expression. This woman is impressionism embodied.

We did get a rare sign that this woman is actually a mortal human (armpit sweat--bad choice of material for her top; surprising considering the attention to detail that goes into pretty much every aspect of her high profile performances).

And for those dissatisfied with the sound... not sure I'm hearing the problem. Could the issue be on the end user's side? It sounds fantastic to me both with my good sennheisers and with my modest but trusty polks/onkyo stereo receiver (stereo as it should be, not a surround receiver... leave surround for the movies, music needs stereo).

You might be on to something here. I'm playing it through the surround receiver and it *is* set to upmix stereo. Usually this sounds better though, not worse.

So I finally finished watching the show. I'm not going to say it's the best thing since the Jihen years (because that was Toutaikai), but it was quite enjoyable. No, Ringo's voice is only maybe 90% of what it was at its peak, but I still love it. She is an incredible performer, she puts on a hell of a show, and there's still absolutely no one I'd love more to see live. Really my biggest criticism in all of this is that I desperately want her to release an album full of new songs that she can perform - I love the standards to be sure, but I know she's got a lot more where that came from.

The sound, however, stunk on ice. Following fernan1234's comment, I futzed around with the settings on my receiver, but I just could not get it to sound right. I'm sure it was awesome for the in-person audience, but everything just sounded so flat in the recording.

I have shitty sound on my computer/less than remarkable earphones, but it's definitely not an end user thing.

I've watched up to Sigma so far. This has to be the best version of the song. And that includes the demo.

About her voice -- I strongly disagree that voice has gotten WORSE over the years. Her singing is just extremely unpredictable. In this show, her singing is generally not up to par. I think she sounded great in Ultra C and in Toutokai. The Harbour concert and this one is not good. In Dynamite Out and Expo 08 she was kind of screechier than normal. It really just depends on the song and the concert.

The MANGARAMA line-up is very... well-balanced? Whatever it is, I can't remember the last time I watched a concert and was completely fine with sitting through the entire setlist. Even in stuff like Toutaikai that crew hit a few speed bumps on less-popular songs, but here they're able to add some much needed flourish to some of the flatter or one-dimensional studio offerings without being overbearing like Neko and the Pimps.


2. やさしい哲学 yasashii tetsugaku
Man, legit forgot this song even existed. Nice arrangement.

5. 労働者 roudousha
The song always felt incomplete... until the horn section attacked.

9. 現実を嗤う genjitsu wo warau
12. とりこし苦労 torikoshi kurou
14. ブラックアウト blackout
15. 迷彩 meisai
18. 警告 keikoku
19. マヤカシ優男 mayakashi yasaotoko
20. 名うての泥棒猫 naute no dorobouneko
21. 真夜中は純潔 mayonaka wa junketsu
22. 御祭騒ぎ omatsuri sawagi
23. 長く短い祭 nagaku nijikai matsuri
Not saying these lives completely ruined their album counterparts for me, but even with the seemingly handicapped sound recording it's still really tempting to rip MP3s of these and netsuai to replace or add back to the playist.

11. 熱愛発覚中 netsuai hakkakuchuu
first half: i guess we about that cosplay lounge idol life now
second half: from the hospital to the red light district


I'd buy a blu-ray of this concert with the true full setlist and some semblance of better audio quality, even if somehow the songs left off were magically mediocre (six songs aren't a complete dealbreaker unless they completely shit on Kyougenshou or something).

I watched this a second time last night. I'm not sure quite what I did settings-wise, but it sounded a lot better this time. Still not great, but better enough that I was really starting to get into some of the tracks I had previously found to be a little bit lackluster. Yasashii Tetsugaku, in particular, was an awesome performance that just somehow didn't come through on the first listen.

This concert is really growing on me. It must have been incredible to see live. I'm SO envious of those who got to see her on tour!

You're absolutely right about the variability of her voice - it is and always has been a bit unpredictable. Given that she has had, by all accounts, relatively minimal vocal training, I suppose that's to be expected, and I think the argument could even be made that in some ways she's a better singer today than she was in her youth simply by dint of experience. But it seems at least to me that there is a noticeable difference in her current singing versus what she was doing 8 or 10 years ago. Tsumi to Batsu seems like the most obvious example - she just doesn't seem to be able to deliver it with the same kind of raw, bluesy vocals she did back in the day.

Has she really only had minimal vocal training? You would think that if someone's job is to sing, they would invest a lot more time in making sure the tool for their job is as perfect as it could be.

According to the unauthorized biography, she had only 6 months of voice training prior to her debut. No word on whether she kept it up afterward, or for how long. Personally, I can totally see her young self deciding that voice training was just another type of conformity being forced upon her and wanting to be done with it, but that is 100% pure speculation on my part.

Quality and technique aside, the big reason for a professional vocalist like Shiina Ringo to properly train their voice is so that they don't damage it. Again pure speculation on my part, but I think this is what has happened to her. Also the smoking can't have helped.

Looks like the youtube videos were deleted before I got to them, if anyone finds new links please post here or PM me them...

ringohime78 on tumblr has uploaded a few of them. (Bonsai Hada, Keikoku, Netsuai Hakkakuchuu, Genjitsu o Warau, Meisai)

Thank you!

Thankyou thankyou!

Even though I did see this tour live (not the broadcasted concert) it's been absolutely killing me to read everyone comments about watching it again. There are so many little details missed that I want to see again. I love the new dimension and maturity that the brass instruments bring to the music too. When she played Σ I wondered whether this was a message to any fans unsure about the new band.

At the concert I also thought the sound was a bit flat, but I attributed it to my poor (far away) seat, my own ears, the venue, etc. I didn't know there was a long running issue with the sound until I joined this forum.

Some videos have popped up on youtube.. They probably won't last long.

長く短い祭り

NIPPON

神様、仏様 ～ メンバー紹介

It turns out that this is the concert I attended in November! It's probably the Saturday concert (I went Friday) because her nurse hat fell off during Netsuai Hakkakuchu, which didn't happen in the broadcast.

Watched the broadcast last night and it was great to relive it. I'll never get used to how quiet and calm Japanese audiences are, of course, but the recording doesn't capture at all the energy of the venue. She closed with Nippon (pre-encore), a song I've never liked much, but since seeing it live it's become one of my favorites. The previously-well-behaved audience went crazy when the screens turned blue and came together to show the flag.

For me it was a very emotional show, finally seeing Ringo live after many many years of loving her.

I am so envious! It sounds like it was an awesome experience!

I'm watching it now. Honestly, this was probably incredible live. You can tell there's energy in the band not being captured by the broadcast. We usually say it's the mixing when we're disappointed with the quality of videos we watch. However, I think it starts before the mixing process. With how difficult it can be to hear Nagoshi, Ukigumo and at times HZM, there's gotta be something else wrong. It really sounds like their amps don't have proper mic setups. Like mics from across the stage are recording the sound rather than mics directly in front of the amps. : /

I think it's also help that I turned the volume up 2.5x my normal listening volume for this thing.

Shijou no Jinsei was good. Blackout would have been great if not for the poor brass section. These brass instruments being forced into the older songs just doesn't work.

I spent the better part of the second half of last year hoping this tour would be the antidote for 2015's lackluster singles, and I have to say it exceeded all my expectations. I've re-watched it a couple of times now and I just keep liking it more each time. If there were any doubt that she's still got it - and I admit, I was beginning to doubt, just a little - this puts it to rest.

To me, Ringo was the one who seemed like she was getting lost in the mix. Although maybe everyone was, and Ringo is just the one I was paying most attention to.

Maybe the TV guys brought their own mics rather than patching into the main sound board? I mean, that seems really redundant, but maybe there's some technical reason for it? Or maybe for broadcast they applied some dynamic range compression to it?

I've got my hands on the concert too and have watched it a few times.

The first two tracks are fantastic, Bonsai Hada and that wailing trumpet at the end I enjoy. As someone else noted yasahii tetsugaka is much improved. The moment that curtain drops is great.

This might be hard to believe (and controversial) but I think I enjoy the video more than the live. There is the chance to absorb more details I couldn't see from my (level 3) seat and of course at a Shiina concert there are no shortage of details to follow - lighting, costumes, video, projected lyrics etc. The live was 2hrs long and at the end of it I was quite worn out, mentally and I'd forgotten half of the set list by the time I got on the train home.

That's not to say I won't go to a live concert again - of course I'll go to a live concert again!

I am looking forward to this new era of Shiina's work. I know it's different to the previous eras, but that she's back with a new band and a high standard is proof of what a diverse artist she is; never wedded to a particular style and not too stubborn to change her older music. We can always re-live the previous eras with a DVD or CD :)

I did some basic meddling in audacity and it helps a bit for audio rips.

I just want to say, I have so many good things to say about this show that typing my full impressions has become a daunting task -- that's why I haven't said much more than my initial post. I couldn't be any happier with these arrangements and performances, sound quality aside. By the time the coca cola song rolled around I was far too pumped to not enjoy it. I want to say it's one of the best lives she's done, but I'm waiting for time to pass before I do this. What was the name of the tour? Something to do with wizards or magic? Some of the performances actually sound magical (not in a rhetoric sort of way, but I mean, actually sparkle like 'magic'. I think it's the combination of HZM, Nagoshi and Ukigumo's playing styles)

I have also listened to it perhaps a dozen times or more too. I am enjoying it more and more too. I really enjoy the extra dimension and depth of the wind instruments especially in tracks like Roudousha, Tsumi to Batsu, and I notice them more than Ukigumo/HZM/etc (but I understand this might not be so popular with everyone).

The tracks I keep coming back to are:
Bonsai Hada and Yasahii Testugaku (I see these as a pair)
Roudousha
Netsuai Hakkakuchuu
Meisai/Tsumi to Batsu
Mayakashi yasaotoko
Omatsurisawagi
..
oh fuck it, they're all great, even NIPPON!

I certainly need to go and give SG a thorough listening to - I have not paid it enough respect previously.